US telco Horizon Telecom has selected RGB Networks' Video Multiprocessing gateway (VMG) to "dramatically" increase the number of high-definition television channels available on its IPTV service.

The new VMG has been deployed in Horizon Telecom's Ohio headquarters, which serves all of its service areas, including 25,000 subscribers in 13 southern Ohio counties.  The telco specifically chose the device for its transcoding capabilities, as it needed to convert MPEG-2 programmes into MPEG-4/H.264 in real time while maintaining optimum picture quality.

“RGB’s VMG has enabled us to not only meet our customers’ demands for HDTV, but to also stay ahead of our competition with the widespread delivery of HDTV to our entire video subscriber base,” said Misty Tuttle, Broadband Services Manager at Horizon Telecom.  “The VMG’s transcoding capabilities have significantly improved workflow and reduced the operational expenses associated with converting MPEG-2 to MPEG-4.”