[November 17, 2005]

IPTV Super Headend Launched by GlobeCast

By Susan J. Campbell

Globecast, a subsidiary of France Telecom, has completed its new Technical Operations Center (TOC) in Miami, Florida, to support the IPTV Super Headend. This newly launched technology is capable of aggregating hundreds of television signals from around the globe in MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 as well as providing IP encapsulation and retransmission of content through satellites in order to distribute to area IPTV headends across North America.

All of GlobeCast’s current and future IPTV services will originate from the new TOC. The facility is located at GlobeCast’s exiting 85,000 square foot digital broadcast complex. The completion of the upgrade to the Miami facility is considered a central component to the company’s expansion in offering fully managed content delivery services for burgeoning IP-based video and rich media.

The versatility of the facility was maximized through design plans in order to deliver and manage a wide range of IP-based Content Management Services, including IPTV. The TOC provides for technical capabilities that enable the use of multiple compression technologies and permit compatibility with various middleware providers.

Throughput capacity of the TOC’s infrastructure exceeds data rates used in most C-Band, Ka-Band and Ku-Band satellite services. Through the uplink multiplexing system, Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) Conditional Access System (CAS) scrambling is available. Advanced Encryption System (AES) allows for secure and reliable distribution of data and/or video services to be down linked. The information can then be multicast to commercial and residential subscribers from one or multiple digital head ends.

IPTV, the distribution of Internet Protocol-based television services over broadband networks is one of the latest technological revolutions for the multi-channel distribution of broadcast television, video content and interactive entertainment services. It is projected that the global IPTV market will grow to 26 million subscribers by the year 2008.

Another of the key services being provided through the new TOC is the IPTVComplete, a joint offering from GlobeCast and Eagle Broadband, offering over 200 channels through IP video. This offering package is the largest of its kind to include standard, premium and high definition television programming, video-on-demand, pay per view and digital music. IPTVComplete also offers full IP multicast video content rights for distribution over fiber, DSL and other private IP networks.

GlobeCast is a more than forty-year old company with a worldwide presence via its satellite and fiber network. This $400 million company manages and transports 10 million hours of video and other rich media annually for broadcasters as well as corporate, government and retail clients. The company utilizes multiple platforms for content distribution including direct-to-home satellite, cable, video-to-mobile, IPTV/video-over-ADSL, desktop broadband and more. It is considered the world’s largest provider of delivery services to live television-over-mobile operators.

The multiple offerings from GlobeCast to enhance content delivery services are offering a leg up on the competition. The company has exercised forethought in its partnering with different organizations to differentiate their services and help raise the standard in the industry. Most likely, we will see additional facility expansions from competitors as quality IPTV delivery is in increasingly high demand.

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMC and has also written for eastbiz.com. To see more of her articles, please visit Susan J. Campbell’s columnist page.

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