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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
Background
Consumer reaction to the convenience of watching television programming free of pre-scheduled time restrictions is
driving profound changes in the technology platforms employed by cable operators and other providers in the competitive
TV services marketplace.
Wide adoption of DVR-based time shifting combined with the growing abundance of Internet-delivered TV programming
has led consumers to increasingly expect immediate access to a vast range of entertainment options at the click of a button.
In response, TV service providers are maximizing their ability to flexibly transition to ever more on-demand content by
evolving their distribution platforms away from distinct infrastructures for broadcast and on-demand programming.
So far, the most significant technological change sparked by the on-demand television revolution has been the
implementation of IP-based networks for video delivery, which cable operators initially utilized for launching first-
generation video-on-demand (VOD) services. Today both broadcast and on-demand services are running over core IP
networks, and, in the case of telephone companies, IPTV has moved IP-based distribution all the way to the home.
But while IP networks have become the de-facto standard for both broadcast and on-demand video networks, the historical
separation between suppliers of video delivery systems for broadcast and on-demand services has persisted – until now.
Harmonic, a leader in cable TV headend solutions for many years, has bridged the gap by offering the complete platform
service providers need to deliver programming in whatever mode they choose.
It’s clear that operators can no longer be restricted by the old distinctions between broadcast and on-demand technology
providers. We now are experiencing the rise of new and advanced on-demand services based on live broadcast TV content
such as ‘Start Over’, ‘Look Back’ and full Network PVR. As the anytime, anywhere viewing trend continues to evolve, the line
between broadcast and on-demand services will blur even farther.
Harmonic’s new video delivery framework takes advantage of all the components residing within a headend to provide the
optimal broadcast and on-demand service.
Control Plane and Data Plane
Service providers must put together a comprehensive system of components to create a flexible, scalable on-demand
video delivery platform. As complex as it may seem, the on-demand platform is essentially based on two main layers – the
Data Plane and the Control Plane (see Figure 1):
• Data Plane – represents the video aware components on which the video is delivered. There are five
stages of video processing for the on-demand platform:
– Content Preparation – Preparation of on-demand media.
– Content Ingest – The process of ingesting on-demand media into the video delivery
platform.
– Content Distribution – The means by which content is distributed across servers within the
video network in response to consumers’ requests for on-demand content.
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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
– Delivery – The means by which on-demand content is delivered from the video equipment in
response to each customer’s order.
– Edge Access – The infrastructure that governs how the on-demand service traffic is distributed
across the access network to the home.
• Control Plane – represents the back office and business management system of the on-demand
platform. It encompasses all business-related components of the system, including content security,
billing, subscriber management and session management.
Figure 1. Data Plane vs. Control Plane
StagingProcessor
Acquisition+ Ingest
IntelligentContent
Distribution
OfflineEncoding
VideoServers
CAS
Data Plane(Harmonic)
ControlPlane
Billing
Ad CampaignManagement
BMS/Middleware
EdgeProcessingPlatforms
HFC/DSL/FTT
Harmonic’s focus over the years has always been on the Data Plane, i.e. the video delivery components, and this focus
continues to be relevant for our next-generation on-demand platform. Harmonic has a full offering encompassing all the
necessary components for the Data Plane of the on-demand video network as displayed in Figure 2 and described below:
Figure 2. Harmonic’s End to End On-Demand Delivery Platform
S A T
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Prepare real-time andoffline content withbest VQ, lowest bit rateand minimal storagesize
Manage the Ingest ofoffline and Live contentin an automatedprocess with nohuman intervention
StreamLiner®
Open, highly scalable, video serverarchitecture based on open hardware
Armada®Ingest Gateway™
LIVEcut™
Cost-optimized,automated distributionof assets based onactual consumptionpatterns
Scalable, dense andhigh performanceedgeQAMs and networkaccess equipment
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DBS
HFC
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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
• Content Preparation – For offline content preparation Harmonic’s portfolio includes the CLEARcut™ offline Encoding
studio, which utilizes Harmonic’s award winning DiviCom® Electra™ Encoders to achieve best video quality and
minimal storage size. For live content ingestion, the Electra and Ion™ encoders offer high-quality MPEG-2 and MPEG-4
AVC (H.264) video, while the ProStream™ 1000 stream processing platform with Mentor™ re-encoding technology is
the world’s only dense re-encoding solution for converting incoming VBR content to CBR without impacting the video
quality.
