>> Harmonic to Demonstrate Advanced Broadcast and Multiscreen Solutions at IBC2013

Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Key Highlights Include Demos of Next-Generation Ultra HD Digital Video Format, HEVC Compression, and Branded Channel Playout

At IBC2013 stand 1.B20 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, will demonstrate the latest solutions designed to optimize the production and delivery of high-value video services in the broadcast, cable, and multiscreen environments. The no. 1 provider in pay TV encoders, broadcast playout servers, IPTV headends, and cable edgeQAM, Harmonic’s solutions enable broadcasters and operators to efficiently prepare and deliver high-quality video content to any viewing device.

“At IBC2013 Harmonic will showcase its ‘glass-to-glass’ integrated broadcast and multiscreen solutions, which deliver dramatically superior video quality, across formats from SD to emerging Ultra HD,” said Peter Alexander, senior vice president of marketing and chief marketing officer at Harmonic. “The product demonstrations at the booth will highlight operational efficiencies, cost savings, and amazing video quality that operators can achieve by leveraging an integrated solution from Harmonic. Leading the industry in supporting next-generation formats and standards like Ultra HD and HEVC, Harmonic helps broadcasters and operators gain time-to-market advantage and monetize their new service offerings. Our true HD demonstration also highlights a practical Ultra HD service, as it delivers Blu-ray quality which is then upconverted by Ultra HD televisions.”

Featured demonstrations at Harmonic’s booth include:

Encoding and Stream Processing

• A unique Ultra HD demonstration powered by Harmonic’s HEVC-ready ProMedia™ family of multiscreen solutions will showcase the exceptional resolution offered by the new format and feature Harmonic’s new Ultra HD reference footage, which will be made available to customers for testing interoperability with HEVC clients.
• A powerful end-to-end true HD 1080p50 playout, encoding and distribution workflow, showcasing 3G-SDI and 1080p support on the Spectrum™ MediaPort™ 7000 real-time video encoder/decoder, as well as 1080p50 H.264 encoding on the Electra™ 8000 universal encoder and 1080p50 H.264 decoding with 3G-SDI output on the ProView™ 7100 integrated receiver-decoder and stream processor.
• New linear ad splicing capabilities on Harmonic’s ProStream® 9100 real-time stream processor, which harnesses the powerful new Quad GbE I/O card for local and regional ad insertion directly into live-to-air MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC SD/HD transport streams.

Storage and Playout

• Demonstrating the capabilities of Harmonic high performance storage, Adobe Premiere will be shown editing 4K content on MediaGrid shared storage system.
• Recent enhancements to the market-leading Spectrum ChannelPort™ branded channel playout module, which includes dual DVE functionality, dual live inputs, independent branding of simulcast channels, and support for external key/fill to enable more powerful graphics; the addition of AVC-Intra and ProRes enables exceptional codec flexibility; and new dynamic subtitle insertion for just-in-time playout of multilingual content.
• New capabilities added to Spectrum media server product line, including support for seamless ad insertion via SCTE 104 triggers; edit-in-place capability for Adobe® Premiere® Pro in the Adobe Creative Cloud; native PitchBlue H.264 playout support for accelerated production-to-playout workflow; Dynamic Audio Shuffle for on-the-fly audio channel mapping during playout; and Audio Mix Down for mixing primary and secondary audio content onto SD output.

Cable Edge

• The industry’s first true CCAP-compliant platform, NSG™ Pro, which possesses the ability to converge high-density universal edgeQAM capabilities with future, integrated CMTS functionality. Featuring built-in DVB encryption and supporting a variety of video and data services, such as cloud DVR, IP video, video on demand (VOD), and M-CMTS to make it an ideal platform for European operators making the transition to an all-IP infrastructure.

In addition to the demonstrations, industry experts from Harmonic are scheduled to speak at various technical sessions during IBC:

• Patrick Waddell, manager, standards and regulatory, at Harmonic, and Joel Wilhite, marketing solutions manager for broadcast and satellite at Harmonic, will participate in the “IP in the Broadcast Studio” tutorial session produced in association with IEEE on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 1:00 p.m.
• Ian Trow, senior director of emerging technology and strategy for Harmonic, will speak at the sessions “Broadcasting Buzz Words: What do I need to know about broadcasting today?” and “Nothing endures but change: What does the future hold?” during the Rising Stars program on Sunday, Sept. 15, starting at 10:45 a.m.

