Harmonic’s New HVN Delivers OTT Channels for the Video Industry
Harmonic (Booth SU1210) has launched its Harmonic Video Network (HVN), an OTT video-streaming service available at www.hvn.tv. Designed to provide video engineers with a valuable source of information related to video-delivery infrastructure, the HVN-1 channel will focus on workflow, content creation, channel playout and distribution, video-service delivery, cable edge, and multiscreen issues. HVN-2 will celebrate the beauty of the moving image with cultural and environmental vignettes from around the world, demonstrating the industry’s best video quality and highlighting Harmonic content originally produced in 4K and available for license at www.harmonicinc.com.
“HVN showcases Harmonic innovation, leveraging our solutions for production, playout and delivery as the technology behind the channels,” says CMO Peter Alexander. “We’re demonstrating the new economies of creating sophisticated branded channels with automated management, delivered over the top. We can show the industry how to dramatically reduce total cost of ownership while accelerating deployment of new services — from their own facilities or from the cloud — with fabulous video quality.”
HVN leverages the technologies in Harmonic’s VOS virtualized media-processing platform and is built exclusively on Harmonic systems: Spectrum ChannelPort integrated channel-playout system, Polaris Advance integrated channel-playout automation system, Harmonic MediaGrid shared-storage system. It is in the process of being upgraded to include the new Electra X advanced media processor and ProMedia X Origin multiscreen media server.
HVN-1 has been developed as a technical channel for the video engineer who wants to know more about the technology and understand the benefits of Harmonic’s video-delivery solutions. One of the highlights of HVN-1 content is the “Media Empire” series, which is produced in 4K in-house and follows an eclectic team of Harmonic personnel getting the HVN OTT network up and running. Other content includes the “VidTech Insider” technical-briefing series and a variety of product spotlights that showcase Harmonic solutions, such as the VOS platform and NSG Exo distributed CCAP system.
HVN-2 has been created for the video aficionado. Intended as a 24/7 “ambient” video channel, it will showcase footage shot in 4K in locations from California to Myanmar, Costa Rica, and Japan. This content will include travel and nature imagery ranging from the scenic to the spectacular, all of which can be licensed for 4K testing and UHD demonstrations royalty-free. More than 70 companies including AMD, Broadcom, Dolby and Vodafone have already licensed HVN footage for such purposes.