egdtv_technical response v1[1].0

This document contains information that is proprietary and confidential to Harmonic Inc. All information subject to change without notice

Technical Proposal

for

EGDTV

Cable Digital Headend

Revision 1.0

April 1st, 2008

Presented by Harmonic Inc.

EGDTV Cable Digital Headend Proposal ver 1.0

Harmonic Confidential

Table of Contents

Document History.................................................................................................................................. 3

1 Executive Summary....................................................................................................................... 4

2 Key Components ........................................................................................................................... 5

3 Proposed Solution Architecture .................................................................................................. 6

3.1 Functional requirements....................................................................................................... 6

3.2 Interfaces, Assumptions and Demarcations ...................................................................... 6

3.3 Headend Stream flow ............................................................................................................ 8



Document History

Version Date Description Author

1.0 April 1st, 2008 Initial version Jason Yuen


1 Executive Summary

Harmonic is pleased to submit this proposal for the EGDTV Cable Digital Hedend platform. Harmonic is a recognized leader in digital video head-end systems for over a decade serving Cable, Satellite, Terrestrial and more recently Telecom markets worldwide. Coupled with strong digital head-end system integration and world-class service and support, Harmonic has an outstanding reputation in the digital TV market place, across all segments. This reputation has been earned through a commitment to customer satisfaction and a proven record of delivering systems that perform to the highest standards in a fully open and integrated architecture.

Harmonic’s solution is complete, flexible and scalable. It meets today’s challenging requirements, while providing a solid foundation for the evolving needs of tomorrow. Harmonic’s solution provides the customer with significant advantages and benefits in the following areas:

Premium video quality and continued improvement expected in the future Backed by Harmonic’s track record of innovation, system interoperability and exceptional support, the ION-4 MPEG-2 SD encoders are the most advanced encoders available today. With over 25,000 encoders shipped and deployed worldwide supporting revenue-generating services, Harmonic has a proven reputation for outstanding performance and superior service. Robust Solution Harmonic has already deployed more than twenty thousand MV chassis; several thousand channels using Electra platform for encoding and Prostream 1000 / BNG multiplexers, we are therefore confident that the solution we offered can meet the stringent quality expectation of EGDTV. Higher density and lower power consumption The solution proposed, is based on Electra multi-channel encoder platforms, offering a higher density design that helps minimizing rack space and power consumption. IP technology benefit IP infrastructure is compact, inexpensive to implement, and relatively simple to maintain. Network infrastructure is “aware” and can automate network redundancy. Extensive use of IP-based architecture allows addition of channels to any transponder without the need of re-wiring expensive ASI switching matrices.



2 Key Components

The key Harmonic components in the system are the ION-4 MPE-2 SD encoder, the ProStream 1000 DTMX broadcast Multiplexer/Scrambler, BNG6104 EdgeQAM and the NMX network management system. The high performance DiviCom ION-4 MPEG-2 SD Encoder is Harmonic’s fourth generation MPEG-2 standard definition (SD) encoder and the industry’s first product based on ASIC processing technology. The ION-4 encoder allows operators to quickly and efficiently launch constant bit rate (CBR) or variable bit rate (VBR) SD services while providing the high-quality viewing experience. Its encoding flexibility enables operators to deliver up to four simultaneous AVC channels in full standard definition and low resolution formats, increasing revenue per program and enhancing customer satisfaction by flexibly delivering multiple services to any device. Each ION-4 encoder operates in unison with the ProStream 1000 multiplexer/scrambler and passes video complexity data down stream as well as receives up stream video compression bit rate allocations from the ProStream 1000 that support the statistical multiplexing operation. The ProStream 1000 is the central device in the multiplexing and re-encoding processes. It receives the output from all encoders and multiplex into different transport streams at a specified rate that fits within a defined MPTS bit rate. This multiplexer receives the video complexity from each encoder and returns the required compression bit rates to each encoder. In parallel, ProStream 1000 receives the digital turnaround contents from satellite in pre-encoded MPEG-2 format, usually the contents from satellite are in VBR which may not be useful in Cable environment. As a result, the ProStream 1000 is able to decode and re-encode these DTA channels into CBR transport streams and output to BNG6104 EdgeQAM. Customer is able to control and change the re-encoding bit rate of each DTA channel. The BNG 6104 EdgeQAM family leverages years of IP technology development and thousands of systems deployed in live networks. The BNG allows operators to transport services across an IP network and at the remote headend to transport services as standard MPEG-2 over the HFC network. The NMX Digital Service Manager™ provides the user with the interface and controls for monitoring and managing compressed digital video and audio services as well as the systems through which these services flow. It provides provisioning and control for encoders, multiplexers, and switches, NMX provides all the configuration and control required for establishing and monitoring DiviTrackIP statistical multiplexing operations. It enables the capability to move any service to any transport to facilitate multiplex grooming for the most efficient use of transport bandwidth and best video quality. NMX offers a simple and intuitive interface for creating and modifying channel line-ups in addition to setting their parameters, whether encoding or multiplexing. The underlying equipment is automatically reconfigured to accommodate the new operating parameters. Status for both services and hardware, including alarms, is passed through to the top level NMX alarm manager ensuring that problems are quickly detected and resolved.