Further information about Harmonic and the company’s products is available at www.harmonicinc.com.

>> Totalmovie Launches Live OTT Multiscreen Streaming Service Powered by Harmonic

Date: Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Integrated Video Transcoding, Packaging, Server and Storage Solution from Harmonic Provides Totalmovie with a Flexible and Scalable Workflow

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, today announced that Totalmovie, a Grupo Salinas company and leading video streaming and over the top service, has selected a complete multiscreen solution from Harmonic to power its new live TV streaming service. Harmonic’s advanced adaptive bitrate and multicast technology enables Totalmovie customers to view 64 high-quality SD and HD channels in over 40 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Brazil. The premium streaming service has been launched on a wide range of devices including TVs, set-top boxes, tablets, and smartphones. Harmonic was chosen for its expertise in video streaming and its ability to design and deploy integrated solutions within a short span of time, enabling Totalmovie to quickly launch the new OTT multiscreen streaming service to generate additional revenue and become the first multi-country service in Latin America to combine live TV and VOD.

“In a unique distribution approach designed to facilitate rapid expansion of over-the-top video streaming services into new markets, Totalmovie needed a versatile video processing solution capable of supporting both HLS and multicast streaming. We did an exhaustive review of the marketplace and concluded Harmonic as best of class,” said Richard Johnson, president and COO, Totalmovie. “Harmonic provides an ideal integrated solution for our needs, combining IPTV and multi-bitrate transcoding, packaging, video server, and storage. Leveraging the flexibility and scalability offered by the Harmonic multiscreen solutions, we’re able to support a wide range of services, devices, and third-party technologies.”

After downlinking live content, Totalmovie utilizes Harmonic’s ProStream® 1000 with ACE® for real-time video and audio transcoding of multiple SD and HD broadcast channels. Featuring a scalable and flexible architecture, ProStream 1000 with ACE transcodes MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC content into multiple streams of H.264 with multiple video resolutions and bit rates optimized for multiscreen delivery, maximizing Totalmovie’s efficiencies and reducing operating expenses.

Video content is then sent to Harmonic’s ProMedia™ Package adaptive stream preparation system. The entirely software-based solution combines multiple streams of H.264 video and associated audio into a variety of HTTP adaptive bitrate protocols, enabling the secure and efficient delivery of Totalmovie’s OTT multiscreen service. Utilizing the flexible system, Totalmovie can scale to support hundreds of simultaneous streams.

ProMedia Origin and the Harmonic MediaGrid shared-storage system optimize the delivery of the Totalmovie OTT multiscreen catch-up and time-shift services in a range of industry-standard protocols, including Apple® HLS, Adobe® HDS, and Microsoft Smooth Streaming. Relying on the tight integration of Origin and MediaGrid, Totalmovie can independently scale storage capacity, bandwidth, and streaming capability. This level of scalability is crucial to expanding its OTT service offerings and revenue streams in the future.

“Content is king for today’s on-the-go generation of consumers. This innovative OTT multiscreen streaming service enables Totalmovie to deliver high-quality live and VOD content anytime, anywhere, and on any device, giving them a competitive advantage in the marketplace,” said Eric Armstrong, vice president of sales, North America broadcast & satellite, at Harmonic. “Harmonic’s expertise in integration, scalability, and flexibility were key to enabling an end-to-end solution that can scale to support services with any carrier or mobile operator worldwide, while reducing our customer’s operating expenses.”

Further information about Harmonic and the company’s products is available at www.harmonicinc.com.

>> Request a meeting with Harmonic in Australia at IBC 2013

>> Harmonic Ellipse® 3000 Encoder Enables Pristine Video Contribution for Demanding Live Broadcast Applications

Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2013

New MPEG-4 AVC HD 4:2:2 10-Bit Encoder Assures Premium Image Quality, with the Performance and Reliability Critical for News and Event Video Delivery

Harmonic, the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, brings its many years of video compression expertise and experience with tier-1 broadcasters and service providers to the high-end contribution market with the release of the Ellipse® 3000 contribution encoder. The Ellipse 3000 employs MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC 4:2:0/4:2:2 8-bit and 10-bit compression technologies to enable transmission of pristine real-time video over satellite and broadband contribution networks. By encoding the highest possible picture quality at the front end of the broadcast chain, the Ellipse 3000 is one more way in which Harmonic is enabling amazing video experiences.

