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CMC Announces Its HITS Quantum(SM) Service: Upgrades and Additions to HITS Service Assist Affiliates in Expanding Their Lineup of Digital Video Services

Posted on: Tuesday, 30 January 2007, 15:00 CST

Comcast Media Center (CMC) today introduced the "HITS Quantum" service, which is designed to help cable system operators expand their lineup of digital television channels, including HDTV networks, and launch additional advanced video services, such as video on demand. The "HITS Quantum" service, which also signifies the substantial enhancements and additions the CMC has made to its HITS service over the past decade, combines the company's 64 QAM platform, which supports cable systems serving approximately 16 million digital cable households, and its recently launched 256 QAM all-digital service, which currently serves over five million digital cable households. CMC announced the 200+ channel "HITS Quantum" service at the 2007 NCTC Winter Education Conference, which is currently underway in Las Vegas.

"HITS Quantum helps our cable affiliates' transition to a richer offering of standard and high-definition digital television through cost-effective solutions that will also allow them to increase their subscriber economics by introducing VOD and other advanced services," said Gary Traver, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the CMC. "By shifting much of the burden from the local cable system headend to the CMC's national digital media facility, cable systems, especially those serving smaller markets, can launch and maintain a competitive array of high-quality digital video services at a fraction of the cost for headend-based solutions."

The CMC has made five substantial upgrades to its 64 QAM HITS platform over the past eight years. The most recent enhancements, which have occurred over the past 18 months, include deploying fifth-generation MPEG--2 encoders and providing DPI triggers for ad-supported digital TV networks on the 150-channel service.

In addition, the CMC has recently launched a 256 QAM service that offers high-quality digital feeds for over 50 widely carried basic and expanded basic TV networks. The 256 QAM platform also features secured authorization, optimized DPI triggers and high-quality video and audio encoding. Combined, the two HITS services represent a centralized solution for addressing many of the requirements for transitioning to an all-digital video service.

HITS Quantum's 256 QAM platform also offers HDTV channels, and the CMC has already secured third-party transport agreements with the Starz HD and Universal HD television networks. Using advanced digital compression technology and techniques for optimizing the digital encoding process, the CMC will deliver high-quality HD channels at a 3:1 HD-to-analog channel ratio.

Representing another quantum change to the HITS platform, cable system affiliates now have three options for Motorola set top authorization services. Affiliates may choose to use the existing NAS national authorization service, the NASRAC centralized content authorization service, or they can own and operate a Digital Access Controller (DAC). All three alternatives will allow "HITS Quantum" affiliates to launch HDTV and VOD services. Consistent with the CMC's commitment to allow cable system operators to build upon their existing investments, the authorization services will support DCT generation digital set top boxes.

By providing digital feeds for more of their linear channels lineups, the "HITS Quantum" service allows cable system operators to expand their advanced video service offerings, including VOD. At the NCTC event, the CMC and C-COR provided additional details on their joint offering of their VOD In a BoxTM product a pre-integrated On Demand solution designed to reduce the complexity, cost and time required to successfully deploy video on demand (VOD) in cable systems serving fewer than 25,000 digital customers. The CMC also described the role that its Ad Distribution Network (ADN) can play in supporting affiliates' local advertising efforts.

About Comcast Media Center

Denver-based Comcast Media Center (CMC), a business unit of Comcast Cable, provides a Total Content Solution for cable system operators and members of the content community, including television programming networks, independent producers and advertisers. CMC's products include its HITS all-digital platform of over 200 linear digital video and audio services; an Advertising Distribution Network (ADN) for centrally managing cross channel promotions and advertising; and a video on demand (VOD) platform serving over 15 million VOD-enabled cable households. The CMC also provides a full spectrum of content production, management and distribution services, including channel origination, transcoding, hosting, storage and IP multicasting, for traditional and new media platforms. More information is available at http://www.comcastmediacenter.com

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA)(Nasdaq: CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services.

With 24.1 million cable customers, 11 million high-speed Internet customers, and 2.1 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, AZN Television, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One and four regional Comcast SportsNets. Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.

Source: Business Wire

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