[Satellite TODAY 09-14-10] South African pay-television operator MultiChoice has installed Thomson Video Networks‘ ViBE EM2000 dual-channel SD encoders, as part of an infrastructure expansion for its Johannesburg headend facilities broadcasting to sub-Saharan Africa, MultiChoice announced.
    Deployed by MultiChoice within the framework of a 14+2 redundant IP architecture designed to support multiple transponders with output from Thomson NetProcessor multiplexers, the ViBE EM2000 encoders aim to allow MultiChoice to achieve high-density expansion of its headend capability, with the potential for easy, modular growth to meet increasing demand for services.
    “It was vital for MultiChoice to provide the highest quality video at the lowest possible bit rate, while building a physically dense infrastructure at the headend to meet space constraints. With the Thomson ViBE EM2000 dual-channel encoders and the NetProcessor with its multiple output capability, we have been doing this, laying a good foundation for quick and cost-effective future expansion when required,” MultiChoice CTO Gerdus Van Eeden said in a statement.