CurrentCOMPETE Client Login

Home Contact Us About Us Analyst Team News & Events Resources

Digital Media Infrastructure Client access Overview Intelligence Report Summaries Company Report Summaries Product Report Summaries Complimentary Competitive Intelligence Service Provider Infrastructure MARKET SEGMENTS Digital Media Infrastructure Fixed Access Infrastructure IP Services Infrastructure Mobile Access Infrastructure Transport and Routing Infrastructure Telecom Vendor Services Tracker     Complimentary Competitive Intelligence INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS Business Network and IT Services Business Technology and Software Consumer Services and Devices Service Provider Infrastructure   Most recent >> MORE COMPLIMENTARY COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE Complimentary Advisory Reports CurrentCast Podcasts Webinar Replays

RGB’s New VMG-8 Packs in More than Just Additional Slots, but Does It Hit the Sweet Spot? | Aug 10, 2011 | Digital Media Infrastructure | Analyst: Yoav Schreiber Event Summary August 8, 2011 – RGB Networks expanded its Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) product line with a new seven RU carrier-grade chassis that supports up to eight modules for video processing capabilities such as transcoding, transrating and ad insertion. The VMG-8 also benefits from enhancements to RGB’s TCM transcoder module, enabling transcoding of up to 12 SD or HD inputs and up to 48 outputs per TCM (60:240 per VMG-8 chassis). The product will be generally available in Q3 2011. | Read Press Release | Quick Take Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Positive on RGB’s new Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) platform, because it improves the company’s alignment with evolving multi-screen transcoding requirements of service providers that focus on transcoding a greater number of channels into a smaller number of profile outputs. For instance, in the U.S., Cablevision’s Optimum service is initially delivering 300 channels to iPads, iPhones and iPod Touch devices. By doubling the support of input traffic with new transcoder module (TCM) configurations, the VMG-8 is coming to market as service providers are considering this type of transcoding use case. The new platform also contains some “sleeper” capabilities which raise the overall transcoding density of the platform. This includes multi-bit-rate spanning which spreads redundancy across VMG modules and chassis, reducing the requirement for back-up modules, and ultimately raising the number of TCM modules the VMG can support. • Vendor Importance: High to RGB, because the VMG-8 allows it to address two constraints of its existing VMG-6 platform. Most importantly, the introduction of RGB’s Application Media Processing (AMP) module resulted in a trade-off for the VMG-6 in terms of supporting transcoding density or application flexibility. RGB solves that problem with the VMG-8: an eight module platform with sufficient support to provide application flexibility without constraining transcoding scale. The AMP is also strategically important to RGB; it enables new capabilities to be rapidly introduced into the VMG on a Linux-based software module, and then migrated to hardware-based processing over time. With the AMP, the VMG can benefit from both software and hardware based efficiencies. • Market Impact: High on the multi-screen video transcoding market because RGB is staking a claim on an emerging trend it perceives – that service providers are looking to support greater channel inputs but optimize on overall output profiles (at least initially). This makes intuitive sense, but rivals with demonstrated public traction should respond. For instance, Elemental just notched a win with Comcast transcoding 18 profiles for every input file for the MSO’s Xfinity service. More fundamentally, RGB’s grand entrance into the video processing market was founded on its chassis-based architecture. Rivals can capitalize on RGB’s new eight module chassis, which delivers needed transcoding density and flexibility, as evidence that RGB’s initial VMG-6 platform missed the mark, highlighting the inherent challenge in timing requirements with hardware-based platforms. CLIENTS ONLY Current Perspective Competitive Strengths and Weaknesses Response & Recommendations Buyer Actions | Client access - Full report in Digital Media Infrastructure | More information Top Top

Current Analysis Offices Washington, D.C. +1 703 404 9200, Toll free 877 787 8947 Paris, France +33 (0) 1 41 14 83 15 © 2012 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy

Follow Current Analysis

RGB NETWORKS EXPANDS AWARD-WINNING TV EVERYWHERE PRODUCT LINE TO MEET GROWING DEMANDS OF MULTISCREEN IP VIDEO DEPLOYMENTS

