RGB Networks has upgraded its Dynamic Bandwidth Manager to support MPEG-4/H.264 in order to give cable operators the ability to deliver more HD and video-on-demand choices.

Since MPEG-4 offers a 50 percent bit-rate reduction over MPEG-2, RGB said deploying its DBM will allow cable operators to offer more VOD programming within their existing QAM bandwidth without having to upgrade their current transmission infrastructure or do costly node splits.

RGB said installation of the latest version of the DBM was a simple ‘drop-in’ network upgrade . Using RGB’s transrating capability to continually adjust the bit rates of the individual programs based on a statistical multiplexing algorithm, the DBM increases the delivery of SD programs per channel from 13 to 20 in an 8 MHz channel system, and from 10 to 15 in a 6 MHz channel system, without requiring additional bandwidth or compromising perceived picture quality.

With its new MPEG-4/H.264 capabilities, the DBM now also provides bandwidth savings for a mix of MPEG-4/H.264 and MPEG-2 HD on-demand services.

“Cable operators are eager to capitalize on the growing popularity of on-demand TV, but their infrastructures are beginning to creak under the strain of delivering hundreds, sometimes thousands, of personalized video streams,” said Nabil Kanaan, director of product marketing for RGB Networks. “Operators are already looking to the bandwidth efficiencies of MPEG-4/H.264 to help deliver more HDTV content; doing this in conjunction with the Dynamic Bandwidth Manager pushes these efficiency gains one step further, enabling 50 percent more VOD programming.”

RGB said its DBM transrates VOD programs in real time, eliminating the need for pre-processing and complex integration with VOD servers. It plugs into existing deployments and is compatible with all major components of end-to-end VOD systems, including VOD servers, resource managers and QAM modulators.  Available as a single-rack unit, each DBM is capable of processing nearly 1,000 streams.