MPEG-4

DISH Network Expands MPEG-4 Advanced Delivery System to Reach 32 Markets

Bernie — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:29:42 -0400

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Oct 15, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), the nation's third largest pay-TV provider and the digital television leader, today announced it will begin transmitting the industry's most advanced MPEG-4 delivery system to consumers in 11 additional markets in the eastern half of the United States. Now, consumers who sign up for DISH Network(R) in 32 markets will receive all standard and high definition programming in the MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding Standard, which provides the best picture quality on any TV. In August, DISH Network became the first pay-TV provider to offer all-MPEG-4 service. Read More ...

IP Prime Launches MPEG-4 HD Solution

Bernie — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:35:54 -0500

SES AMERICOM announced availability of IP Prime HD-4. HD-4 is an MPEG-4 powered HD overlay solution, initially targeting existing MPEG-2 IPTV service providers. MPEG-2 IPTV networks are severely challenged with HD because of its high bandwidth requirements. There is a significant base of early adopter MPEG-2 IPTV service providers in the U.S. A single-rack HD-4 solution can deliver 32 HD channels, and operate over an existing MPEG-2 network. The solution utilizes a set-top-box that can accept both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 feeds.

HBO Emboldens Transition to MPEG-4

Bernie — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:39:44 -0400

HBO announced at the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo that all of their HDTV programming will be distributed in MPEG-4. HBO will distribute a total of 26 channels in HD MPEG-4 by sometime in 2008. This HBO decision has implications for all video service providers, with particular impact on operators who operate in an MPEG-2 environment.

MPEG-2 operators will either have to transcode the HBO MPEG-4 signal back down to MPEG-2, or upgrade their networks (and customer set top boxes) to offer MPEG-4 distribution. To make things a little more complicated, HBO will encode their signal at 8 Mbps, and may mandate no further compression of that signal. This impacts TelcoTV operators who are utilizing a DSL infrastructure, because it will become a ‘bandwidth’ hog, compared to other MPEG-4 signals. The end effect may be a competitive advantage to DBS and cable MSOs who can more easily distribute an 8 Mbps HBO HD signal, thus providing a potentially better HBO viewing experience.