Sun Direct Deploys India's First All-IP HEVC DTH Delivery Workflow with Harmonic
Harmonic's
Software-Based HEVC Media Processing Solution Helps the Operator
Deliver an Additional 80 HD Channels to
Subscribers at Low Bitrates
Harmonic
(NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in video delivery technology and
services, today announced that Sun Direct, an Indian direct-to-home
(DTH) satellite television provider with more than 12 million
subscribers, has deployed a Harmonic software-based HEVC media
processing solution within its all-IP workflow in order to expand its HD
service offering. Harmonic's Electra™ X2 encoder and ProStream®
multiplexer enable Sun Direct to deliver an additional 80 HD channels
from four transponders to subscribers, with crystal-clear video quality
at the lowest possible bitrates.
"Today's
television viewers want exceptional video quality and a broad selection
of channels. When we looked into expanding our HD service offering, we
needed to partner with an expert in satellite deployments and encoding
efficiency," said Mr. S. Kannan, Group CTO, at Sun Group. "Harmonic
enables us to deliver more channels using the same amount of transponder
space so that we can focus on increasing subscriber satisfaction and
revenue growth."
India's pay-TV
industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.2 percent, reaching $14.5
billion in revenue by 2021 and $18 billion by 2025, according to global
media research and consulting firm Media Partners Asia. Harmonic's
solution enables Sun Direct to differentiate itself within the Indian
pay-TV market by delivering more channels with crystal-clear HD video
quality.
Harmonic's
Electra X2 system improves video quality through world-class encoding
technologies. In addition, the Electra X2 encoder maximizes the
efficiency and flexibility of statistical multiplexing through tight
integration with Harmonic's ProStream video stream processor, allowing
Sun Direct to increase bandwidth efficiency and broaden its channel
count. The ProStream processor maximizes transponder savings, supporting
up to 100 statmux services per platform. Sun Direct's entire system
workflow is IP-based and controlled by Harmonic's NMX network management
system.
Harmonic
Professional Services ensured the project was completed quickly,
providing Sun Direct with HEVC and DTH expertise throughout every stage,
from planning to implementation and deployment.
"Sun Direct
plans to roll out additional HD STBs this year, and Harmonic is leading
the way in helping the operator capitalize on the associated higher
subscription rates," said Tony Berthaud, vice president of sales, APAC,
at Harmonic. "With this new investment, Sun Direct significantly
enhances its DTH service and now offers a very attractive number of HD
service channels to their subscribers in India. They primarily chose
Harmonic for outstanding encoding efficiency, pristine video quality and
our long-term and continued deployment support."
Source: Harmonic media announcement