DirecTV extends Tandberg MPEG-4 commitment

DirecTV has picked Tandberg Television’s latest MPEG-4 AVC HD encoding solutions as it expands its offer of local HD channels.

The US DTH platform established its HD offer in early 2005 with the purchase of Tandberg’s first-to-market MPEG-4 AVC HD platform. It now provides HD channels into 100 local markets and has plans to provide local HD channels to 121 cities by the end of 2008.

“We continue to deliver on our goal of providing the best television experience, including the most extensive HD programming in America,” said Hanno Basse, vice president of broadcast systems engineering, for DirecTV, Inc. “We started our HD MPEG-4 AVC journey with Tandberg and consequently, we were the first to market, quickly deploying ahead of our competitors.”

The solution chosen by DirecTV includes the newly released EN8095 encoders, part of the EN8090 MPEG-4 AVC SD/HD encoding family. New features include IP statistical multiplexing, 8VSB input and control of up to three different outputs (MPEG-4 AVC HD/SD and MPEG-2 SD). Tandberg said the encoders provide more bandwidth efficiency, the ability to capture and rebroadcast terrestrial HD channels.