“Offering broad codec support and simple in-field firmware upgradability Ellipse 3000 is a future-proof platform spanning MPEG-2 SD 4:2:0 8-bit to AVC HD 4:2:2 10-bit,” said Yaniv Sibony, product manager for contribution and distribution at Harmonic. “The combination of Ellipse 3000 and ProView 7100 IRD, which we introduced at IBC 2012, enables a highly flexible and easy-to-use solution for end-to-end 4:2:2 10-bit contribution workflows.”

Very low latency in conjunction with multiformat and multicodec versatility make the Ellipse 3000 ideal for digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) operations and live sports coverage — or any application in which premium image quality and high performance are primary considerations.

To assure universal compatibility, the Ellipse 3000 supports DVB-S, DVB-DSNG, and DVB-S2 modulation schemes, and provides QPSK/8PSK/16QAM/16APSK constellation support. Simultaneous L-band, IP, and DVB-ASI outputs assure reliability by providing alternate distribution channels in the event of link failure.

The Ellipse 3000 high-end contribution encoder will be demonstrated at Harmonic’s booth SU1411 during the 2013 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 8-11. The new contribution encoder is expected to ship in June 2013.

>> Harmonic to Showcase Groundbreaking Solutions for Broadcast and Multiscreen Services at 2013 NAB Show

Monday, March 18, 2013

Highlights Include Demonstrations of Next-Generation Ultra HD Digital Video Format, HEVC Compression, and Contribution Encoding

At booth SU1411 at the 2013 NAB Show, Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, continues to set the bar for achieving operational and network cost-efficiencies in broadcast and multiscreen production and delivery, while enhancing the viewer experience. The company will showcase solutions that enable more efficient multiformat content production, more cost-effective distribution of content over any network, and better support of high-quality video delivery, regardless of the display device. Throughout the show, Harmonic will also provide demonstrations of the next-generation Ultra HD digital video format and HEVC compression, as well as its latest Ellipse® contribution encoder.

“Our 2013 NAB booth will demonstrate how integrated solutions from Harmonic provide greater flexibility and efficiency while delivering amazing video experiences,” said Peter Alexander, senior vice president of marketing and chief marketing officer at Harmonic. “We will be showcasing solutions that address virtually every media production and delivery model today — and support emerging models that leverage technologies such as the MPEG-DASH streaming and HEVC compressions standards for even greater efficiency gains.”

Featured demonstrations at Harmonic’s booth include:

Encoding and Stream Processing for Broadcast and Multiscreen

• Ultra HD, the new super high-definition television format that promises four times the resolution of current 1080p HDTV.
• HEVC encoding, which improves OTT delivery and supports a wide range of compelling applications.
• A complete multiscreen workflow with the award-winning Harmonic ProMedia™ Suite, including new ad insertion and monetization capabilities, time-shift features, broad support for ecosystem partners, and live MPEG-DASH streaming.
• Cloud-based transcoding that complements operators' existing technology investments for greater flexibility, as well as reducing capital and operating expenses.
• New audio capabilities in the industry-leading Electra® universal multifunction, multiformat encoding platform that powers more than 75,000 channels worldwide, due in part to its high-density, energy-efficient design that reduces operating costs and delivers excellent value per channel.

Production and Playout

• A new addition to the Ellipse line of universal contribution encoders that combines pristine image quality with ultra-low latency.
• Enhancements to the market-leading Spectrum™ media server product line, including Spectrum ChannelPort™ integrated channel playout system with new powerful channel-in-a-box capabilities such as dual DVEs with independent branding.
• File-based transcoding with ProMedia Carbon featuring a wide array of acquisition, nonlinear editing, broadcast, web, and mobile formats.
• Collaborative editing with Harmonic MediaGrid scalable shared storage optimized for video workflows that provides the performance of a SAN with the simplicity of NAS, making it ideal for production environments.

In addition to the demonstrations, industry experts from Harmonic are scheduled to speak at the Broadcast Engineering Conference during NAB.

• Thierry Fautier, senior director of convergence solutions at Harmonic, will present “Use Cases for the New HEVC Standard” on Sunday, April 7, at 2 p.m. in room S225/226.
• Ian Trow, senior director of emerging technology and strategy for Harmonic, will present “Which Broadcast Workflow Will Deliver Ultra High Definition to the Home?” on Sunday, April 7, at 4 p.m. in room S225/226.

Further information about Harmonic and the company’s full product line is available at www.harmonicinc.com.