Swiss IPTV wholesaler Netstream is hosting a new IPTV headend platform based on Harmonic's portfolio of encoding and transcoding products. Swiss distributor Adrenio installed Harmonic Electra 8000 universal SD/HD MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC encoders, ProStream 1000 stream processors with ACE transcoders, and the NMX digital service manager, enabling Netstream to offer competitive IPTV services to major Swiss telcos.

The market-leading 1-RU Electra 8000 encoders deployed by Netstream significantly enhance bandwidth efficiency while delivering broadcast-quality video streams. Additionally, the encoders offer a rich feature set that eases operational requirements such as density and power efficiency, and will allow Netstream to launch additional value-added video services in the future.

Harmonic's highly scalable ProStream 1000 with ACE transcoder provides processing and delivery of HD, SD, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 AVC video and audio, and is being utilized by Netstream's IPTV headend to output SD and HD MPEG-4 AVC. The system supports up to 60 SD or 20 HD services per 1-RU with a power-efficient design that only requires 10 watts per HD channel and less than five watts per SD channel, saving energy and reducing operating expenses. The transcoder's low carbon footprint was particularly appealing to Netstream, which plans to expand its IPTV headend by adding new channels to the platform over the next few months, offering an even more competitive IPTV solution to the Swiss market.

Netstream manages its IPTV headend through Harmonic's NMX video network management solution. Possessing an advanced, feature-rich interface, NMX enables Netstream to manage channel lifecycles and set encoding or statistical multiplexing parameters manually or via automation server. NMX also provides detailed analysis of bandwidth usage and alarm behaviors used to identify system-wide trends to improve overall stability and reliability. NMX is highly scalable and extensible, making it a perfect solution for Netstream's future expansion plans.

Harmonic solutions for the production and delivery of high-value video services have been successfully deployed for new Internet and mobile TV platforms by leading satellite, telco, cable, and broadcast operators worldwide.