Japanese cable TV operator Ehime CATV has deployed Harmonic's Electra X3 media processor to support a trial of the country's first live, full-frame 4K Ultra HD (UHD) channel.
Using Electra X3 to encode UHD content with the HEVC Main 10 codec, Ehime CATV can deliver real-time 2160p60 video to subscribers' set-top boxes at low bit rates, while maintaining video quality targets.
The Electra X3 media processor's compression technology promises Ehime CATV with superior video quality while offering low total cost of ownership.
"We are the first video infrastructure provider to offer a fully converged platform for broadcast and OTT delivery of UHD content," claims Dario Choi, regional VP of sales in Asia Pacific at Harmonic. "The Electra X3 media processor offers an innovative approach to encoding, enabling operators like Ehime CATV to deliver full-frame, broadcast-ready content with the utmost video quality, to drive new revenue-generating services."
At the heart of the Electra X3 media processor is the Harmonic “PURE Compression Engine”, an encoding technology that supports resolutions up to 2160p60 with the HEVC 10-bit codec for broadcast and OTT multiscreen delivery.
By promising high-quality, low-bandwidth HEVC encoding of UHD content for Ehime CATV's live broadcast services, the Electra X3 helps the operator deliver video quality to subscribers at sub 20-Mbps bit rates from a cost-effective 2-RU appliance.