RGB Networks’ digital overlay zeroes in on targeted advertising
By Brian Santo, CED

RGB Networks has added digital overlay capabilities to its Broadcast Network Processor (BNP). With its ability to directly overlay text, graphics and video onto more than 500 television ads simultaneously, the BNP dramatically reduces the cost for cable operators to deliver localized ads for both national and local advertisers. 

The originating broadcast networks have long had the ability, but it’s been an expensive proposition. RGB Networks is making it “inexpensive enough to push it down from broadcasters to individual systems,” Ramin Farassat, RGB’s vice president product marketing, told CED.

He characterized the cost reduction as going from thousands of dollars per stream to tens of dollars per stream.

By making it cost-effective to implement the capability at the local level, local operators can cater to the interests of both national and local advertisers.

For example, for a nationwide restaurant chain to advertise in its 20 largest cities, its ad must undergo extensive post-production work to include addresses, phone numbers and other text or graphical information that localizes the ad for each city – resulting in 20 separate ads.  By overlaying text, graphics and even video directly onto ads in real-time, the BNP eliminates this costly and time-consuming process, enabling, for example, a nationwide ad to be easily localized by the operators serving each city or region.

“A dealership could change the overlay every day,” Farassat said. “They can specify what’s available in inventory every day – change what’s on sale every day.” 

In addition to enabling new ad revenues, the BNP’s digital overlay capabilities can help operators face two significant and growing challenges to their existing ad programs:  ad skipping Digital Video Recorders (DVR) and competition from the Internet. 

Cable operators can overcome the threat of DVR owners skipping ads by using the BNP to overlay ad content directly onto the programs themselves, therefore eliminating the ability to skip the ads.

This overlay of text or video ads onto programming is already proven, RGB Networks said, but the traditional method requires a cumbersome process that involves decoding the ad and programming to analog, performing the overlay and then re-encoding the program with the overlaid ad back to digital.  The BNP functions completely within the digital domain, eliminating this decode/re-encode process and the need for additional costly decoders and encoders.

Motorola invests in security monitoring company 
By Traci Patterson, CED

Motorola Inc. - via Motorola Ventures - has made an equity investment in VidSys Inc., a provider of physical security information management (PSIM) solutions for safety, security, commercial, surveillance, military and transportation organizations.

Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.

PSIM marries the video management of security and surveillance apps for incident and event management, enabling security personnel in operations centers to more efficiently manage situations, Motorola said.
 
“There is a need for a stronger convergence of physical and IT security assets in order to provide better response to public safety incidents and threats,” said Reese Schroeder, managing director of Motorola Ventures.

Alltel to be acquired for $27.5B
By Traci Patterson, CED

Alltel Corp. has signed a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners (GSCP), Goldman Sachs’ private equity vehicle. The transaction is valued at approximately $27.5 billion.

TPG Capital and GSCP will acquire all of Alltel’s outstanding common stock for $71.50 per share, in cash.

Alltel's board of directors has unanimously approved the merger and has recommended approval by the company’s shareholders.

The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2007 or Q1 2008 and is subject to customary closing conditions. Scott Ford, Alltel's CEO, will remain in his current role.

TI chip at the heart of IPTV box for China
By Brian Santo, CED

Texas Instruments and National Source Coding Audio & Video Technologies (Beijing) Co. Ltd. (NSCC) announced an IPTV set-top box (STB) that relies on a single chip that performs dual decoding of both AVS and H.264. AVS is the standard China has settled on for digital television transmission.

The single-chip solution was designed to be a cost-effective solution to help accelerate the deployment of IPTV services in China.
 
The chip, called the HM2006, is integrated with NSCC's AVS decoding algorithm and uses TI's DM644x digital signal processors (DSPs) based on DaVinci technology. The solution enables AVS, H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and WMV video decoding.

Digital signal processing gives designers using TI's DaVinci technology the ability to add video functions to an application, because the programmable engine makes it as simple as writing to an application programming interface (API), saving original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) months of development time and lowering overall system costs. The solution also can help operators meet faster deployment schedules at a lower development cost.

