“smart LNB” Provides Return Path to Transform Mass-Market Direct-to-Home Satellite Services

PARIS – March 11, 2013 – ATEME, a global leader in advanced video compression solutions for the broadcast industry is joining forces with satellite operator Eutelsat Communications, its innovation team and partners to demonstrate advanced video-on-demand (VOD) over satellite using Eutelsat’s “smart LNB”. This product provides a satellite return link that allows encrypted Digital Rights Management content to be offered on demand, using the same techniques as terrestrial networks.

NEWS FACTS:

  • Households face a lack of Internet connectivity – Many households either do not have access to the Internet or do not have an Internet access point located near their television to access “pay-per-view” VOD.
  • Low-cost solution – The “smart LNB” is a low-cost device that bundles direct-to-home (DTH) reception of TV channels with a narrowband satellite return channel for short transmissions of IP packets.
  • Ease-of-use – For end-users, the “smart LNB” uses the coaxial cabling of existing installations to connect to the set-top-box. In the past, when a consumer wanted to purchase a VOD movie via satellite, they would need to use a secondary device – such as a mobile phone or computer – to do so. With this technology, consumers can make these purchases with a click on the remote control.
  • Extends service offerings – Opens the door for broadcasters to operate their own ecosystem of linear television and connected TV services directly by satellite.
  • IP-compatible – Compatible with legacy DVB-S2 receivers and connects TVs, tablets and other IP-compatible devices.
  • A natural match – ATEME’s TITAN transcoder line, TITAN Live and TITAN File, provides the technology to not only transcode VOD, but also streams linear channels to connected TVs, while Eutelsat’s “smartLNB” offers the return path for interactivity.

Supporting Quote:

Antonio Arcidiacono, Eutelsat’s director of innovation, said:

ATEME’s strong position in the VOD transcoding space makes them a solution of choice for leading DTH operators worldwide. The company is a natural addition to the “smartLNB” ecosystem, and we are excited to work with them and our partners as we demonstrate the future of interactive satellite broadcasting

About ATEME:

ATEME is a world leading provider of HEVC / H.265, MPEG-4 / H.264 and MPEG-2 bandwidth efficient compression technology. ATEME encoding solutions are deployed widely for broadcast contribution links, distribution, multi-screen live streaming, OTT and VOD applications. More information is available at www.ateme.com.

ATEME Press Contacts:

Dorota Bouskela
ATEME Corporate Marketing
T: +33 1 69 35 89 88
E: press@ateme.com

Kim Dearborn
Nadel Phelan, Inc.
T: +1-831-440-2407
E: kim@nadelphelan.com