Digital TV Management Benefits
Superior Quality Video with Improved Bandwidth Efficiencies
The BigBand BMR provides the functionality of a “headend in a box”. Interoperable with a broad diversity of infrastructure, the platform receives feeds in formats that span ASI, high speed ASI, DHEI, Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet, along with analog programming that has been digitally encoded. The high density BMR1200 chassis, capable of holding up to eight I/O cards, for a total of 96 ASI or DHEI inputs, 72 ASI or DHEI outputs, 32 GigE inputs/outputs, and 64 broadcast QAM outputs, connects any input to any output, removing the need for complex cabling.
Comprehensive Solution for HDTV Growth
By enabling HDTV and SDTV to be part of the same statistical re-multiplexing pool, significant improvements in bandwidth efficiency can be achieved since statistical characteristics often offset each other. BigBand Digital TV Management gives an operator full control in assigning RateShaping priorities to different programs.
When grooming HDTV feeds, the BMR extracts incoming PSIP (Program and System Information Protocol) tables and determines what PSIP data goes with which content. The BMR switches programs to the appropriate output ports, creates new PSIP tables and transmits them in-band alongside other content. Information such as program numbers, closed captioning content and other associated data is maintained.
When a broadcaster switches signal from HD to SD, the BMR can insert a slate as a substitute program, reducing the number of calls from subscribers thinking that service has been interrupted. A suite of software tools enables an operator to create and MPEG encode a slate in HD or SD, decode and monitor program feeds, and select the criteria that trigger slate insertion.
Advanced Digital Ad Splicing
In addition to providing basic requirements, BigBand Digital TV Management offers advanced features, such as the ability to simultaneously splice different ads into multiple copies of the same program and forward them to specific geographic zones or demographic profiles. This enables a service provider to attract advertisers interested in reaching lucrative niche markets. Ad splicing on the BMR is performed on any output, enabling ads to be inserted across the entire programming spectrum to best accommodate content, versus concentrating it on a single channel. Furthermore, by splicing ads on a program-by-program basis, operator control is enhanced and the need to change program lineups eliminated. The BigBand ad insertion gateway is compliant with the SCTE 30 2001 standard governing the server/splicer interface and the SCTE 35 2001 standard for digital cueing.
User-Friendly Management Suite The BigBand Management and Server Suite makes it easy to configure and monitor the BMR, and dynamically provision content and services. GUI-based management provides a wide range of features, including drag-and-drop creation of output.
Screen capture from the BMR Element Manager, one of several GUIs available in the Deep Digital Management solution