SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Sept. 1, 2009 — Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that KAXT-CA, a low-power community television station based in San Jose, Calif., has deployed a groundbreaking digital ATSC television service capable of broadcasting up to 20 MPEG-2 video and audio services within the 19.39-Mbps ATSC spectrum. Using advanced video processing solutions from Harmonic, transmission equipment from Linear Industries, and PSIP generation from Triveni Digital, KAXT is currently broadcasting 12 video channels and four audio channels and planning to add more audio services later.
The large channel capacity provides KAXT with multiple sub-channels, giving viewers more content choices and bringing several new revenue opportunities to the station. KAXT is the first station in the United States to be successful in offering such a large range of programming in a 19.39-Mbps spectrum.
"This new service is a technological feat and establishes a new business model for KAXT,”" said Warren Trumbly, president of KAXT. "The solutions from Harmonic, Linear, and Triveni Digital make it possible to deliver more channels with excellent video quality when compared with the previous analog service we ran for years — without breaking our budget. We have been able to add a variety of programs and offer more multicultural content for the diverse population of the Bay Area, an exciting opportunity for us to better serve viewers and grow our revenues."
Since 1989, KAXT has provided educational, community service, and spiritual programming to Spanish-speaking communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the conversion to digital service transmission, KAXT can now broadcast a larger number of culturally diverse and boutique channels.
Harmonic's DiviCom Electra® 5000 encoders, DiviTrackIP™ statistical multiplexing and NMX Digital Service Manager are used to compress and manage the video and audio services efficiently. Triveni Digital's industry-leading GuideBuilder™ PSIP generator manages the large number of virtual channels and EPG metadata files and feeds the carousel to the Harmonic ProStream™ 1000 remultiplexer over IP. The GuideBuilder PSIP generator also provides a future-proof path to mobile DTV. The Linear Industries AT71K0-1™ 1000-watt digital UHF transmitter and AT7001™ exciter complete the groundbreaking system with advanced linear and nonlinear pre-correction to provide the most pristine signal possible.
"For a low-power station to expand its reach from a single analog SD channel to 20 or more digital services is unprecedented and opens up new business opportunities for KAXT and other broadcasters. This collaborative deployment with Linear and Triveni Digital is a unique application of Harmonic's market-leading encoding and statmux solutions in a broadcast environment and demonstrates the superior abilities of our systems in delivering high-quality video at ultra-low bit rates," said Joel Wilhite, broadcast solutions manager at Harmonic Inc.
"Linear Industries is extremely pleased to have been selected as the transmitter supplier and the ‘power-behind-the-vision' to KAXT on this exceptional project," added Perry Priestley, vice president of Linear Industries. "With this digital opportunity, we specifically optimized our AT7001 exciter's software to provide the synchronization of each of the 12 video signals. The end result of this collaborative deployment allows viewers in KAXT's market to receive and experience a much broader array of content from a single source — a truly exciting industry first."
"It was a pleasure to play such a critical role in this groundbreaking project," said Ralph Bachofen, vice president of marketing and head of sales at Triveni Digital. "We are strong supporters of low-power stations and the critical role they play within each community, and we continue to work closely with partners such as Harmonic and Linear Industries to provide solutions that help these stations migrate cost-effectively to digital broadcasting."
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About KAXT-CA
KAXT-CA is a Class A community television station based in Santa Clara-San Jose, Calif. The station broadcasts locally in analog on UHF channel 22 as an affiliate of Spanish-language Christian television station Tiempos Finales TV, formerly an affiliate of TBN from 1989 to 2003 and of Almavision from 2003 to 2006. Founded May 31, 1989, the station is owned by Broadland Properties, Inc. KAXT-LD began program broadcasts on July 30, 2009.
About Linear Industries
Linear Industries is an industry leader in the design, development, and delivery of TV broadcast transmission solutions. Globally, Linear delivered more than 2,000 transmitters in 2008 and since 1978 has delivered and optimized solutions for customers in over 40 countries. Linear's advanced pre-correction software delivers "touch-of-a-button" linearization, providing unparalleled performance at exceptional price-points. With a reputation for reliability and performance, Linear transmitter and exciter solutions can reduce TV broadcasters' capital and operational costs, and provide a more effective return on their investment. For more information, visit www.linear-tv.com/contact.html.
About Triveni Digital
Triveni Digital Inc., a subsidiary of LG Electronics, develops systems that provide for the management and distribution of data and metadata in DTV, mobile DTV, and IPTV streams. Triveni Digital's products for DVB SI, ATSC PSIP, data broadcasting, stream analysis, and monitoring are renowned for their ease of use and innovative features. Working with leading industry partners, Triveni Digital employs an open and standards-compliant approach to the digital television market. More information is available at www.TriveniDigital.com/.
About Harmonic Inc.
Harmonic Inc. is redefining video delivery with the industry's most powerful solutions for delivering live and on-demand video to TVs, PCs and mobile devices. Harmonic's 20 years of technical innovation and market leadership enable the company to offer a unique and comprehensive solution portfolio — including encoding, transcoding, content preparation, stream processing, asset management, edge processing, and delivery. Broadcast, cable, Internet, mobile, satellite and telecom service providers around the world choose Harmonic's IP-based digital video, software, and broadband edge and access solutions. Using these award-winning and industry-leading solutions, operators can reduce costs and differentiate their services by offering consumers a higher quality, personalized multi-screen experience.
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with R&D, sales and system integration centers worldwide. The company's customers, including many of the world's largest communications providers, deliver services in virtually every country. Visit www.harmonicinc.com for more information.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27(A) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21(E) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements related to: KAXT's plans to add more audio services, bringing several new revenue opportunities to the station, establishing a new business model for KAXT, and providing a future proof path to mobile DTV.
Our expectations and beliefs regarding the capabilities of Harmonic's advanced video processing solutions and the anticipated benefits for KAXT may not materialize, and actual results could differ materially from those projected. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in Harmonic's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its recent Reports filed on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Harmonic does not undertake 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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