Scientific Atlanta has announced that with space inside a cable headend at a premium its new Scientific-Atlanta Continuum DVP Decoder (Model D9010) will offer a space-saving, affordable digital decoding solution for converting compressed MPEG-2 digital feeds to analogue..

An official release informs that the decoder, when paired with the Continuum DVP Encoder (Model D9020), will allow cable operators to take advantage of the bandwidth efficiency available when MPEG-2 compression is used for delivering programming between headends. Instead of receiving and decoding satellite delivered programmes for the analogue tier at each hub, the Continuum DVP Decoder will enable cable operators to consolidate programming reception at a centralised headend site. Then, using the bandwidth efficiency of MPEG-2 compression, programming can be transmitted in digital format across a service area where the new decoder can serve at remote hubs to convert the programming back to analog for delivery to consumers. It's a very efficient method for delivering large amounts of programming over existing bandwidth.

The new Continuum DVP Decoder will provide several benefits for cable operators as they continue to serve their analogue customers.

Headend consolidation - It maximises the use of the Master Headend by making it a single, central location for receiving satellite-delivered content.

The new decoder is scheduled to be available by the end of this month. The encoder is available now.

Scientific-Atlanta is a leading supplier of digital content distribution systems, transmission networks for broadband access to the home, digital interactive set-tops and subscriber systems designed for video, high-speed Internet and voice over IP (VoIP) networks, and worldwide customer service and support.