ATX introduces the streaming input blade for Visium MD commercial gateway platform

ATX Networks, a global leader in broadband access and media distribution solutions, will introduce a streaming input blade for its modular and market-leading commercial services gateway platform at the upcoming SCTE Cable-Tec Expo, an all-virtual event that begins October 11th.

The new Streaming Input Blade expands the business uses of the Visium™ MD Media Gateway platform to satellite, cable and all Pay-TV providers that leverage streaming technology to deliver television programming, including content formatted using Adaptive Bit-Rate (ABR) or Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) technology, to hotels, apartments, sports arenas and other commercial venues. Pay-TV providers are increasingly shifting toward streaming delivery of niche video content to increase channel count and reserve bandwidth for only the channels being watched. The Streaming Input Blade allows commercial venues to continue to receive these channels as the network evolves.

“ATX has a rich legacy of helping our customers navigate technology transitions and anticipating the real-world requirements of commercial video solutions,” says Andrew Isherwood, General Manager & CTO, Media Distribution, ATX Networks. “Adding the capability to ingest programming from a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to what is already the world’s most modular and agile bulk media distribution platform in Visium MD, enables service providers to continue to deliver all available live video channels regardless of the delivery medium.”

Adding support for CDN-sourced live video channels through the new Streaming Input Blade allows the Visium MD platform to securely convert from a unicast streaming environment to a legacy broadcast network for delivery of TV channels to existing end devices, such as QAM and IP-enabled Pro:Idiom™ TVs. By supporting streaming input capabilities, the Visium MD enables service providers to evolve their delivery networks without disrupting existing end user environments. The 10Gigabit-per-second SFP interface on the Streaming Input Blade supports ingest of up to 100 programs on a single blade.

This new capability is valuable for service providers wanting to reap the benefits of consolidating multiple content delivery infrastructures into a single CDN-based architecture that leverages the full spectrum of existing and new IP-connected consumer devices. Additionally, it provides a path for cable operators looking to reclaim high-value bandwidth to enable incremental upstream capacity that better supports consumer needs.

Both the Visium MD16 (16-slot chassis) and Visium MD8 (8-slot chassis) are state-of-the-art commercial services gateways deployed by top-tier video service providers to deliver high-end video services to millions of hotel rooms and other commercial locations around the world. The platform features any-to-any support of all broadcast services, making Visium MD adaptable to virtually any commercial environment. By delivering the performance, functionality and broadcaster-approved security features of a traditional multi-rack headend within a compact form factor, Visium MD Multimedia Gateways present service providers with an unrivaled solution for expanding the scope and profitability of their commercial services.

The Visium MD platform can also be paired with ATX’s Visium Set-Back Box (SBB), a Pro:Idiom-compliant and technology-agnostic security adapter designed to enable hotels and other commercial businesses to deliver encryption-protected content to non-commercial television sets. BCS Bureau