Artel Video Systems Announces Cross Stream, a Revolutionary MPEG Networking Product Line For CATV and Telecommunications Service Providers.

Business/Technology Editors

NAB2000

Booth #L1210

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 6, 2000

First in the new product line is the Cross Stream 155D Video Access Demultiplexer, designed to reliably deliver MPEG video to CATV 

headends from an ATM network

See Artel at NAB 2000, Las Vegas, NV in booth #L1210

Artel's new Cross Stream product line is making digital television networking a reality. Cross Stream is a packet-based MPEG video switching platform for access to ATM and IP networks. The Cross Stream product line meets the requirements of progressive Telecommunications and CATV operators who are building out rich media networking infrastructures.

Rich Media Networking - Artel's new Cross Stream product line offers capabilities that truly set it apart from anything else on the market today. The Cross Stream products are built around a high performance re-configurable hardware switching engine and are easily scalable to meet network expansion. This switching engine provides a backbone capable of operating at speeds in excess of a gigabit. This powerful combination of a network edge device and sophisticated MPEG switch are capable of handling the complex interface conversions and adaptations associated with MPEG video. The Cross Stream products provide a simpler, more direct path for all streams destined for the network, while extending the local video connections across vast distances- jitter free. For users with existing ATM networks, it replaces the need for a separate network to carry just video traffic. The Cross Stream products can accept feeds from satellite receivers, disk servers, encoders, stat-muxes, conditional access devices and trans-coders. These feeds are then interfaced to ATM networks for transport.

Advanced Transport Stream Remultiplexing - The integrated MPEG switching engine is capable of breaking MPTS's (Multi-Program Transport Streams) from video feeds into SPTS's (Single Program Transport Streams), allowing downstream devices to switch, multi-cast, and `jitter compensate' the video streams on a per-channel basis. These remultiplexing capabilities of Cross Stream provide deep manipulation of the transport stream providing unlimited flexibility in program channel transport options.

Robust Jitter Management - The Cross Stream products also provide robust jitter management compensation, utilizing buffering and time-stamping techniques to reduce or eliminate delay variation and latency in the transport stream. Since the cumulative effect of jitter increases as a network gets larger and more complex, jitter management becomes a key metric in planning for expansion and future network design. The jitter compensation utility gives service providers the confidence to transmit video streams across even the most heavily burdened network without degradation or loss.

Element Management with "Internet Inside" - For users, Artel's "Internet Inside" browser-based HTML graphical user interface allows the unit to be configured from anywhere on the network. A set of standard and custom options are offered that allow you to integrate the device into any network management system capable of supporting SNMP, allowing full, automated control and monitoring of the unit. This allows for early detection and reduced trouble shooting.

Cross Stream 155D - Video Access Demultiplexer for ATM networks - First in the series of Artel's new products is the Cross Stream 155D. It provides reliable and cost efficient MPEG video de-multiplexing for ATM networks. Combining a new product architecture with standards-based interfaces and protocol handling, the Cross Stream 155D is a feature packed 1RU system. Standards compliant interfaces for MPEG/ATM environments include DVB-ASI and DVB-SPI for local codecs and satellite equipment. Network interfaces include an OC-3 optical connection for the ATM networks, and 10/100BaseT Ethernet port for remote management. The local and network ports are all bi-directional and will handle single or multi-program transport streams (SPTSs and MPTSs). These features are designed in strict conformance to all relevant DVB standards and ATM forum specifications.

About Artel Video Systems

Artel Video Systems, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of rich media infrastructure equipment. Artel supplies telecommunication service providers, cable television operators, and enterprise customers with products that service the rapidly growing enhanced television and DTV services market. Artel is headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA and operates worldwide through a direct sales force and distributor network. Further information about the company is available on the World Wide Web at www.artel.com.