• Content Ingest – The Ingest Gateway is a simple and intuitive workflow system responsible for ingesting offline
content from catchers or encoding stations, processing metadata, interacting with conditional access systems (CAS)
and distributing the content to the on-demand servers. LIVEcut™ is a new addition to the Ingest solutions that offers
an operator the ability to schedule, manage and control the live content to be ingested into the on-demand servers.
• Content Distribution – Harmonic’s Armada® intelligent asset manager is the world’s most advanced content delivery
system. Leveraging years of research, it takes advantage of advanced algorithms for reactive distribution of content
based on ever-changing consumer behavior in various serving areas.
• Delivery – The StreamLiner® is an advanced video delivery software system that runs on off-the-shelf hardware from
server vendors such as IBM and HP. It is a highly scalable, flexible and reliable video server.
• Edge Access – Harmonic’s world-leading edge and access components for on-demand delivery include the NSG
family of edgeQAMs, the world’s most widely deployed edgeQAM, as well as a wide array of fiber optic and HFC
equipment.
Offline On-Demand Content Preparation
Growth in on-demand services is constantly increasing the demand for stored digital content. To meet this requirement,
operators need storage encoding stations that can encode content at low bit rates without sacrificing picture quality.
This requirement becomes ever more essential as the volume of on-demand content consumption increases. High-quality
content ensures subscribers are satisfied with their on-demand service offerings, while low bit rates maximize storage
capacity as well as the throughput capacity of the on-demand network.
Harmonic’s CLEARcut Storage Encoding Solution provides a complete system for creating high-quality, low bit-rate SD and
HD digital content for on-demand applications (Figure 3). The CLEARcut Storage Encoding Solution consists of CLEARcut
Studio software, pre-loaded on the CLEARcut Server, and a DiviCom SD or HD encoder. A user-friendly GUI and simple
workflows automate the control of a video tape recorder (VTR) or DVD player, and simplify the process of content creation
for operators.
CLEARcut uses standards-based Digital Program Insertion technology or VITC interfaces to control stream captures from
video tape players, DVD players, and live broadcast streams. The use of Harmonic’s award-winning encoders enables
operators to leverage over 15 years of compression experience to achieve essential broadcast quality at minimum bit rates.
The Harmonic encoder line used with CLEARcut incorporates a wide range of tools specifically tailored for on-demand
applications, including ‘Capped VBR,’ which results in a 25% decrease in file size without any loss in video quality.
Create Ingest Distribute Deliver Edge Access
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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
Recording Station
SDI Matrix
Shuttle-Pro
Decoder
ConcatenationEngine
MetaDataEngine
DeckControl
GOPControl
TaskEngine
MuiticastCapture
External API
IPFTPADI
Composite
“Live”
TCPSDI
RS422
SD/HDEncoder
Tape Deck
DVD Player
Figure 3. Architectural View of the CLEARcut Encoding Station
Because pre-compressed content is often not in the format required by the service provider for on-demand distribution,
CLEARcut also incorporates transcoding capabilities (Figure 4). MPEG-2 assets can be sent to the CLEARcut station for
transcoding from MPEG-2 to H.264 or re-encoding from MPEG-2 to MPEG-2.
