IP-PRIME HD-4 Expedites Operators’ Deployment of High Definition Television in 60 Days

Using HD-4, MPEG-2-based systems can deploy MPEG-4 HDTV to quickly meet consumer demand for a fraction of the cost.

PRINCETON, N.J. - SES AMERICOM, an SES company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), today announced immediate availability of IP-PRIME(®) HD-4, the MPEG-4 high definition television (HDTV) service for operators already delivering television using MPEG-2 technology. Because the MPEG-4 video standard improves broadcast efficiency, with excellent signal quality, HD-4 gives MPEG-2 video systems the quickest route to providing subscribers HDTV over their existing networks. The single-rack HD-4 solution can deliver 32 HD channels within 60 days, and can easily be scaled to add more HD programming.

While IP-PRIME provides telecommunications companies with a complete MPEG-4 IPTV service, the IP-PRIME HD-4 solution allows operators to deliver HDTV to their customers without upgrading their entire infrastructure. The result is rapid deployment of HDTV – shown to be the one service driving demand in new television subscriptions – at a fraction of the cost of other HDTV options. The HD-4 equipment can then be fully utilized when the operator migrates to a complete MPEG-4 service anytime in the future.

IP-PRIME’s state of the art infrastructure delivers the most reliable and highest quality MPEG-4 SD and HD picture quality in the industry. There are currently hundreds of telecom carriers offering MPEG-2-based television in the U.S., and the majority cannot offer HDTV without first overhauling their networks to provide more bandwidth to subscribers’ homes and spending at least a million dollars in new headend equipment.

HD-4 solves this challenge by adding an MPEG-4 service “layer” on top of an existing MPEG-2 deployment, where the bandwidth to the home presently does not permit the delivery of HD signals in the less efficient MPEG-2 format. Deploying HD-4 also eliminates the need to interrupt service. As subscribers sign up for the new HDTV service, the operator provides a new set-top box that decodes both MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 signals, making HD-4 the simplest way for existing video service providers to add HDTV to their feature lineup. IP-PRIME is working with set-top box provider Entone and others to facilitate the delivery of the HD-4 service.

“SES AMERICOM has heard from dozens of MPEG-2 system operators across the country who feel competitive pressure to change their infrastructures so they can offer HDTV,” said Walt Davis, the IP-PRIME product manager at SES AMERICOM. “Some of these operators are smaller telcos that invested heavily in their MPEG-2 systems and cannot afford a wholesale change. Because HDTV is driving new subscribers, these systems are faced with either losing subscribers to competitors or investing money beyond their means. HD-4 solves this dilemma by giving these operators a third option which is not only faster and less expensive, but allows operators to continuously scale their HDTV offering with the growth in available HDTV programming.

HD-4 is a service of IP-PRIME, the complete turnkey IPTV solution from SES AMERICOM that became commercially available in June of this year. IP-PRIME minimizes the risk of a complex technical integration, simplifies difficult program acquisition challenges and lowers financial risks for launching a television service. In addition to being fully customizable to suit the specific needs and desires of its customers, IP-PRIME is also a true white label service that provides brand protection to customers, allowing the television service to be marketed and sold under the operator’s own brand.

About SES AMERICOM

SES AMERICOM, North America’s leading satellite company, delivers video, voice and data ubiquitously across the continent, including locations impossible to reach with wired connections. Building on its thirty year heritage in broadcast television, the company’s IP-PRIME® solution is the fastest and most cost effective way for providers to bring IPTV service to market. This true turnkey solution comes with transport agreements for over 285 television channels – including the industry’s largest selection of HDTV– and more than 100 digital music channels, letting IP-PRIME customers offer a broad range of diverse programming to their subscribers. With capex savings as much as 90 percent over a build-it-yourself approach, IP-PRIME can be operational in just a few months. For more information, visit www.ip-prime.tv,

About SES

SES AMERICOM is an SES company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG). SES wholly owns three market-leading satellite operators, SES ASTRA in Europe, SES AMERICOM in North America, and SES NEW SKIES, which provide global coverage and connectivity. The company also holds strategic participations in SES Sirius in Europe, Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico. SES provides outstanding satellite communications solutions via a fleet of 37 satellites in 25 orbital positions around the globe. Additional information on SES is available at: www.ses.com.



Contacts:

SES AMERICOM Media Contact

John Giddings, Mobility Public Relations

(1) 650-245-2782
jgiddings@mobilitypr.com