"China's IPTV market is experiencing gradual but solid growth. Today's announcement of the industry's first local AVS-enabled single-chip IPTV STB solution will surely push forward the market," said Kun Lin, vice president of TI Greater China Strategic Business Development.

NexTone, Camiant ally on VoIP policy control
By Brian Santo, CED

NexTone and Camiant have combined the former’s session border control (SBC) technology with the latter’s policy servers to facilitate policy-based control of SIP-based VoIP services in cable networks.

Camiant said NexTone is providing the first SBC to interconnect with its Diameter-based Rx interface, defined in the PacketCable Multi Media (PCMM) 2.0 architecture. NexTone’s real-time knowledge of the state of the session enables Camiant to apply appropriate policies on a subscriber’s traffic.

The two said their solution is in use by what they describe as a leading U.S.-based cable operator; they did not identify the operator.

The combination of the two products is predicated on NexTone’s support of the IMS 3GPP Release 7 and Rx interface to external Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) entities.

NexTone’s SBC separates the signaling flow from the media stream in accordance with IMS 3GPP specifications, giving service providers the flexibility to impose policy-based control on the media stream independent of the signaling flow. The standards-defined Rx interface allows for the exchange of flow-based information between the NexTone SBC and the PCRF.  Service providers using NexTone’s SBC can now exercise this Diameter-based Rx interface to external policy servers or PCRFs to control each session’s quality of service (QoS) and network resource allocation.
 
DOCSIS-based cable MSOs benefit particularly from this approach, Camiant said, because delivery of QoS-backed VoIP services requires session layer intelligence for access bandwidth and resource management.

Broadband Briefs for 5/21/07

* RCN adds Mass. town
RCN Corp. is expanding its coverage area to include Milton, Mass., the sixteenth community in the state to receive RCN service. In late fall, Milton residents will have access to RCN’s triple-play bundle and other services.

* NHL content going online this season
The National Hockey League (NHL) and Synacor, an Internet tools and portals provider, are extending their partnership to offer online content during the 2007-2008 NHL season.

NHL Premium Video and Game Notes is an online package that will offer game summary videos, pre-game profiles and more. Service providers will have access to the content and can offer it to their high-speed data customers.

* Anadigics debuts 1 GHz RF amplifier for STBs
Anadigics now has available a single-chip, low-noise, high linearity RF amplifier with integrated gain control, designed to replace existing discrete solutions in cable TV digital set-top boxes and analog and digital TVs. The ABA3130 features wideband operation of 50 MHz to 1.1 GHz, a range suitable for expansion of cable spectrum to 1 GHz. The company said it is already shipping the ABA3130 RF amp to a “leading” cable box manufacturer.

* Concert.tv to launch broadband service
Somebody had to propose a solution to the lack of music on MTV. Concert.tv said it will go live with its broadband network this fall. Video will be formatted for the full range of screen sizes, for the range of Internet-enabled devices. The network estimates it reaches more than 17 million television homes via Comcast, Charter, Cox and other cable TV operators, and the global broadband Internet audience. Concert.tv is the first-of-its-kind that programs memorable live performances, compelling documentaries and unique originals to viewers free of charge - 24/7/365.

* Cedar Point goes back to school
Cedar Point Communications said Texas A&M University is set to try its Safari C³ Multimedia Switching System. Under the agreement, Texas A&M will use its advanced testing facilities via the Internet2 Technology Evaluation Center to evaluate the capabilities of the Safari C³ to meet the needs of the university telecommunications network provider.

* OpVista achieves MEF 9 certification
OpVista  has gained certification to deliver MEF 9 services, and announced it has taken a membership in the Metro Ethernet Forum.

“OpVista’s MEF 9 certification and its membership in the Metro Ethernet Forum further underscores the company’s dedication to providing Carrier Ethernet Transport to service providers,” said Winston Way, chief technology officer.