Figure 4. Examples of CLEARcut Transcoding Applications
MPEG-2 Bit-Rate Re-Encoding from 6.0 Mbps to 3.75 Mbps
Decoder
Decoder
Decoder
MPEG-4HD Encoder
MPEG-4HD Encoder
MPEG-2HD Encoder
CCS Station
CCS Station
CCS Station
HD
MPEG-2 HD to H.264 HD Conversion
MPEG-2 SD to H.264 HD File Upconversion
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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
For editing purposes CLEARcut incorporates an advanced MPEG-2 and H.264 Editing and Trimming tool for fine tuning the
complete asset. For example, a common editing operation is the attachment of bumpers (trailer or leader) to prepared
assets. CLEARcut employs advanced stream processing tools which allow operators to attach any number of pre-encoded
bumpers to existing assets while retaining the asset’s MPEG compliance.
One further capability of CLEARcut is the ability to attach the appropriate metadata to a completed asset. The CLEARcut
Enhanced Metadata Editor provides the capability to create CableLabs-compliant metadata and associated files and
supports a wide range of additional standard and proprietary metadata for various on-demand systems, including the
Microsoft TV environment. The entry of metadata through the CLEARcut Metadata Editor is accomplished via formatted
GUI windows that guide the user through the entire process of creating the asset package (asset summary), title asset,
movie asset, still image asset and preview asset as defined in various metadata standards.
To summarize, the CLEARcut Encoding station is not merely a capture tool. It’s an advanced offline storage encoding
solution capable of ingesting content from multiple sources (tapes, DVDs, live and MPEG-2 content), manipulating the
content to appropriate format, editing it and attaching the required metadata. Altogether it serves as an ideal tool for
offline content preparation.
Real-Time On-Demand Content Preparation
The preparation of broadcast live channels for on-demand applications is often as challenging as offline content
preparation. Several key requirements for handling the incoming live content must be met in order to make it possible
for the on-demand platform to ingest and play it out properly. Harmonic is focused on developing content preparation
platforms well-suited for live on-demand service offerings. In the coming sections we’ll review the key challenges related
to real-time content ingest and the solutions available as part of the Harmonic On-Demand Platform.
Challenge # 1 - Incoming content is variable bit-rate (VBR)
Live content is often broadcast in VBR mode, allowing network operators to realize considerable bandwidth savings thanks
to statistical multiplexing techniques. In order to ingest the live VBR content into the on-demand platform operators must
convert the content into CBR mode. There are serious problems with traditional technologies that might be used to address
this challenge:
1. Rate-shaping – Based on re-quantization technology, rate-shaping is widely deployed for grooming
of incoming signals into a fixed bandwidth pipe. However, problems arise in converting content to
CBR when the source material peaks at high bit rates. The re-quantization technology is capable of
executing a significant reduction in bit rate, but the result is often severe macro blocking and video
degradation.
2. Re-Encoding – Re-encoding solves the VBR-to-CBR conversion challenge, but it requires a decoder and
an encoder for each channel, which makes the solution quite expensive.
To solve this challenge, Harmonic has introduced a new product tailored for VBR-to-CBR conversions (Figure 5). The
ProStream 1000 stream processing platform with Mentor re-encoding technology is a dense re-encoder solution capable
of full decode and re-encode of up to 32 SD channels in a single 1RU chassis while retaining superior video quality. There
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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
is no competitive platform in the market available today that can offer such density of decoding and encoding at single-
channel encoder quality levels. This world’s first capability is vital to successful implementation of Live TV on-demand
service offerings.
Figure 5. Sample Architecture of ProStream 1000 with Mentor Re-Encoding Technology
Challenge # 2 – Incoming content is not “on-demand friendly”
The second most common challenge with live content ingestion is that the incoming content is not “on-demand friendly.”
In other words, the Group of Pictures (GOP) encoding structure and other compression-related parameters are not in the
format required by the video servers to ingest and stream properly.
Harmonic has tackled this challenge in two ways:
1. Because the Mentor platform utilizes re-encoding technology, it can be used to control the GOP
structure of the broadcast stream as well as other parameters such as resolutions, making the streams
very “on-demand friendly.”
