Scopus Launches Advanced MPEG-2 Encoders for North American Cable Operators

PRINCETON, N.J./July 27/Satnews Daily/ -- Scopus Network Technologies said today its next-generation MPEG-2 encoders are now available for the U.S. and Canadian cable markets.

The product family ranges from the CODICO® E-90, an entry-level encoder, affordably priced and ideally suited for cable applications, to the CODICO E-1200, a professional high-quality encoder that applies state-of-the-art video compression quality, efficient bit-rate optimization, and buffering control through a closed-loop statistical multiplexing implementation.

"Scopus is porting the same great technology and functionality that we developed in these encoders for the broadcast market to cable users, allowing MSOs to make a quick and smooth transition to digital," said Carlo Basile, president of Scopus Americas. "Cable engineers expect the highest levels of performance for their encoding systems and this next-generation product line demonstrates our commitment to meeting industry expectations and standards with regard to R&D and quality assurance."

The E-90, E-1000, and E-1200 digital encoders incorporate digital cue tones insertion in compliance with the ANSI/SCTE 35 standard, which allows for splicing MPEG-2 streams for digital program insertion, including advertising and other content types. This is carried out via "cue tones" that are inserted into the output of the Scopus encoders. These cue tones signal opportunities for content to be injected into the program stream.

Scopus' advanced encoder, the E-1200, also supports the Scopus TriplePass,  a three-step, parallel strategy that secures the best encoding and multiplexing mechanism in a multi-encoder environment. TriplePass is based on pre-processing, compression complexity, and statistical multiplexing.

The cable operator's local encoding requirements are also satisfied by the Scopus E-90, a low- cost MPEG-2 professional real-time encoder. The E-90 is capable of offering broadcast-quality video at low bit rates. The E-90 is designed to be the most cost-effective solution in the industry. Dolby® approval of the Scopus encoders ensures Scopus users that their audio channels will produce high-end, quality sound in accordance with the Dolby specifications.