Envivio Inc. today announced that StarHub has installed the Envivio
Mobile TV head-end featuring the 4Caster C4 Three Screens
encoder/transcoder, from Envivio, to extend the reach of the "StarHub TV
on Mobile" service to more 3G mobile customers, including those using
the iPhone. The encoding solution has also enabled StarHub to further
enhance the efficiency of network resources in delivering its mobile TV
service, which offers 25 premium branded channels of news, lifestyle,
documentary and entertainment programs.
"To support hundreds of different 3G handsets for the
streaming of 25 cable TV channels on mobile, it is important for us to
make TV-viewing on mobile devices as seamless as that on television for
customers," said Ms Yeong Mun Ling, Vice President, Business Development
and Integrated Applications, StarHub Ltd. "After deploying Envivio’s
4Caster C4 encoder, we are able to greatly reduce the complexity at our
headend, using a single platform to encode signals for both 3G and HTTP
content streaming. In addition, the H.264 Extreme Compression from
Envivio ensures high picture quality, so our customers can enjoy the
best mobile TV viewing experience even on the most sophisticated
playback devices such as the iPhone."
The 4Caster C4 encoder/transcoder encodes and protects the
content in multiple profiles to enable Apple’s http live streaming
technology. The adaptive live streaming combined with Envivio’s H.264
Extreme codec enables the delivery of the best picture quality
regardless of fluctuations in network bandwidth.
At the same time as it is encoding for iPhone users, the
4Caster C4 system also streams the same content directly to other 3G
handsets. Advanced features such as network-aware rate control and video
display aspect ratio management help to ensure the best quality of
experience for customers. StarHub subscribers with a 3G device access
the mobile TV channels via StarHub’s mobile TV client installed on their
phone or through a designated portal in their phone.
"StarHub is setting a compelling example for service providers
operating in competitive markets," said Envivio CEO Julien Signes. "The
fact that they have chosen the 4Caster C4 attests to the value service
providers place on the flexibility our solutions offer. StarHub is able
to immediately satisfy its existing 3G customer base with a high quality
TV service and at the same time provide a top quality service for its
iPhone customers."
The 4Caster C4 convergence encoding platform provides video
compression for all Three Screens of consumer video – TVs, PCs and
mobile devices – from a single platform. Designed to enable fixed line
and mobile network operators to deliver content simultaneously across
the full range of consumer devices, the 4Caster C4 is able to take
multiple channels of content and encode them simultaneously to deliver
multiple mobile TV profiles, multiple Internet TV profiles, or SD and HD
IPTV profiles.