2. In instances where the content was prepared with Harmonic encoders, the operator has the ability to
configure the live broadcast encoders with “on-demand friendly” settings, which are made available
on all of Harmonic’s broadcast encoders.
Challenge # � – Incoming content is encrypted
If the live content being ingested is encrypted, it needs to be scrambled in a manner which ensures several portions of
the stream (specifically various MPEG headers) are left in the clear. This technology, also known as “selective encryption,”
enables on-demand servers to properly ingest the content while supporting trick-play capabilities.
Harmonic’s ProStream 1000 platform with ProCipher™ technology offers selective encryption technology for encryption in
both AES and DVB-CSA formats and can be used for preparing the incoming content properly. Therefore operators can use
the Harmonic ProStream 1000 upstream of the on-demand servers for both re-encoding and selective encryption, making
it the most ideal solution for live content preparation.
Video
VBR 2 CBR
Multicast
Multicast & Unicast
Prostream 1000 EdgeQAM
Core Network
ASI
IP (GbE)
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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
STB
ProStream MentorCLEARcut
LIVEcut
Ingest Gateway
StreamLiner Nodes
DRM Encrytor
Catcher
Ingest Data Path
StreamingNetwork
Control Network
Video Network
Another method of resolving this concern is encryption at the downstream edge device, i.e., the edgeQAM. Harmonic’s
NSG edgeQAM family incorporates advanced encryption technologies, including Motorola’s MediaCipher and DVB-CSA
algorithms, giving operators the ability to keep on-demand content in the clear until the final modulation stage.
Ingest Solutions
The Harmonic ingest solutions support both stream-based and file-based content ingest. These two ingest methods are
treated similarly in most respects. When content is initially submitted to an ingest server, advanced MPEG content processing
is performed to ensure the content accommodates the optimal on-demand format. Content is ingested through a variety
of standard file transfer mechanisms, including FTP-push, FTP-pull or live capture of UDP/MPEG-2 transport streams.
The Ingest solution incorporates three main components: (a) Ingest Data Path (b) Ingest Gateway (c) LIVEcut.
The following diagram illustrates the three main components within a network architecture
Figure 6. Ingest Flow of Offline and Real-Time Content
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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
Ingest Data Path
Harmonic’s Ingest Data Path (IDP) is a highly optimized software module used for ingestion of offline and real-time content.
The IDP can reside both on a StreamLiner server used for on-demand streaming applications as well as on a separate
hardware platform. By placing multiple Ingest Data Path systems together the Harmonic on-demand platform is capable
of real-time ingest of hundreds of simultaneous SD and HD channels in MPEG-2 or H.264.
The Ingest Data Path exposes a control scheduling interface for defining which channels to capture at what time and for
what application.
Ingest Gateway
The Harmonic Ingest Gateway (IGW) provides a single entry point for ingesting offline video assets into one or a cluster
of Harmonic StreamLiner server nodes in accord with CableLabs’ Asset Distribution Interface (ADI) standards. The Ingest
Gateway fully automates the workflow of asset ingest with no human intervention required in the entire asset ingest
process. Operators need not worry about the integration required for asset ingest in an ecosystem with equipment from
multiple vendors, because the entire asset ingest process is all automated by the Ingest Gateway.
In order to achieve this automated workflow process, the Ingest Gateway interfaces with all critical components and
manages all aspects of the asset ingest process:
• Ingest Data Path for ingestion of content
• Asset distribution service end-point devices, such as catchers
• Local content creation tools, such as CLEARcut
• CAS / DRM (conditional access / digital rights management) asset encryption systems
• Middleware / business management system (BMS)
The workflow followed by the IGW is quite simple. As an asset arrives the IGW reads its incoming metadata as well as pre-
defined business rules and builds a workflow process for the asset. It then requests the Ingest Data Path to fetch the asset
from the source catcher and pass it on to the CLEARcut for video processing (transcoding, concatenation of bumpers) and
from there to the offline DRM encryptor for encryption. Once these processes are complete the IGW instructs the IDP to
ingest the asset and transmit to the appropriate StreamLiner Video Server based on Armada’s distribution instructions.