3 Proposed Solution Architecture

3.1 Functional requirements

The proposed solution offers

• ION-4 MEPG-2 encoder for MPEG-2 SD encoding of twenty-eight (28) standard definition (SD) services in CBR

• ProStream 1000 multiplexers/re-encoders

• ProStream 1000 is responsible to multiplexing and scrambling of these twenty-eight (28) local encoding services and nine (9) re-encoding services to five (5) transports

• BNG6104 EdgeQAMs for mapping five (5) incoming transports to five (5) QAM connections

• NMX to provide system monitoring and management

• One ION-4 encoder as a cold spare

• 1+1 multiplexer redundancy

• DVB simulcrypt scrambling

3.2 Interfaces, Assumptions and Demarcations

Inputs to Demarcation From EGDTV Content Acquisition to ION-4 encoder

• SD composite video in PAL format

• Stereo audio, balanced analog From EGDTV DTA channels to ProStream 1000

• MPEG-2 encoded SD channels in ASI

• Clear channels (not scrambled) From EGDTV CAS to ProStream 1000

• EMM, EPG/SI, Single program Transport Stream in DVB-ASI,

• ECM, UDP/IP *note: interfaces to CAS may change depending on CA vendor chosen. Outputs from Demarcation From BNG6104 QAM outputs

• Modulated Multiple Program Transport Stream in 64QAM Annex A constellation

• 36Mbps is assumed for a QAM output Bandwidth budget Table below depicts a typical bandwidth allocation with the following assumptions:-

1. Each QAM is about 38Mbps bit-rate available 2. Twenty-eight (28) local encoding MPEG-2 SD services each consists of 1 video and 1 stereo

(or 2 mono) component 3. Nine (9) DTA re-encoding MPEG-2 SD services, each consist of 1 video and 1 stereo (or 2

mono) component 4. CAS takes up 2 Mbps, this includes all ECM, EMM, SI and EPG streams. 5. Each QAM carries one MPTS transport with maximum bit rate 36Mbps 6. All video sources have resolution coming in (and therefore encoded) as 544x576.



QAM Bandwidth available Less bandwidth for ECM, EMM, SI, EPG

Number of services

Average bandwidth per

service

Audio bit-rate

Average Video bit-rate

1 36 Mbps (2 Mbps) 8 4 Mbps 198 kbps 3.6M Mbps







3.3 Headend Stream flow

All sources are presented to the Harmonic demarcations.

ION-4 encoders proposed are licensed for encoding four standard definition (SD) channel per chassis in MPEG-2 SD. Audio are encoded in either in MPEG-1 LII or AC2.0. Compressed video and audio streams are multiplexed and multicast to provide DVB compliant single program transport streams (SPTS) over 100/1000Base-T outputs. ION-4 encoders are configured to output constant-bit-rate (CBR) video streams. ION-4 encoders analyse incoming video source frame-by-frame, generate complexity packets per channel every frame. These packets are encapsulated in a “private PID” and given a timestamp (HRTP) that guarantees queuing, and synchronization, by the Multiplexer. The encoder retrieves the allocated bit-rate from the rate message and adjusts the compression properties at the specified time. Prostream 1000 multiplexers receive the following streams and multiplex to form a multiple program transport stream (MPTS) in DVB-ASI:

• SPTS multicast from Electra encoders in form of MPEG over IP,

• MPEG-2 encoded DTA channels from the ASI inputs

• ECM/EMM, EPG/SI from external CAS and table generators. These are multiplexed to form a multiple program transport stream (MPTS) in form of IP.



Prostream 1000 supports DVB CSA scrambling with major conditional access vendors. External EMMG from CAS generates Entitlement Management Messages (EMM) and spools them to one of the DVB-ASI input ports at ProStream, at which they are multiplexed into the corresponding transport stream.

ProStream 1000 generates control words to scramble video and audio circuits. These are sent over CAS network to external ECMG at which the control words are encrypted and packaged along with Access Criteria and other information, proprietary to each CAS vendor, into Entitlement Control Messages (ECM). ECMs are in turn forwarded to ProStream via TCP/IP interface for multiplexing to the transport stream. BNG6104 converts the transport from IP to QAM. There will be total five (5) incoming transport streams over IP, the BNG6104 will listen on the particular multicast addresses and convert them to QAM. The NMX Digital Service Manager (Harmonic Network Management System) communicates with Harmonic encoders as well as source routers via Ethernet connections. NMX provides configuration, control, monitoring, and fault management for Harmonic’s open digital television broadcast systems. NMX supports geographically diverse broadcast sites through a client/server architecture, and is highly scalable in its ability to support small networks with only a few devices as well as larger networks with a greater number of managed devices.



3.3.1 Redundancy Schemes

Ensuring program integrity during system failures is essential for broadcasting systems. Harmonic Digital Compression and Multiplexing Subsystems utilize redundant components to provide alternate program paths in the event that primary components service fail. The NMX system controller identifies failed components and selects a new routing path, ensuring that all program parameters are maintained when the program path is switched. The system controller supports redundancy for encoders and multiplexers.

3.3.1.1 Multiplexer redundancy (1:1)

Each ProStream 1000 multiplexer has a redundant "hot stand-by" path to provide the highest protection with minimal interruption to services during switching. NMX manages the failover switching valid output streams sources from multiplexer :

• Primary multiplexer reports alarms to the NMX Controller.

• NMX determines if these alarms are critical or service affecting and instructs the ProStream 1000 to switch output from the backup chain to devices downstream.

• Service-affecting events are defined and managed through the NMX Alarm Manager.

egdtv_technical response v1[1].0

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