Guaranteed Bandwidth for Cable Advertisers with RateLock from EGT; EGT's Latest Invention Optimizes Digital Ad Insertion for Closed-Loop Encoding.

ATLANTA -- EGT, delivering the world's best digital video experience, today unveiled DPI RateLock(TM); the world's first video encoding feature that allows the cable systems to define and lock in the bandwidth rate for their commercial spots ensuring the highest quality video performance. This ground-breaking new feature preserves the efficiency of the closed-loop multiplex and protects the quality of digitally inserted advertisements. Available now in the ENCORE product line, DPI RateLock(TM) offers operators a previously unavailable method to guarantee an available bit rate for their digital advertising and ensure premium video quality across all programs and advertisements.

The Digital Program Insertion (DPI) Challenge

Operators have a key concern about digital ad insertion. In an architecture where television commercials (ads) are inserted by a downstream splicer or multiplexer, the benefit or value of the closed-loop encoding can be eroded by rate mis-matches. A rate mis-match occurs when the bit rates of the inserted ads are not the same as the bit rates of the program streams that they are replacing. This requires a multiplexer to rate-shape one or more channels, resulting in degradation of the video quality, especially on channels that are originally encoded at aggressive bit rates.

The EGT DPI RateLock Solution

EGT has developed a simple, yet powerful feature that supports downstream ad-insertion without affecting the video quality performance of the closed-loop encoding system. DPI RateLock(TM) is a patent-pending technology, ensuring that whenever downstream ad-insertion is planned for one or more of the program streams in a multiplex, the system reserves a preset bit rate for the ads and accounts for that pre-set bit rate in the overall closed-loop encoding process. This strategy avoids rate mis-match and the rate-shaping following the ad-insertion. Operators use DPI RateLock(TM) to set the bit rate for the avail to match the bit rate of the stored advertising. This "locks" the rate for the duration of the avail, and then "unlocks" the rate once the avail is over.

DPI RateLock(TM) works on a per-channel basis and is, therefore, as applicable to one avail as it is to multiple, simultaneous avails. By providing operators with a tool to manage the bandwidth demand peaks that can come with ad-insertion, the value of the feature grows with the number of simultaneous avails.

"The advantage of DPI RateLock(TM) is clear," said Chris Gordon, Director of Product Management for EGT. "The trick to RateLock is that it protects both the quality of the closed-loop encoded channels and the quality of the digital advertising, two important revenue generators for cable systems."

About EGT

EGT delivers the world's best digital video experience, helping today's leading multiple system operators (MSOs), IPTV operators, broadcasters, content providers, satellite and telecommunications companies deliver more value-added services and new revenue streams using existing networks. Today's North American and international MSOs rely on EGT's technology as a cost-effective, flexible solution for delivering the best video experience in the world, featuring more channels of content, more video on demand bandwidth, and more efficient analog-to-digital conversions within existing networks. Headquartered in Atlanta, with offices in Denver and New Jersey, EGT is privately owned and backed by industry-leading investors. For more information call [phone] or visit at www.egtinc.com.