When the IDP notifies the IGW the asset has completed ingestion, the IGW instructs the catcher to delete this asset and
notifies the middleware or BMS of the availability of the asset.
This process continues endlessly and can work with multiple catchers simultaneously, essentially creating a mass production
line for asset ingest.
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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
Create Ingest Distribute Deliver Edge Access
LIVEcut
The Harmonic LIVEcut software enables operators to define schedules of live captures. The schedules are then transferred
to the Ingest Data Path enabling the IDP to capture the appropriate programs. The input to the LIVEcut can be an Electronic
Program Guide (EPG) as well as a manually entered schedule (Figure 7).
Figure 7. Snapshot of LIVEcut User Interface for Definition of Live Content Captures
Content Distribution Within a Cluster
Harmonic’s on-demand content distribution solution leverages a well-honed understanding of optimal approaches to
orchestrating content placement across server clusters, so that resources are used with maximum efficiency as the volume
of on-demand content scales upward. With millions of VOD sessions deployed on Harmonic’s systems worldwide, usage
data have shown time and again that placing the most popular content at the edge of the network close to customers
is the optimal architectural solution for network planners. Statistics demonstrate that a small number of highly popular
titles generate more than 50% of the revenue, with the top 80-120 titles generating approximately 50% of the sessions
in any given time. This type of behavior encourages the placement of edge servers in local facilities and library servers in
regional/national facilities.
In the past, the content distribution challenge was addressed through efforts to accurately predict the popularity of
content. Predictive methods were successful when the amount of content was minimal and replacement cycles stretched
over long time periods. In today’s on-demand environment, with live content ingest and thousands of hours of content
to be distributed in very short timeframes, it’s no longer operationally feasible to rely on attempts to predict how popular
a given program will be at any given point in time within each specific region. The correct solution is a dynamic content
distribution method which takes into account network topology and reacts quickly to ever-changing consumer demand
patterns.
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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
Live Video
CLEARcut
StreamLinerLibrary Server
StreamLinerCluster Controller
IP Network
StreamLiner ClusterWorkstation
StreamLinerEdge Servers
StreamLinerEdge Servers
Armada RTApplication
Following years of research and development, Harmonic has developed a software platform that solves this problem,
Armada intelligent asset manager, which is used in conjunction with a clustered server architecture built on Harmonic’s
StreamLiner server software platform (Figure 8). StreamLiner is an optimized software architecture that turns standard IA
server hardware into specialized, high-performance video servers designed to support VOD, near video on-demand (nVOD),
network video recording (NVR), time-shifted broadcast television (TSTV), scheduled playout (such as barker channels), and
similar video record and streaming delivery services.
In an on-demand network multiple StreamLiners are placed together to operate in a logical grouping known as a StreamLiner
cluster. By connecting multiple StreamLiner nodes using an IP/GbE network it is possible to build a highly scalable solution
that can meet the most stringent and complex network needs. The architecture supports clusters consisting of hundreds
of decentralized StreamLiners, co-located servers dedicated to different service regions or any combination of distributed
and co-located equipment. Although StreamLiner is a peer-to-peer clustering solution, it does embrace notions of locality
and hierarchy. Several StreamLiner nodes may be co-located to serve the most popular titles to a particular city or district,
while other groups of StreamLiner nodes act as centralized library servers with high-capacity storage that can make the
entire content library available to all nodes within the cluster.
Designing a StreamLiner cluster also offers the advanced benefits of on-demand node virtualization. The virtual network
achieved within the cluster is the key to offering advanced capabilities such as high-end and quick-to-react load balancing
mechanisms as well as advanced failover solutions within the cluster. This ensures unparalleled reliability along with
maximum flexibility.
