Turner Broadcasting System will provide its own MPEG-4 signal for Internet Protocol delivery of video content, enabling telecom operators to offer video as a part of their services to customers.
By the end of the year, TBS will be able to provide five of its cable television networks to licensed operators in an IPTV-compatible format, said Mike DeHart, vice president of domestic distribution for Turner Network Sales (TNS).
The move is intended to help small operators “find a cost-effective alternative to re-encoding” and a way to receive the networks in a compatible format, he said.
As Turner migrates and converts its analog networks to digital, more satellite capacity will become available to expand the MPEG-4 system. That, in turn, will let Turner deliver all 10 of its linear networks in an IPTV-compatible format.
TBS will use the Scientific Atlanta MPEG-4 D9034 encoder to provide the MPEG-4 signals for telecom companies.
Turner will install the standard-definition MPEG-4 encoding systems at its Techwood campus and CNN Center in Atlanta to provide signals for CNN, CNN Headline News, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies. The move is expected to make Turner the first U.S. linear programmer to provide its own encoded channels for IPTV operators.
For more information, visit: www.scientificatlanta.com.
