In the US a company
called Artel, from Marlborough, MA, is to demonstrate its CopperTV system for
transport of digital TV services via xDSL over ATM networks at the Supercomm
2001 exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia June 5th-7th.
The CopperTV Multiplexer is designed to transport MPEG digital TV content over
wide area networks, enabling broadcast quality, full screen digital television
to be distributed over copper lines using various xDSL technologies including
VDSL. MPEG digital television signals are taken from satellite downlinks and
video servers to deliver over asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks to DSL
access multiplexers (DSLAMs) which then use existing ATM network infrastructures.
Artel's approach of laying video directly on MPEG/ATM rather than requiring
an IP layer is described by Tom Nolle, President of CIMI Corporation as, "an
exceptionally savvy response to market needs," adding, "This should lower the
cost of video deployment, and make video distribution more accommodating to
regulatory trends. This may be the best idea in DSL video distribution to hit
the market!"
CopperTV is a described as a video aware network edge device evolving from Artel's
VideoStorm technology. It is a high-powered, scalable MPEG switching engine,
able to transport high-quality compressed digital video over ATM-based wide
area networks at up to 155 Mbps OC-3 speeds for transport to DSLAMs. ATM multicasting
(point to multi-point) can be used to deliver the video content to multiple
DSLAM locations within a network from a centralised satellite downlink or video
server facility. High speed ADSL or V DSL is then used for the delivery of video
services to the home from the DSLAM.
CopperTV can accept DVB-ASI multi-program and single program transport stream
(MPTS and SPTS) content and can re-multiplex selected programs into a single-program
transport stream for distribution across an ATM network to a DSLAM. CopperTV
can accept variable and constant bit rate (VBR and CBR) content for output as
a constant bit rate stream over ATM to feed a DSLAM. The ability to handle both
VBR and CBR is enables Video-on-Demand services and ad-insertion.
