Thomson-Networks

RENNES, France — Oct. 12, 2011 — Thomson Video Networks announced today that it has been chosen by Next Generation Cable Communication to provide ViBE encoders for its multisystem operator (MSO) operation in west Maharashtra, India. The Pune-based MSO will upgrade its existing infrastructure to broadcast over 200 SD and HD channels to the rapidly expanding local cable TV market. 

Next Generation Cable Communication’s installation of systems from Thomson Video Networks includes ViBE EM1000 SD encoders, powering 72 television channels. Thomson’s new ViBE EM4000 multichannel HD encoders will complete the infrastructure in subsequent phases of the project build.

“The technical advantages, scalability for future growth, and business solutions for multiple verticals like webTV, IPTV, and mobile TV made Thomson Video Networks the right partner to help us build a superior platform for success,” said Mr. Baba Shaikh, Next Generation Cable Communication’s managing director. “The Thomson encoders have enabled us to create a great combination of quality and quantity, along with efficient content delivery that other vendors could not provide.”

In addition to providing services to multiple cable TV operators in the city of Pune and surrounding areas, Next Generation Cable Communication also operates its own news, religious, educational, entertainment, and cultural channels.

Thomson Video Networks distributor Modern Communication and Broadcast Systems Pvt. Ltd. (MCBS), a leading Indian firm that has specialized in the cable and satellite sector for 25 years, provided integration services for the project.                                                                                                                                             

“The key to competing in the market here is the number of channels, and to deliver more channels within the same fixed bandwidth has always been a target for all the MSOs. With the Thomson EM1000 MPEG-2/MPEG-4 AVC encoders, we can now achieve this target since they give increased depth and picture clarity even at very low bit rates,” said Kalpesh Magnani, technical manager, Next Generation Cable Communication. “We chose the Thomson Video Networks ViBE EM1000 encoders as they provide a clear step up in image quality and efficiency over our previous solution, and we can now serve our customers with more and outstanding pictures.”

The benchmark ViBE SD MPEG-2/MPEG-4 AVC encoder provides industry-leading encoding for cable, IPTV, satellite, and terrestrial operations, and other kinds of content aggregation. It combines compression efficiency with the latest preprocessing techniques, to deliver clearer pictures with increased depth and clarity, giving media companies a key differentiator for their services, and providing their viewers with a premium viewing experience.

The ViBE SD encoder range can be configured as single-channel or multichannel units, offering the advantage of both a reduced footprint and lower power consumption per channel. Each channel can be independently configured for MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 encoding, extending the possibilities for hybrid applications. Both encoders use the Dolby® Digital and AAC audio compression formats and support up to eight stereo pairs of audio.

“Cable television operators in the sub-continent and the Asia-Pacific region are showing strong interest in the ViBE encoder range,” said Christophe Delahousse, president, Thomson Video Networks. “The industry-leading capabilities and compression quality of the ViBE technology give operators a considerable advantage, which translates into more satisfied viewers and a growing subscriber base.”

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 About Next Generation Cable Communication

Next Generation Cable Communication is an India-based company, which is providing multisystem operator (MSO) services to various local cable television (TV) operators in Pune city. The company was started by Mr. Abdul Karim Sheikh and Mr. Iqbal Sheikh with a vision to provide best digital picture quality over fiber optics to its viewers. Next Generation Cable Communication also has its own local channels and programs. The local channels mainly focus on Pune city, including district level news, events, and information. The channels are broadcast free of charge to the TV subscribers of Next Generation. The company’s channels include Next Generation News, Dharmatma, NextGen Kids, NextGen Cinema, and NextGen Classic. Due to the popularity of these channels, Next Generation News and Dharmatma are now made available on the Internet TV platform and will be distributed on the Internet across India with the plan of launching it internationally in future.

About Thomson Video Networks

From the very onset of digital TV broadcasting, the Thomson name has been synonymous with supplying expertise, quality, and reliability to the world’s leading broadcasters. Since delivering the world’s first large-scale direct-to-home satellite system, Thomson Video Networks has been a global leader in compression systems for satellite, terrestrial, cable, IPTV, mobile TV, and Web streaming. The company helps its customers deliver superior quality video to anything from small handheld devices to large 3D HD screens, with the lowest bandwidth to ensure a profitable business model. A trusted supplier to more than 20 percent of the active channels deployed worldwide, with a global support presence and a reputation for delivering quality at every stage, Thomson Video Networks offers the experience and range of products to meet every need, from hybrid multi-format compression systems to contribution links for content exchange networks.

For information about products from Thomson Video Networks, please visit www.thomson-networks.com.