Orchestrating content distribution across the server network, Armada is fundamentally a resource allocation system
that adds dynamic, intelligent asset management and distribution through the process of node virtualization within the
StreamLiner cluster. Amanda constantly monitors asset usage patterns and dynamically triggers asset replication within
a cluster based on the usage pattern while taking into account the changing characteristics of network topology and
capability. The software uses actual customer demand data together with baseline business rules to allocate the existing
on-demand network resources to satisfy current and future consumer requests.
Figure 8. StreamLiner Cluster Architecture with Armada
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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
Create Ingest Distribute Deliver Edge Access
RAM storage is ideal for media assets requiring a high peak number of streams, but as demand lessens, it’s more economical
to store and stream those assets elsewhere, such as on SAS/SCSI drives. Even low-cost SATA storage can be effectively
utilized for assets with minimal views. Instead of struggling against an ever-changing demand curve, or limiting customer
choice, operators can use Armada to continuously and automatically monitor viewer behavior and make adjustments
in storage assignments accordingly. This ensures that every StreamLiner node is fully utilized with the right balance of
streaming capacity and storage space in relation to its local region and to the popularity of content at any given time.
$
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% ofTotalRevenue
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SCSI/SAS SATA
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Armada in combination with StreamLiner Cluster represents the industry’s most cost-efficient, performance-scalable video
delivery service platform. This achievement rests on the ability to optimize selection of RAM, SAS, SCSI and SATA storage
options for the specific demand curve of content in a given service area (Figure 9).
Figure 9. Content Demand Curve
StreamLiner Solution Overview
The StreamLiner product line at the heart of Harmonic’s on-demand video delivery platform represents the industry’s most
flexible and cost-effective video recording and streaming solution. StreamLiner on-demand software is optimized to turn
standard IA-based architecture servers from companies such as IBM and HP into high-end video on-demand severs. The
platform delivers the industry’s highest stream density with superior price, performance and feature advantages when
compared with proprietary hardware solutions.
Each StreamLiner node provides self-contained storage and streaming resources comprised of chassis, control processor,
RAM, direct-attached storage, storage expansion modules and network interfaces capable of serving thousands of
simultaneous streams. The modular design of the Harmonic product architecture solution allows it to scale from hundreds
of streams on a single server to millions of streams across tens of distributed server nodes.
StreamLiner Hardware Platform Overview
StreamLiner is available on a range of hardware platforms enabling operators a variety of selection options that can
be optimally designed to fit the needs of any on-demand network. Each StreamLiner platform incorporates a simple
configuration model. A base model is available with a given capacity of streaming throughput and storage. Expansion of
each hardware model is possible by simply plugging into the existing base model one or more expansion platforms.
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This capability to expand the capacity of an already deployed StreamLiner node gives operators optimal flexibility in
meeting growing capacity requirements. Operators can choose to either expand the capacity of existing nodes without
service interruption or expand the network by adding more StreamLiner nodes to an existing StreamLiner Cluster controlled
by Armada.
Figure 10 illustrates the simplicity of expanding StreamLiner models with expansion options:
Server Expansion
Figure 10. StreamLiner Server Expansion Options
StreamLiner can be deployed in a single server configuration with internal hard disk drive storage – for example, up to 1.5 TB capacity using 300 GB SAS disk drives.
StreamLiner server with a storage expansion chassis allows scaling both stream and storage capacity of the basic server platform. In these configurations, storage capacity can readily be expanded to a total of 4.5 TB with the addition of just a single SAS expansion chassis.
StreamLiner library server configurations are used for larger content storage requirements. This is achieved by interfacing multiple storage expansion chassis and their associated hard disk drives to a single server platform.
