Tut Systems, Inc., an industry leader enabling the delivery of next-generation data and video services over broadband networks, announced that Iowa Network Services (INS) is deploying its next-generation IPTV services utilizing Tut Systems' Astria content processor (CP) with its market- leading MPEG-4 AVC encoding and transcoding solutions. The INS expansion, which will be one of world's largest MPEG-4 AVC deployments, is the latest in a series of wins for Tut Systems' MPEG-4 AVC solution.

Tut Systems' Astria CP platform today serves as the core video processing system for INS' 177 channel MPEG-2 digital headend currently serving 17 video service providers throughout the state of Iowa. The headend has the potential to serve more than 100 additional service providers. When deployed, the MPEG- 4 AVC headend from INS will yield better picture quality while significantly lowering the bandwidth required for standard definition video and also will deliver up to 20 channels of HDTV when high-definition set-top boxes become available in 2006. Furthermore, it will allow for overall lower system costs, reduced infrastructure requirements and new video applications for the service providers.

"In addition to increasing number of standard definition channels, video providers must also offer HDTV services to their subscribers in order to be competitive," said Howard Juul, Vice President of Network Planning at INS. "Our experience with our current Tut Systems headend combined with the advanced compression and reliability features available in the Astria content processor with MPEG-4 AVC made Tut Systems the right choice for our upgrade."

"With our MPEG-4 AVC technology, INS will deliver a noticeable improvement in picture quality, especially for high motion content, such as sports and high action movies, to their participating companies at almost half the bandwidth of MPEG-2," said Mark Tiedeman, Vice President of Marketing for Tut Systems. "We are delighted to again help a true innovator such as INS enhance their video solutions to launch MPEG-4 AVC for standard and high-definition content in 2006."