TANDBERG Television's iPlex IPTV video processing platform has been selected by North State Communications for its new IPTV headend. In order to maintain full control of its content North State Communications elected to build a full headend and receive television programming directly from broadcasters for MPEG-4 AVC encoding or transcoding. At launch, the TANDBERG headend will deliver over 250 channels of SD and HD programs to North State subscribers. The complete MPEG-4 AVC IPTV solution yields significant bandwidth savings by delivering content at the highest image quality and the lowest possible bit rates.

One of the nation's 20 largest communications companies, North State provides services primarily in a 600-square-mile area located in the Piedmont Triad Region of North Carolina in and around the communities of High Point, Thomasville, Archdale, Randleman, Jamestown, Trinity and portions of Greensboro and Kernersville. Services will be delivered from the new TANDBERG headend to the North State subscriber base shortly. 50 of the channels delivered will be in HD.

The iPlex UltraCompression HD and SD IPTV headend is based on TANDBERG Television's next-generation AVC platform and provides a step change in digital video distribution. By combining a high density platform with enhanced MPEG-4 AVC encoding and transcoding technology, the iPlex leads the industry in picture quality and video performance. A flexible video processing platform that offers the industry's most complete IPTV headend solution, the TANDBERG iPlex includes MPEG-2 SD encoding, MPEG-4 AVC HD and SD encoding, MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 transcoding, MPEG-2 transrating, and picture-in-picture (PIP) service generation in a high density, NEBS-certified, telco-designed chassis.

Dascom Systems Group of Woodbury, Minnesota is providing the design, equipment specification, systems integration, and training to North State Communications for its TANDBERG Television IPTV headend.