The basic building blocks of the StreamLiner platform are composed of base server models and expansion models:
StreamLiner Server Models Description
StreamLiner 2002 Minimal storage platform with high CPU processing capabilities used as the cluster management platform.
StreamLiner 2110 Small scale storage server with high streaming capacity. Targeted as a streaming server.
StreamLiner 2204 Medium scale storage server with low range streaming capacity. Targeted for small size installations.
StreamLiner 2206 Medium scale storage server with mid range streaming capacity. Targeted as a centralized library server.
StreamLiner 2210 Medium scale storage server with high streaming capacity. Targeted as both a streaming and library server.
StreamLiner 2304 High end storage server with low range streaming capacity. Targeted for installa-tions with a small subscriber base and a large content library.
StreamLiner 2306 High end storage server with mid range streaming capacity. This StreamLiner can store tens of thousands of hours with the appropriate expansion models. It is an ideal selection for centralized library servers.
StreamLiner 2308 High end storage server with high streaming capacity. This StreamLiner can store tens of thousands of hours with the appropriate expansion models. It is an ideal selection for centralized library servers.
StreamLiner 2916 Memory based server for high capacity streaming. Ideal as a streamer in a centralized or regional location.
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StreamLiner Expansion Models Description
StreamLiner X215 Offers 0.73 TB additional storage with high range streaming capacity.
StreamLiner X225 Offers 1.46 TB additional storage with high range streaming capacity.
StreamLiner X220 Offers 1.46 TB additional storage with mid range streaming capacity
StreamLiner X230 Offers 3 TB of additional storage with mid range streaming capacity.
StreamLiner Delivery Options
StreamLiner servers can deliver content using one of two methods. The first is the most commonly deployed method,
known as real-time streaming, which consists of streaming video over IP in UDP sessions. The second approach is known as
“‘trickle" or "download" VOD. In this approach, the StreamLiner uses xFTP and HTTP protocols to push the asset to a target
CPE platform such as a STB or a personal storage platform (i.e. PC).
This second method is often deployed by service providers who want to enhance their service offering with an on-demand
service but do not have the network infrastructure to ensure the quality of service required for real-time streaming. The
StreamLiner platform provides operators an upgrade path from trickle VOD to real-time streaming by allowing them to use
the same backend system when their networks are ready to support real-time streaming
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Edge and Access
Harmonic’s introduction of the world’s first dense edgeQAM in 2001 paved the way for VOD services to become economical.
For its contribution Harmonic was awarded “biggest contributor the future of content delivery” in 2003. Since then
Harmonic’s Narrowcast Services Gateway™ (NSG) has been deployed by more operators than any other solution on the
market with millions of streams in operation world wide.
The NSG family of edgeQAMs represents the industry’s broadest line of Gigabit Ethernet/IP-enabled edge devices designed
for scalable Video-on-Demand (VOD) deployments in cable television networks. The compact and high density NSG serves
as a highly integrated digital video gateway that perform a variety of critical functions, including multiplexing, program
filtering and routing, conditional access scrambling, RF modulation and upconversion.
The NSG 9000 is a scalable edgeQAM system housed in a modular, 2-RU chassis that can scale to RF outputs of up to 72
simultaneous MPEG transport streams (Figure 11). The NSG accepts digital MPEG input through its gigabit Ethernet (GbE)
ports, and then directs the multimedia to different QAMs and upconverters to create the outgoing transport streams as
QAM-RF output signals. In addition to providing unparalleled output density, the NSG 9000 supports a variety of applications
besides VOD, including switched digital broadcast, broadcast television and modular CMTS as defined by DOCSIS 3.0.
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Figure 11. NSG 9000 Scalable EdgeQAM
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In order to maximize scalability and flexibility, the NSG 9000 is designed as a completely modular system. The chassis is
fitted with a passive backplane, while all the processing and modulation functions are performed on retrievable modules.
