SRG SSR uses Harmonic video processing for new HD services

SRG SSR of Switzerland has selected a combination of Harmonic’s multifunction video encoders, stream processing solutions and management tools to power its new HDTV services. The Harmonic solutions deployed for the new DVB-S satellite system provide the video quality, bandwidth efficiencies and flexibility to enable SRG SSR to begin its migration to HD while continuing to provide legacy channels until the transition is complete.

Harmonic’s video compression and processing solutions deliver the flexibility and quality to successfully address the challenges of migrating services from SD to HD over the next three to five years, comments Andre Frank, Project Manager for distribution/engineering media services at SRG SSR. Additionally, the Electra 8000 is designed to reclaim bandwidth by increasing the channel count per transponder while maintaining video quality, so we can continue to expand our HD services well into the future.

The Electra 8000 encoders provide SGR SSR with SD and HD, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC encoding, as well as integrated statistical multiplexing. This product provides up to four channels in a single rack unit.

SRG SSR is using Harmonic’s ProStream 1000 stream processing platform for bulk scrambling and NMX Digital Service Manager for easy configuration, control and monitoring of Harmonic and third-party video network elements. Installation of the system was performed by Euromedia Service GmbH, a leading systems integrator and Harmonic reseller based in Germany.