Tata Sky selects Ericsson to extend HD channel delivery

September 9, 2016, 09:00 (CEST)

• Tata Sky chooses Ericsson AVP 4000 compression platform to deploy 200 new channels

• Ericsson's innovative encoding technology delivers enhanced picture quality, lower transmission delay and bandwidth efficiency

• Deployment extends Ericsson and Tata Sky collaboration, which first began in 2004

Ericsson's (NASDAQ:ERIC) AVP 4000 compression platform has been selected by Tata Sky, India's leading Direct-to-Home (DTH) service provider. The solution addresses the operator's requirement for an encoding platform that meets the complex video processing demands associated with HD content.

The platform will transform Tata's service offering and enable the delivery of 200 additional channels (150 standard definition and 50 HD) by the end of 2016.

Part of the award winning Ericsson AVP encoding range, the Ericsson AVP 4000 compression platform offers superior quality system encoding for IPTV, Cable, Satellite and Broadcast. It delivers greater reliability and flexibility with lower transmission delay to ensure media organizations use bandwidth more efficiently and ensure consumers receive a high quality viewing experience.

Yigs Riza, Chief Technology Officer, Tata Sky, says:

"As India's entertainment sector evolves, there is a rapid proliferation of channels and the consumer is spoilt for choice. People are increasingly choosing to view content not only of high quality but also as per their personalised choices. As a long-term strategic partner of Tata Sky, Ericsson has continuously delivered significant bandwidth efficiencies year-over-year and its expertise will enable us to develop and deliver 50 new HD channels which respond to today's growing market expectations. Ericsson's AVP 4000 compression platform will not only significantly extend our channel offering, but also deliver the high quality, reliability and operational flexibility that our subscribers expect."

Giles Wilson, Head of Technology, TV & Media at Ericsson, says:

"In today's TV and media marketplace, it's the consumer that is dictating the pace of change through their constantly rising expectations of how the modern TV experience should look and feel. Consequently, the need for service providers to evolve and adapt has never been greater and Ericsson is laser focused on providing its customers with the necessary technologies, innovations and services to help them do this. This latest project with Tata Sky reflects our continued commitment to offering market leading services that help our customers to achieve success through the delivery of more high quality content experiences to wider audiences."

The Ericsson AVP 4000 is powered by the company's first video processing chip, designed to deliver outstanding picture quality at HD and SD, in both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC and offers a strong roadmap for operators who wish to extend their service offerings to 4K and high dynamic range (HDR) technologies.