ProMedia(TM) Live Enables Swisscom to Increase Number of Live Channels Significantly, While Providing Excellent Video Quality
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- April 11, 2012 -- Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT), a global leader in video infrastructure solutions, today announced that Swisscom, Switzerland's leading telecom provider, has chosen Harmonic's ProMedia(TM) Live real-time multiscreen transcoding platform and NMX Digital Service Manager(TM) to provide high-definition video streams for its expanded Web TV and mobile TV services, enabling Swisscom to significantly increase the number of live channels it delivers, with excellent video quality.
"Over the last two years, our Web and mobile subscribers more than tripled to beyond 300,000, and our IPTV subscribers skyrocketed to 600,000 users -- compelling us to adopt a high-performance solution to handle the increased volume of streaming video," said Volker Dietzel, head of TV and Portal Development at Swisscom Switzerland Ltd. "Harmonic's scalable solution allows us to keep pace cost-effectively with the explosive growth in subscriber numbers and streaming sessions by delivering more high-quality live channels to mobile viewing devices than any competitor in our market."
A member of the award-winning ProMedia suite of multiscreen software solutions and appliances, the ProMedia Live real-time, carrier-grade application features Harmonic's industry-leading H.264 codec technology, allowing Swisscom seamlessly to transcode and deliver superior-quality SD and HD video in the most popular mobile and Internet formats -- providing subscribers with a reliable, compelling viewing experience on any device.
"Swisscom delivers a unique 'anytime, anywhere' television experience," said Moore Macauley, director, product line management, Multiscreen, at Harmonic. "The high-quality multiplatform television experience that Swisscom puts at subscribers' fingertips is exactly what we envisioned in designing our transcoders. By managing their streaming video content from a highly scalable solution like ProMedia Live, the telecom provider has the power to significantly increase its channel offerings in the future."
Hosted on the new ProMedia 1104 application server, ProMedia Live provides Swisscom with real-time video processing and encoding with enhanced H.264 video codec technology for creating high-quality Internet video streams. It transcodes baseband SD and HD or MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) content to multiple H.264 streams optimized for adaptive bit rate streaming formats, including Apple(R) HTTP Live Streaming, Microsoft(R) Smooth Streaming, and 3GPP. ProMedia Live's flexible, software-based IP architecture is based on independently scalable nodes that can be increased to support new channels as Swisscom's encoding needs continue to grow.
The ProMedia Live transcoders are managed by Harmonic's NMX Digital Service Manager, a powerful software-based network management system that provides full control over the complete network. Through a simple, intuitive interface, Swisscom can create, modify, and manage service lineups; the underlying equipment is automatically reconfigured to support the new operating parameters, providing a seamless operation.
The comprehensive ProMedia suite, which enables high-quality video creation and multiscreen delivery through a broad range of functions, including capture, transcoding, packaging, and origination, will be on display at Harmonic's booth SU1802 during the 2012 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 16-19.
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About Harmonic Inc.
Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) provides infrastructure that powers the video economy. The company enables content and service providers to efficiently create, prepare, and deliver differentiated video services for television and new media platforms. More information is available at www.harmonicinc.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements related to the anticipated capabilities and benefits of Harmonic's ProMedia Live and NMX Digital Service Manager products. Our expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the possibility that either of the products does not meet some or all of its anticipated capabilities or provide some or all of its anticipated benefits, such as cost-effectiveness, seamless transcoding capability, flexibility, power, ability to fully control a complete network, simplicity and scalability.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, such as those more fully described in Harmonic's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec.31, 2011, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Harmonic as of the date hereof, and Harmonic disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
EDITOR'S NOTE - Product and company names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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