Thomson Video Networks Boosts Video Quality for Hong Kong's TVB J2

TVB was Hong Kong's first free-to-air broadcaster, and operates five digital terrestrial channels in the territory. Ideal System, Thomson's local distributor, installed the ViBE EM2000s, which have been on air since April 2010.

"As a long-time user of Thomson technology, TVB was eager to upgrade to the latest generation of encoders, starting with TVB J2," said Leung Wai Boon, deputy controller of the Engineering Division. "In the six months since going live, the ViBE EM2000s have delivered a significant increase in efficiency together with a real improvement in the picture quality viewers are seeing."

Based on the Thomson Mustang video compression engine, the ViBE EM1000 and the ViBE EM2000 deliver a major advance in performance, density, versatility, and power consumption. The ViBE EM1000 and ViBE EM2000 range is configurable as a single-channel unit, or for multichannel operation with a reduced footprint and lower power consumption per channel. Each channel can be independently configured for MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 encoding, extending the possibilities for hybrid applications.

"TVB's experience with the ViBE EM2000 clearly illustrates the gains to be achieved with the new generation of encoding technology from Thomson," said Christophe Delahousse, president of Thomson Video Networks. "These encoders make an important contribution to a broadcaster's efforts to increase quality while reducing operating costs."

About Television Broadcasts Ltd.

Television Broadcasts Limited, commonly known as TVB, is the first wireless commercial television station in Hong Kong. It was first established on Nov. 19, 1967 with only about 200 staff members. The group has now grown to a size of about 4,300 including contract artistes and staff in overseas subsidiary companies.

About Thomson Video Networks

From the very onset of digital TV broadcasting, the Thomson name has been synonymous with supplying expertise, quality, and reliability to the world's leading broadcasters. Thomson Video Networks builds on this great heritage by providing unique and innovative video delivery solutions for a premium viewing experience. The Thomson Video Networks philosophy, since delivering the world's first large-scale direct-to-home satellite system, has always been the same — to provide the best possible picture quality across any networks, to any devices. As a worldwide leader in compression systems for satellite, terrestrial, cable, IPTV, mobile TV, and Web streaming, Thomson Video Networks is helping its customers deliver superior quality video to anything from small handheld devices to large 3D high-definition screens, with the lowest bandwidth to ensure a profitable business model. A trusted supplier with more than 20 percent of the active channels deployed worldwide, a global support presence, and culture of delivering quality at every stage, Thomson Video Networks boasts the experience and range of products to supply every need, from hybrid multiformat compression systems to contribution links for content exchange networks.