[SatNews] HITS®, a division of Comcast Wholesale, has announced plans to further expand the new HITS Q2™ MPEG-2 satellite-based content distribution platform. The advanced encoding technology available on the newly upgraded platform delivers more channels using the same bandwidth.
The upgraded technology allows HITS to add 10 new HD channels and three new SD channels to its HITS Quantum SD/HD lineup. This brings the total number of HD channels on HITS Quantum to 34, a 42 percent increase in the number of HD networks available to cable operators. Ten new HD channels will be added to the expanded HITS Quantum HD lineup in the third quarter of 2013, including Bio HD, Bravo HD, CNBC HD+, DIY Network HD, E! HD, Hub HD, Investigation Discovery HD, MSNBC HD, Nat Geo Wild HD and OWN HD.
“The advanced video compression technology used on the upgraded HITS Quantum platform allows cable operators to offer more HD channels using significantly less bandwidth, without compromising the viewing experience,” said Leslie Russell, Vice President and General Manager for HITS. “In addition to creating an opportunity for expanding HD channel lineups, these savings in bandwidth can free up valuable spectrum on the local cable plant so operators can allocate more capacity to new business applications.”
In addition to the new HD services, HITS announced the launch of three new SD services including Fuel TV, Nick2 and MSG National as part of the recent “Q2” upgrade. Launched in April, the upgrade uses 256 QAM DVB-S2 technology on 75 percent of the HITS multiplexes. By freeing up as much as 25 percent of local bandwidth using existing MPEG-2 architecture, the upgrade enables cable operators to add more SD and HD signals using fewer satellite receivers and their existing customer premise equipment (CPE).
