[SatNews] Each blade features eight tuners, which can either descramble one TV service or pass through off a complete transponder, and is available with an optional transcoder module for format conversions of eight streams per blade.
Pico Digital, a worldwide provider of comprehensive multi-media delivery solutions to customers in the broadband, satellite, cable, and broadcast markets, has unveiled the new PD1600, an ultra-compact "headend in a box" for the secure delivery of cable, satellite, and IPTV content to multiple dwelling units (MDU), headend in the sky (HITS) operations, and hospitality television screens. Offering the performance, functionality, and broadcast-approved security features of a traditional multi-rack headend within a compact 5-RU form factor, the high-density PD1600 decodes, decrypts, re-encrypts, and rebroadcasts content in IP, QAM, or analog output while providing end-to-end content protection from uplink to the TV.
Scalable to 96 channels or 96 full transponders, the PD1600 is ideal for HITS and IPTV and cable TV headend applications. The unit is equipped with 12 slots for multiple satellite, QAM, or ATSC input blades. Each blade features eight tuners, which can either descramble one TV service or pass through off a complete transponder, and is available with an optional transcoder module for format conversions of eight streams per blade.
The unit features four slots for QAM and NTSC output blades. The QAM blade is available with 16 or 96 channels (72 or 288 services), while the NTSC blade provides 24 analog channels. Output can be free-to-air or scrambled using either DRM- or CAS-based encryption. The PD1600 supports multiple encryption formats, including LG PRO:IDIOM®, Samsung LYNK®, and Verimatrix VCAS™. The unit's internal security architecture deploys "chain of trust" protocols.
"Built on our many years of experience in deploying broadcast equipment that revolutionized delivery to the last quarter mile, the PD1600 is specifically designed to let cable and satellite operators deploy content to MDUs and hospitality facilities while maintaining content rights all the way to the screen," said Carlos Shteremberg, president of Pico Digital. "Scaling from a few channels to 96 transponders of video content, the PD1600 platform offers our customers the highest density available on the market at the lowest cost per HD channel, as well as an unmatched feature set, making it the ultimate headend in a box."
Providing ease of use for operators, the PD1600's features include front-facing connectors and top-accessible fans; a built-in 96-channel stacking switch (CSS) to simplify connections to satellite dishes; and the convenience of remote management via a built-in, intuitive Web interface. Redundant power supplies increase reliability, while the unit's hot-swappable modular blades use wandering-master architecture to allow quick fall over in the event of a failure. An internal multi-Gb Ethernet switching fabric enables non-blocking, seamless packet transfers between blades. To reduce cost of ownership, the energy-efficient unit consumes less than 25 percent of the power of comparably equipped systems.
More information about Pico Digital's PD1600 headend in a box is available at www.picodigital.com.