New VMG-8 and Transcoding Advancements Address Customer Requirements as Rollouts of Multiscreen Services Demonstrate Need for High Capacity, Scalability and Reliability

RGB Networks, the leading provider of scalable multiscreen IP video delivery solutions, today announced the addition of a new member to its award-winning Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) product family, as well as increased transcoding capacity for its TCM module. The unique VMG line of modular, chassis-based products enables video service providers (VSP) to cost-effectively deliver and monetise video services to TVs, PCs, tablets and other mobile devices in any size deployment.

“With operators going live with TV Everywhere IP video services, it’s becoming clear that consumer usage and the growing number of end user devices is putting a significant strain on network equipment to keep up with the demand,” said Brian Johnson, Director, Product Marketing for RGB Networks. “In consultation with our customers, we have developed the VMG 8 to address their desire for increased capacity, scalability and reliability, while still minimizing rack space and power requirements.”

RGB’s new VMG 8 inherits all the field-proven transcoding, transrating, ad insertion and other advanced video processing capabilities of the VMG family, and packages them in a new seven rack unit (RU) high carrier-grade chassis. The VMG 8 holds up to eight modules, providing a compact alternative to RGB’s larger VMG-14 that can also accommodate RGB’s recently-added AMP module -- a flexible Linux-based blade developed initially for real-time audio transcoding -- without exceeding the chassis’ capacity when a back-up module is added.

The VMG-8 enables VSPs to better meet their growing TV Everywhere requirements, including addressing an increasing array of applications and supporting an ever expanding range of end user device types, each adding to transcoding capacity requirements. The VMG 8 is ideal for small to medium-sized deployments or deployments at the edge, and is complemented by the widely-deployed VMG 14, which offers even greater capacity, allowing for the simultaneous processing of over 500 streams in a single chassis.

VSPs can utilise the VMG 8 to deliver a complete multiscreen TV Everywhere service with exceptional reliability. In its fully redundant configuration the VMG 8 can be configured with three video transcoder modules, one audio transcoder module and a single controller module for transcoding programs to over 140 streams for delivery to any IP-enabled device. In this redundant configuration, each module type has a back-up which can take over operation should the primary fail. Complementing its module redundancy, the VMG 8’s reliability is further enhanced with back-up power supplies and cooling fans which automatically take over in the event a primary unit fails.

Additionally, the VMG 8 has been designed to be ‘future proof.’ Utilising higher power cooling fans and power supplies, it can support future modules with greater power or cooling requirements, enabling VSPs to deploy the VMG 8 today to meet their current needs, while ensuring that the chassis will support new modules as they become available. The flexibility of the VMG 8 is further enhanced by its ability to be powered by either AC or DC power supplies integrated within its chassis. This feature enables VSPs to install the VMG 8 in any headend, hub or other network location regardless of the existing electrical infrastructure.

The VMG-8 and the VMG-14 also benefit from recent enhancements to the TCM transcoder module, enabling transcoding of up to 60 SD or HD inputs and 240 adaptive bitrate outputs per VMG 8 chassis and up to 132 SD or HD inputs and 528 outputs per VMG 14 chassis.

All VMG chassis come with intuitive HTTP/Java-based control, while also offering SNMP support for integration into a facility-wide network management system. With reduced input/output Ethernet cabling, in-chassis redundancy and intuitive browser-based control, the VMG product line is unmatched in providing the lowest total cost of operation.

About RGB Networks’ TV Everywhere Solutions
Complementing all members of the VMG line is RGB’s TransAct Packager, an advanced adaptive streaming solution that ingests video programs encoded at different bit rates and outputs them packaged in the Apple HTTP Live Streaming, Microsoft Smooth Streaming and Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming formats.

Working together, the TransAct Packager and the VMG 8 or VMG 14 comprise the industry’s most complete, flexible and highly scalable solution for delivering TV Everywhere to all video-enabled IP devices.