Atlanta-based EGT said Monday it would supply video encoders with RGB’s switching and digital insertion capabilities in its broadcast network processor (BNP).
“In any market, putting solutions together is the key,” RGB Chairman and CEO Jef Graham told XBIZ. “That’s what we’re trying to do here.”
At present, the companies are lining up customers to buy their solution.
“I think [it will happen] this quarter, before the end of the year,” Graham said.
EGT senior director of production management Chris Gordon believes the partnership will be a boon to the telephone companies.
“The telcos are in the middle of a battle right now with cable and satellite operators and they must deliver high-quality video services to stay in the game,” he said. “This is where EGT’s unmatched encoding technology comes in. EGT provides telco operators with elegant IPTV video processing solutions with superior picture quality and added functionality.”
Officials with both companies believe that they’ve positioned themselves to play an important role in the coming IPTV revolution.
“TV is going to undergo the most dramatic changes in the next few years,” Graham said. “The only major changes we’ve seen to now was going from black and white to color in the 1960s. But coming up are massive changes.
“The first one is that telcos are going to compete with the cable companies, but also portals like YouTube are going to compete with them, too. You’re going to watch video on your PC, on your iPod, on your cellphone, your TV, and the previous power players are going to change their roles. IPTV, which is the solution provided by the telcos, is brand new and needs a new set of providers.”
In addition to competing on video quality, IPTV networks will be able to build their revenue by incorporating targeted advertising into their stable of video offerings.
“The delivery of truly targeted advertising is where RGB’s high density video processing solutions play an important role,” said Ramin Farassat, vice president of product marketing at RGB. “By integrating best-in-class solutions from EGT and RGB, telco operators can build an end-to-end digital video processing solution, allowing them to deliver high quality video to subscribers while generating revenue through the delivery of personalized video services.”
