Regional Minnesota-based ISP Hiawatha Broadband Communications (HBC) has tapped Broadpeak and Inca Networks to deploy a scalable IP video delivery solution.
"HBC operates an advanced fibre-optic network that delivers gigabit broadband, feature-rich telephone, and video services with a selection of more than 300 channels, VOD and extensive local high-school and college sporting events produced by HBC Studios," said Jim Kronebusch, vice president of technology and engineering at HBC. “Recently, we deployed IP ABR delivery for its ability to support OTT video, amongst other benefits. Broadpeak and Inca Networks provided us with a future-rich solution for preparing and distributing video content via IP applications."
HBC is using Broadpeak's BkS350 Origin and Packager to ingest live video channels sent by the Inca adaptive-bit-rate (ABR) transcoder 3840. The ABR transcoder 3840 uses Inca Networks' hardware transcoding engine to transcode MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 AVC video sources into frame-aligned, multibit-rate outputs in MPEG-4 AVC using less than 200 watts in a 1-RU, power-efficient chassis.
Upon reception from the Inca ABR transcoder 3840, the BkS350 packages the video content in the requested ABR format (i.e., HLS or MPEG-DASH) and sends it to Broadpeak's BkS400 video cache server for streaming to subscribers. Broadpeak's BkM100 supervises the BkS350 and BkS400 servers, in addition to managing the streaming requests and redirecting them to the servers.
"Broadpeak's solutions are part of a strong partner ecosystem that makes IP video delivery simple and affordable for operators," said Jacques Le Mancq, CEO at Broadpeak. "Working with Inca Networks and Espial, we are helping HBC deliver high-quality video on any device and on any network with maximum scalability and minimal investment."
Robert Bell, CEO at Inca Networks, added: "The Inca ABR transcoder 3840 is a powerful option for operators looking to launch new multiscreen services. It delivers beautiful, frame-aligned video at a market-leading cost-per-stream, while providing operational efficiency through Inca's stream monitoring and analysis tools. Operators such as HBC can confidently launch OTT services to generate additional revenue and expand into new geographies when working with established market leaders such as Inca Networks, Broadpeak, and Espial."
The subscriber management and user experiences for the service are meanwhile powered by Espial's Elevate Cloud IPTV platform, which is a TV-as-a-service solution that enables HBC to offer IPTV and app-based TV services to its customers.