Harmonic led the industry in encoder shipments in 2008, with 28 percent market share, according to research from industry analyst In-Stat. In 2008, Harmonic shipped more than 12,000 encoding channels to broadcast, cable, satellite and telecom video service providers. The analyst’s findings, published in a new report entitled “Worldwide Real-Time Broadcast MPEG Encoder Market,” confirms Harmonic’s global leadership in providing encoding solutions for all video markets.

Around the world, more than 60,000 MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) standard and high definition video channels have been provisioned using Harmonic’s DiviCom encoders since 1996. Eight of the 10 largest direct-to-home satellite operators worldwide and nine of the top 10 cable operators in the United States use Harmonic encoders. Harmonic compression solutions also power more than 6,500 telco IPTV channels around the world, and over 300 TV stations in the United States broadcast their digital TV programs using Harmonic encoders.

Harmonic’s newest generation compression platform, the DiviCom Electra® 8000, sets a new, ground-breaking standard in performance, quality and functionality, with the most comprehensive and unique feature set available from any vendor today. Service providers in North America and Europe have already selected the Electra 8000 to deliver superior quality, ultra-efficient video services.

For MPEG-2 and AVC applications, the Electra 8000, featuring an advanced, new in-house compression architecture, can improve bandwidth efficiency by more than 20 percent, enabling four HD channels in one 256QAM for cable operators. High definition AVC channels at constant bit-rate can be provisioned at less than 5 Mbps to increase reach for telco applications without compromising video quality. It also features integrated statistical multiplexing and integrated up/down-conversion that enables a secondary output channel for additional service provisioning. The architecture of the Electra 8000 significantly reduces rack space and power consumption requirements—as low as 70 watts per channel—thus considerably lowering operating expenses.

Harmonic offers a comprehensive line of compression solutions, from the Ellipse contribution encoders, to the fully featured Electra family of broadcast distribution encoders and the cost-effective Ion platform for SD and HD video delivery.

The hugely successful Electra 7000 HD AVC platform today powers nearly 3,000 HD channels for the world’s leading video service providers, including ASTRA Platform Services, C&M Korea, CANALSAT, Deutsche Telekom, DIRECTV, HOT Telecommunications, MTS Allstream, NTV-Plus, PCCW, Portugal Telecom, SKY Perfect and Television New Zealand.