Path 1 Network Technologies Inc. announced a new suite of intelligent hardware and software for video quality protection based on Path 1's proven carrier-class technologies. With Path 1's solution, telecom carriers and IP set-top box manufacturers can eliminate network errors that might impair video quality and the reliable delivery of IP television services over xDSL networks. Path 1 will debut its Vx8000 IPTV video gateway designed for Telco video head-ends in an end-to-end demonstration featuring the market-leading DiviCom multi-codec encoders from Harmonic Inc. as well as the world's first implementation of standards-based forward error correction (FEC) on a consumer IP set-top box (STB). This new solution will be presented November 9 - 10, 2005 at TelcoTV in San Diego in Harmonic's booth (#606).

"Today's telecom network is well suited to delivering 'light weight' narrowcast services such as IP telephony and Internet access. By deploying Harmonic's advanced IP-based digital video solutions, telecom operators can leverage these same networks to deliver compelling, personalized broadcast and on-demand television with superior picture quality that reduce churn and increase lifetime customer value," stated Thierry Fautier, Director of Telco Solutions for Harmonic Inc. "Since quality is paramount, we have integrated our versatile IPTV compression solutions with forward error correction systems such as those provided by Path 1 to achieve even higher levels of service reliability without expensive network infrastructure changes."

In order to effectively compete with video services provided by cable and satellite operators, telecom carriers must rely on flawless video distribution between each Central Office (CO) and their subscribers' homes. Unlike high-speed data, video services require higher bit rates and are much more sensitive to lost or delayed packets. IPTV infrastructures are already subject to several sources of transmission errors, including physical layer errors due to noisy DSL lines and network layer errors such as variable delay (jitter) and congestive loss. While DSL devices typically incorporate some quality protection against transmission errors, they do not support the long, interleaved forward error correction required for video services. All of these issues can affect video quality displayed through IP STBs and degrade the viewer's experience in the form of macro blocking, jerky playback, frozen pictures or even blackouts.

Path 1's products deliver several immediate benefits to an IPTV environment, including:

1. Quality of Service -- In order to keep customer satisfaction high and churn low, Telcos will need to provide Service Level Agreements (SLA) to customers and minimize all transmission problems that may cause downtime or degrade picture quality.
2. Extend Reach to New Subscribers -- In many situations, residential customers may be too far from COs to receive high quality video services. Path 1's suite of technologies overcome IP and DSL problems and allow IPTV providers to increase high-quality video service coverage per CO by increasing the serviceable distance between subscribers and the CO.
3. Investment protection of high definition (HD) MPEG2/4 Video Encoders -- When video is highly compressed by HD encoders, even minor packet loss can lead to severe picture distortions. To achieve a very high degree of compression, MPEG-coded video relies on intra-frame/inter-frame prediction and motion estimation to remove spatial and temporal redundancies. However, the loss of a single packet affects not only a single macro-block, but also other macro-blocks within the frame and in predicted frames. Human eyes can easily detect these kinds of errors, giving the video a "poor quality" look.

"IPTV providers have been preoccupied with issues like content licensing, video formats and middleware. As these issues are resolved and new video services are rolled out, the focus will shift to scaling networks and channels to support large numbers of concurrent users. That's when quality issues will become more pronounced," stated Dan McCrary, Vice President of Marketing for Path 1. "IP networks are prone to errors that affect video -- that's just a fact of life. By working closely with leading IPTV equipment providers like Harmonic, we can ensure that Telcos can reliably operate their video services over IP networks."