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The
video headend is designed, configured and
installed by Cisco. It employs Moving Picture
Experts Group-4 (MPEG-4) Advanced Video
Coding (AVC) for bandwidth-saving performance
along with a high-quality video viewing
experience for Tiscali.tv customers across
Italy in Cagliari, Rome, Milan, Bologna,
Firenze, Genova, Napoli, Palermo and Torino.
Tiscali’s
head of IPTV Fabrizio Meli says, "The importance of video in a triple-play
service package cannot be underestimated. We teamed with Cisco for this critical
service launch to take advantage of Cisco’s skills, knowledge and local support
for our network in Italy, which is part of one of the broadest and most interconnected
IP technology-based networks in the world" Included
in the range of products for the complete Cisco video headend were the Cisco MPEG-4
AVC Advanced Encoder, Cisco Program and Commercial Receivers, Cisco 4948 Aggregation
Routers, Cisco Digital Content Manager and the Cisco Galaxy Acquisition Platform
including Atlas DVB-T Receivers.
Additional
operational capabilities for the national
IPTV video headend are being delivered by
the Cisco Rosa Network Management System,
which cost-effectively monitors and controls
the network devices. This solution can manage
remote sites for video content contribution
and distribution for Tiscali from a central
network operations site, providing a view
of the status of all components across the
network via an easy-to-use, intuitive Web-based
interface.
Cisco SciCare Services, which supported
Tiscali’s video quality testing of
encoders from multiple vendors and testing
for Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) interoperability,
provided a wide range of headend installation
services and will deliver ongoing technical
support for the headend’s operation.
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