Harmonic announced that PCCW has deployed Harmonic’s market-leading DiviCom Electra 7000 HD MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) encoders to power its HD channel service in Hong Kong. PCCW is a telecommunications service provider offering a full complement of video, voice, data and mobile services to its customers across Hong Kong, and operates now TV, Hong Kong’s largest IPTV service with over 882,000 subscribers. PCCW also utilizes Harmonic’s SD encoders to deliver its full lineup of more than 150 broadcast channels, as well as Harmonic’s VOD servers and software.

In selecting a compression solution, PCCW looked for an encoder that could offer best-in-class HD video quality at bit-rates under 6 megabits per second in order to reach the vast majority of subscribers on the DSL network. The Electra 7000 offers outstanding performance, reliability, power and space efficiency with its compact, multi-channel design. Today, top tier satellite, telco and cable operators in North America, Europe and Asia use the Electra 7000 to deliver more than 1,500 HD H.264 video channels.

The multi-service Electra 7000 encoder delivers up to four channels of full resolution video alongside four simultaneous low resolution outputs for applications such as picture-in-picture and multi-channel mosaics. The platform’s design efficiency saves considerable space for operators while significantly reducing their power consumption and costs. Harmonic’s market-leading compression portfolio also includes the Electra 5400 and Ion AVC SD H.264 multi-service encoders and a range of MPEG-2 products. PCCW’s video delivery infrastructure is managed and monitored by Harmonic’s user-friendly network management system, NMX Digital Service Manager.