The chassis has nine QAM RF module slots; each module has two QAM RF ports, and each port is capable of supporting up
to four adjacent QAM channels. The system can host two AC and/or DC power supplies, which can be redundant to each
other.
Interoperability
Harmonic’s solutions are based on industry-leading open architecture and provide the industry’s highest performance with
extreme deployment flexibility, infinite scalability, and better economics than any other solution on the market. Harmonic
systems future-proof the investment of video service operators by enabling best-of-breed component selections that can
evolve as technology advances in contrast to the constraints imposed by the single, proprietary end-to-end solutions
offered by most legacy product vendors. In addition to breakthrough technology, Harmonic’s open architecture products
yield disruptive price points with lower fixed costs and lower operating expenses.
To demonstrate our open solution, below is a representative list of some of Harmonic’s interoperability partners:
Component Interoperability Partner
Middleware / BMS Siemens (formerly Myrio), Minerva, NDS Metro, Quative (Kudelski Group), Tandberg OpenStream (formally N2BB), CCOR nABLE, Ortikon, Cascade, Tandberg ITTV Portal, Seachange Axiom (NGOD)
Content Management System
Tandberg OpenStream, Lysis, nABLE, Seachange Axiom (NGOD)
DRM / CAS Latens, NDS, Nagra, Conax, WideVine, Verimatrix, SecureMedia, Irdeto
Headend / Encoders Harmonic, Tandberg, Motorola (former Tut Systems), Videotele, Opti-base, Cisco (former Scientific Atlanta)
Set-top Box Motorola, Scientific Atlanta, Pace, Amino, Entone, Kreatel, Thompson, Wegener, ADB, i3, YuXing, Sunniwell
Server Hardware IBM, Hewlett Packard
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White Paper Harmonic's On-Demand Delivery Platform
© 2007 Harmonic Inc. All rights reserved. Harmonic, the Harmonic logo, Building Better Bandwidth, Armada, CLEARcut, DiviCom, Electra, Ingest Gateway, Ion, LIVEcut, Mentor, ProCipher, ProStream and StreamLiner are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of Harmonic Inc. in the United States and other countries. Other company, product and service names mentioned herein may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. All product and application features and specifications are subject to change at Harmonic’s sole discretion at any time and without notice. 04/07
Harmonic Inc.549 Baltic WaySunnyvale, CA 94089U.S.A.
T 1.800.788.1330 or 1.408.542.2500 (outside the U.S.)F 1.408.542.2510www.harmonicinc.com
Summary
Harmonic’s on-demand delivery platform encompasses an extensive array of solutions for the end-to-end video delivery
network architecture (Figure 12). At the entry point to the solution, Harmonic offers a wide range of offline and real-time
content preparation tools developed solely for the on-demand arena. Downstream, Harmonic’s advanced offline and live
ingest solutions ensure operators can manage the continuous flow of on-demand content with minimal effort.
A key element of the solution is the StreamLiner distribution and delivery platform whose flexibility, scalability, reliability
and performance are unmatched in the market. The Armada content distribution system relieves operators of the impossible
task of predicting popularity of content, and automatically transfers content between StreamLiner nodes and storage
media (RAM, SCSI, SAS, SATA) for optimal results. At the edge, Harmonic’s leading modulation and HFC infrastructure
equipment completes the solution by offering operators the most reliable RF networking gear available.
Harmonic’s complete on-demand delivery platform is the first solution to offer an end-to-end system for operators looking
to deploy on-demand systems. Harmonic provides operators a single point of contact and minimizes the risks of designing
and developing advanced video delivery networks.
Figure 12. Harmonic’s End to End On-Demand Delivery Architecture
CLEARcut
StreamLiner(Libraby Server)
Home
NSGEdgeQAMs
LIVEcut
Ingest Gateway
Mentor
Electra
Catcher
Control Network
Video Network
StreamLiner(Edge Server)
Cluster Controller(Armada)
HFC
HFC Infrastructure
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