Bigband Networks Announces First Broadband Multimedia-Service Router -- BMR --for the European Cable Market.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2001

Demonstrates the BMR's Advanced Digital Video Broadcast Grooming 

for the First Time at IBC 2001

BigBand Networks, Inc., a leading U.S.-based provider of multimedia routing systems, today announced the immediate availability of the company's Broadband Multimedia-Service Router (BMR(TM)) for European broadband network operators and the first-ever European public demonstration of the BMR at the IBC 2001, held at the RAI Centre in Amsterdam from September 14-18 at booth 4.230. At the conference the company will showcase the BMR's digital video broadcast (DVB) grooming, video on-demand (VOD), and digital subscriber line (DSL) solutions.

"Among the many benefits of the BMR, European cable and other broadband network operators can now be equipped with a DVB-ready, broadcast grooming solution that offers operators an immediate advantage over conventional headend grooming solutions through a modular architecture that integrates high-density MPEG remultiplexing, rate shaping, and MPEG switching," said Amir Bassan-Eskenazi, president and CEO, BigBand Networks. "Besides grooming, the BMR offers a multitude of additional features that benefit operators who deploy services such as video on-demand and interactive TV."

BigBand Network's innovative DVB broadcast grooming capabilities enable operators to achieve expanded functionality and reduced operational costs not possible with first-generation legacy grooming devices. The BMR also supports Europe's strong DSL infrastructure, which is responsible for most of the VOD traffic today in European countries.

DSL networks, typically operated by telephone companies, aim to deliver broadband video and data services as well as telephony to their subscribers. The BMR can use IP outputs from its 32 Gigabit per second switching engine to transmit hundreds of broadcast or interactive broadband video services to DSL just as it does with today's cable network.

Introducing the BMR1200(TM) and BMR100(TM) for the European Cable Market

The BMR is the industry's first integrated video, audio and data router that uniquely routes multiple media types in their native formats and enables operators to deliver broadcast-quality content and advanced, interactive services to their expanding customer base over broadband networks.

The new class of router enables provisioning of new services by routing and integrating multiple media formats and services such as broadcast video, the Web, VOD, audio and data content to a full range of customer devices. The BMR features the modular and patented NativeMedia(TM) Operating System that runs inside the BMR and uniquely routes, manipulates and synchronizes the delivery of multiple media types in their native formats.

Cable network operators are aggressively deploying digital set-top boxes (STB) and cable modems. However, they require more bandwidth and functionality to offer new services, and the capability to support more types of devices such as new and existing STBs, PCs, and emerging new devices.

To address the European network operators needs, BigBand Networks today introduces the highly scalable, carrier-class BMR1200 and BMR100 that were designed to provision multimedia services and thousands of broadcast-quality video sessions at a time. The BMR is situated between application servers, video and data sources, and the hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) distribution network, enabling the easy introduction of new integrated services, intelligent dynamic allocation of bandwidth between services and optimized bandwidth usage.

Based on an open architecture, the BMR supports standard interfaces and formats, including MPEG, IP, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and others. In supporting these standards, the BMR enables MSOs to augment and leverage their previous investments (including QAM modulators, deployed STBs etc.) rather than replace them.

BigBand Networks' NativeMedia Operating System runs inside the BMRs and serves as the foundation for the NativeMedia Routing Engine and NativeMedia Processing Engine, enabling the manipulation and delivery of multiple types of media in their native formats, such as MPEG-2 transport for broadcast-quality digital video or IP for interactive data. As an example, the BMR can be used as an IP gateway that delivers data streams directly to legacy digital STBs using the same transmission path used by the video services to enable applications such as Web browsing from the television. NativeMedia's content-intelligent quality of service (QOS) capability supports the delivery requirements of video, audio and data while its service-intelligent bandwidth management capability dynamically assigns bandwidth per session, service, channel, user, or customer device. The modular design of the NativeMedia system is future-proof, allowing customers to add new functionality to the system when they are ready to use it. NativeMedia was designed with the recognition that these new multi-service networks must efficiently manage both data and video traffic and evolve to add new services. Radical architecture changes are impractical and won't result in mass deployment of advanced services.

The BMR1200 is a high-density, carrier-class router designed for headends and larger hub facilities, featuring 8 high-density I/O cards supporting up to 32 DVB-ASI outputs. The BMR100, with 2 high-density I/O cards supporting up to 4 DVB-ASI outputs, is the most space-efficient model in the BigBand Networks' BMR product line, and is appropriate for most hub facilities or small headends.

BMR Models and Configurations

The BMR100 and the BMR1200 can be combined to meet the full range of broadband architectures. The two BMR models are controlled and managed by BigBand Networks' Service Management Unit, the SMU1000 which has a standard interface to multi-vendor applications and bandwidth management systems, making it transparent to the broadband service operator. The BMR easily fits into the operator's network environment and is equipped with a set of standards-based, client/server management and monitoring tools with graphical user interfaces (GUI) collectively packaged as the BMR Management Suite.

Availability

Both the BMR1200 and BMR100 are available immediately through BarcoNet, a leading provider of multimedia distribution services for broadband and broadcast applications. BarcoNet is OEMing, reselling and supporting BigBand Network's family of products. BarcoNet can be reached at www.barconet.com.

About BigBand Networks

BigBand Networks, Inc. designs, manufactures, sells and supports Broadband Multimedia-Service Routers (BMR). The BMR is a new class of router built on the company's NativeMedia technology that uniquely routes and integrates video, audio and data in their native formats and enables service providers to deliver broadcast-quality content and advanced, interactive services to the mass market. The company is funded by Redpoint Ventures, Pilot House Ventures, Cedar Fund and Evergreen Investments and is based in Fremont, California. .