Harmonic Delivers GigE VOD

ATLANTA -- Concurrent Computer Corporation (Nasdaq:CCUR - News), the pioneer and market leader in North American commercial Video-On-Demand (VOD) deployments, and Harmonic Inc. (Nasdaq:HLIT - News), a leading provider of digital video, broadband optical networking, and IP delivery systems, today announced that they have successfully completed integration of Concurrent's MediaHawk® VOD Video Server with Harmonic's Narrowcast Services Gateway (NSG). This integration allows multiple service operators (MSOs) to use any conditional access system (CAS), including currently deployed proprietary systems, to transport video streams through their plants more efficiently, via Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) technology.This latest work confirms the interoperability between complementary GigE-based systems from Concurrent and Harmonic. GigE, relative to other transport options, offers better scalability and enables the incremental expansion of on-demand broadband services, such as VOD, subscription VOD (SVOD), and personal video recording - or Concurrent's Personal Video Channel(TM), or pVC(TM).Harmonic's NSG interfaces with Concurrent's MediaHawk Video Server and acts as a gateway to the "last mile" coaxial plant, providing quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and upconversion between the digital and analog portions of the HFC network. In addition, the NSG can serve as a scrambling and multiplexing engine with input interface options, including ASI and Gigabit Ethernet. Together, Concurrent and Harmonic provide an end-to-end solution based on GigE transport that distributes an industry-leading electronic program guide running through the set-top.Steve Necessary, Concurrent XSTREME (VOD) Division president, added, "The combination of the two companies' systems yields a powerful Video-On-Demand solution. Integrating with a leader such as Harmonic for a collaborative NSG solution is important as MSOs continuously seek out the most effective solutions for their growing networks. We are confident that with this offering we can exceed MSO expectations as the `everything on demand' model continues to evolve and demand for bandwidth increases."In a separate release:PORTLAND, Ore. -- nCUBE Corporation and Harmonic Inc. (Nasdaq:HLIT - News), today announced that Charter Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:CHTR - News), has installed the two companies' end-to-end Gigabit Ethernet solution for video-on-demand (VOD).Gigabit Ethernet is a transport vehicle that allows cable operators to deliver a wide range of video services to customers with dramatically reduced transport costs. The technology gives operators the flexibility to easily add new on-demand services to existing systems and save overhead costs on decentralized server technology over existing networks."Charter continues to play a leading role in the implementation of cutting-edge technology, offering best-of-class digital services to television viewers," said Michael Pohl, president and chief executive officer, nCUBE Corporation. "As the roll out of new services such as VOD continues, nCUBE and Harmonic have developed a powerful solution that provides cable operators the technology and business tools to lower the overall cost of delivering advanced on-demand services and to maximize revenue potential. nCUBE's platform supports the technology of today and tomorrow's world of everything-on-demand."nCUBE's on-demand suite provides operators a complete solution for delivering the on-demand services of today with the scalability to support on-demand television's future, everything-on-demand (EOD). nCUBE's n4 and enhanced n4x On-Demand Servers utilize a hypercube interconnect server architecture that can allow 53,000 users the ability to simultaneously access the same piece of content, and provides more than 200,000 hours of unique content storage. The nABLE On-Demand Management System is the industry's most comprehensive and automated back-office system for managing on-demand services. nODA offers operators the ability to customize and brand their VOD and subscription VOD (SVOD) services to create a unique and compelling user experience.Harmonic Inc.