Zon chooses Harmonic transcoding solutions

TV technology company Harmonic has announced that Portuguese cable and satellite operator Zon Multimédia has chosen its portfolio of transcoding solutions for a range of new multiscreen services being offered on Zon Online.

Harmonic ProMedia Carbon file-based transcoders, managed by the Harmonic WFS file-based workflow system, and ProStream 4000 real-time transcoders are providing Zon subscribers with access to live streaming TV and video-on-demand services on TVs, PCs, tablets, and other IP-connected devices.

Zon’s VOD services are powered by Harmonic ProMedia Carbon transcoders, which handle a variety of operations including SD/HD conversion, PAL/NTSC conversion, logo insertion, colour space conversion, color correction and closed-captions extraction. Harmonic’s file-based WFS controls the ProMedia Carbon transcoding farm by providing automated processing of transcoding tasks, failover support, job distribution management, job prioritisation, load balancing, FTP transfer, status monitoring and job notification. The ProStream 4000 transcoding solution supports Zon’s live TV services by providing simultaneous processing of up to 48 video inputs and transcoding of up to 18 multiscreen profiles and 12 SD or four HD broadcast profiles per 1 RU.

“Zon wanted to extend its television experience through an over-the-top media portal, and Harmonic’s transcoding systems provided us with an efficient way to achieve that, without compromising quality,” said Nuno Sanches, product development director, Zon. “Our users can now watch live programming and video on demand on a wide range of devices, having both our award-winning user interface and the same image quality over the internet and in the traditional cable service.”