BigBand Enhances Video Platform

SAN ANTONIO -- BigBand Networks, Inc., a leading provider of network platforms for video, voice and data services, today introduced its next-generation Ensemble™ architecture for digital video solutions. At SCTE Cable-Tec Expo, the company is displaying this evolutionary expansion to four modules per card on the BigBand BMR® (Broadband Multimedia-Service Router), a market-leading platform for high-quality digital video services over broadband networks. Ensemble will be available for field-deployed BMRs in order to enhance platform density and versatility, and rapidly avail leading edge technologies in media processing and IP switching and routing.

“BigBand Networks is dedicated to the intelligent, economical evolution of operator infrastructures, and Ensemble is designed to extend this practice by establishing new possibilities for platforms currently being deployed,” said BigBand Networks CTO Ran Oz. “With its multiple high-density modules per card, Ensemble further enhances economics and functionality of BigBand BMR deployments and opens new service possibilities such as RateShaping and splicing of AVC and narrowcast video streams.”

The BigBand BMR supports several key solutions used by broadband network operators including Digital TV Management for control and processing of live programming; Deep Digital Transport to extend Gigabit Ethernet benefits to all media forms; Digital Simulcast, which provides an evolutionary approach towards achieving all-digital television services; and Switched Broadcast to expand bandwidth efficiency by providing content in dynamic response to subscriber behavior. Operators can utilize Ensemble to achieve greater processing density and more customized deployments across all of these solutions. New functionality to be introduced based on Ensemble includes economical, low-delay RateShaping® dynamic bit rate adaptation and splicing of targeted services such as VOD and Switched Broadcast. The architecture also supports managed upgrades from current digital video formats to next-generation AVC (advanced video coding) approaches.

The Ensemble architecture and its initial modules are expected to be available for utilization in field-deployed BigBand BMRs later this year. These modules will include broadcast functionality at greater density and high-performance dedicated media processing for functionality like enhanced RateShaping.

BigBand Networks Inc.