Appear TV, a leading global provider of next-generation head-ends for broadcast and IP television, featured its Multiscreen & OTT module based on its leading modular head-end architecture at the 2012 CCW Expo, Nov. 14-15.
The module provides a fully-integrated, hardware-based system capable of simultaneously preparing multiple signals from any input source in any format for distribution to a high definition television in the home, a high resolution computer screen and to lower resolution web- and mobile-based profiles. The system accommodates different bit rates optimized for each destination device while maintaining a high QoS and exceptional reliability when typically compared with software-based options.
The Appear TV Multiscreen modules utilize the latest generation encoding and transcoding technology to solve the challenges of transcoding large numbers of services more efficiently and at a higher quality level over software systems on a PC. The Appear TV Multiscreen module is part of the company’s modular chassis concept specifically designed to help broadcasters migrate from current systems to an integrated, scalable and fully featured multiscreen solution. The Appear TV’s multiscreen solution is built around a carrier class chassis populated with additional modules that handle multiscreen processing requirements including:
• Content acquisition – through modules that can receive satellite, cable, terrestrial and IP/ASI contributed program services, from Integrated VoD servers or SDI from Studios.
• Pre-Processing – through modules that can demodulate, decode and descramble content acquired and service filter programming for onward video processing and re-multiplexing.
• Hardware-Based Encoding / transcoding – “Any to Any” format dense transcoding and high quality encoding in any format for primary and redistribution of multiscreen profiles and bit rates for delivery to all screens in CBR format or VBR with statistical multiplexing.
• Segmentation and adaptive bit-rate streaming – the Appear TV multiscreen solution can hand off the video profiles to third-party segmenters which support the most popular streaming formats including Adobe HDS (HTTP Dynamic Streaming), Apple HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), Microsoft Smooth Streaming and MPEG DASH.
• Protection – the chassis can accept Appear TV designed DRM key handling and Conditional Access scrambling modules to ensure that content and revenues are protected as well as business rules adhered to.
• Delivery – Appear TV delivery modules stream the GOP aligned video outputs for network-based IP delivery such as CDN’s or modulating over cable, satellite or terrestrial broadcast platforms and mobile networks.
