PCCW is deploying Harmonic's new DiviCom Electra 5400 standard definition (SD) MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) encoders for its entire now TV channel lineup. The expansion enables PCCW, the world's largest IPTV operator with more than 700,000 subscribers, to add services and extend its reach in Hong Kong.

The now TV service, launched in 2003, is part of PCCW's comprehensive quadruple platform offering that includes telephony, broadband Internet access and mobile services. The addition of new channels and transition to an on-demand viewing paradigm are driving PCCW to implement the Harmonic H.264-based compression solution which can support more bandwidth-intensive services and multiple television sets. Bandwidth improvements available with H.264 also enable PCCW to significantly increase the number of subscribers that can access the service over the DSL network in comparison to MPEG-2.

"The Harmonic Electra 5400 encoders deliver the performance and picture quality we needed for our new H.264 service," said Dominic Leung, Managing Director, Television & Content at PCCW. "As we continue to expand our now TV service and offer more programming, video-on-demand and interactive gaming, our video network must be flexible, scalable and more efficient. Harmonic's high performance video headend solutions make it possible to better utilize the available bandwidth for these new services, opening up new revenue opportunities and enabling PCCW to provide a more compelling service to our subscribers."

Harmonic's IP-based Electra 5400 offers PCCW superior MPEG-4 video quality at ultra-low bit-rates to improve bandwidth efficiency, while also providing a dense one rack-unit platform that supports up to four channels of simultaneous full resolution video. The recent implementation at PCCW also includes Harmonic's NMX Digital Service Manager, a versatile solution for automated management of service operations and scheduling.