TWC Taps Tandberg for small-market VOD

High-school, local, collegiate sports in small towns will have a better chance of becoming a VOD play as Time Warner Cable has deployed the first video-on-demand (VOD) solution for small markets by leveraging the architectural flexibility of the Tandberg OpenStream Digital Services Platform. Through a unique configuration of OpenStream, Time Warner Cable can manage VOD services from its headquarters in Denver, CO, and deliver content via satellite distribution to cities throughout the U.S. In addition, Time Warner Cable will utilize the TANDBERG Xport Producer to provide local on-demand content tailored to each location. To date, four markets including Clarksburg, WV; Dothan, AL; Fort Benning, GA and Terre Haute, IN are now live, and the company plans to expand services to 10 additional cities by the end of the year to reach a total of 14 deployments in 11 states.

“TANDBERG Television’s powerful architecture helps us provide enhanced television services to our subscribers and expand our video-on-demand offerings to parts of the country not previously possible,” said Dick Amell, vice president of engineering, Time Warner Cable, National Division. “The flexibility of TANDBERG Television technology to interoperate with multiple VOD servers, billing systems and on-demand applications from our Denver headquarters was a key reason we chose its solution to support our VOD deployments thousands of miles away.”

The TANDBERG OpenStream platform ensures tremendous cost savings to deliver VOD to small markets. Previously, VOD services were not feasible in smaller markets due to the considerable logistical and financial requirements necessary to implement and support the technology. As such, the OpenStream solution, which also incorporates the MediaPath Secure Content Delivery System and Asset Management System, enables cable companies to more easily deploy on-demand services using satellite catcher technology and a mix of VOD servers, applications, billing systems and set-top components of their choice. In addition, the flexibility of the solution allows it to be configured to suit cable operators’ on-demand requirements and remotely managed from a central location to avoid traditionally cost-prohibitive bandwidth requirements.

“Video-on-demand has asserted itself as one of the key technologies service providers can offer television subscribers to establish high levels of consumer satisfaction and unparalleled control over watching their favorite TV programs,” said Andrew Rowe, vice president of software product management, TANDBERG Television, Inc. “With truly open and flexible solutions like OpenStream, multiple service operators can offer their consumers greatly enhanced service choices regardless of geography or market size.”

Time Warner Cable National Division Small Market VOD Deployments:
Clarksburg, WV*; Coeur D’Alene, ID; Cullman, AL; Dothan, AL*; El Centro, CA; Fort Benning, GA*; Greenwood, MS; Kennett, MO; Moscow, ID; Owensboro, KY; Richlands, VA; Richmond, KY; Terre Haute, IN*; Yuma, AZ
*Indicates live deployments

TANDBERG Television’s OpenStream platform allows service providers to easily deploy on-demand and nPVR services using VOD servers, applications, billing systems and other system components of their choice. OpenStream’s unique, open architecture extends the head-end beyond VOD to support television’s next generation of interactive services. The OpenStream platform has been widely deployed in the North American cable market since its introduction in 2002 and is now being deployed by operators in Asia and Europe.

More than 80 percent of all on-demand content seen by U.S. cable subscribers is made possible by TANDBERG On-Demand Solutions. Top five US operators who have publicly announced large scale deployments of the OpenStream platform include Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable. OpenStream was also selected as the platform of choice for the small to mid-size market by National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC), which represents over 1,000 independent cable operators serving more than 14 million subscribers nationwide.