RGB Networks Upgrades its DBM VOD Bandwidth Optimization Solution with MPEG-4/H.264 Support

Network video processing specialist, RGB Networks, said Tuesday that it has upgraded its Dynamic Bandwidth Manager (DBM) VOD transrater to support the MPEG-4/H.264 video format. As cable operators around the world are increasingly taking advantage of MPEG-4/H.264's advanced compression capabilities to deliver bandwidth-hungry HD video and more VOD services, the company says, its DBM will enable them to "unlock even greater bandwidth efficiencies." The company claims that, by deploying the DBM--which it bills as the industry's only real-time VOD transrating solution--operators can deliver up to 50% more VOD programming to subscribers, within their existing QAM bandwidth and without having to upgrade their existing transmission infrastructure or resort to "node splits."

According to RGB, the DBM requires only a "simple drop-in network upgrade" and thus provides a fast and inexpensive way to extend existing network capabilities. While traditional VOD deployments require each program to be allocated a fixed amount of bandwidth, the company says, the DBM uses transrating to continually adjust the bitrates of individual programs, based on a statistical multiplexing algorithm. This, the company claims, increases the number of standard-definition programs that can be delivered per channel from 13 to 20 in an 8MHz channel system, and from 10 to 15 in a 6MHz channel--all without requiring additional bandwidth or compromising "perceived" picture quality. The DBM's new MPEG-4/H.264 capabilities allow it to also provide bandwidth savings for a mix of MPEG-4/H.264 and MPEG-2 HD on-demand services, the company says. "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," Nabil Kanaan, RGB's director of product marketing, said in a prepared statement. "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% more VOD programming."

RGB bills the DBM as transrating VOD programs in real time, thus eliminating the need for pre-processing and complex integration with VOD servers. It says that the solution plugs into existing deployments and is compatible with all major components of end-to-end VOD systems, including servers, resource managers and QAM modulators. Available as a single rack unit, the company says, each DBM is capable of processing nearly 1,000 streams. It also claims that the solution features low-latency configuration that ensures that viewers experience no "noticeable" delays when using trickplay features; and that it supports industry-standard SNMP, Java and HTTP interfaces for control and monitoring, allowing easy-to-use element management and integration into SNMP-compliant network management systems. RGB plans to demo the solution and its new MPEG-4/H.264 capabilities in its booth (stand #5 C14) at the IBC in Amsterdam next month.