EchoStar Satellite (News - Alert) Services will be offering its ViP-TV video transport service to Citizens Cablevision. The companies have signed an agreement through which Citizens will receive transport of up to 42 popular high definition TV channels to its IP head-end.

 

Citizens Cablevision is a local communications and entertainment company based in Floyd, Va., offering broadband data, video and voice services to consumers. EchoStar Satellite Services provides a reliable network available for backhaul, aggregation and distribution of video, audio and data domestically and internationally.

 

EchoStar’s Video Internet Protocol Television otherwise known as ViP-TV which provides approximately 250 channels of secure broadcast quality popular television and radio programming, encoded in constant bit rate in aMPEG-4 H.264 format, via EchoStar’s high powered Ku band satellite at 85° W.L. Telcos, private and rural cable operators, municipalities and master planned communities can obtain rights for distribution of EchoStar channels over their wire-line networks.

 

Citizens provides broadband data, video and voice services to residents and businesses in Southwest Virginia and the partnership with EchoStar will enable the company to offer competitive video services using its existing IP network itself.

 

Danny Vaughn, network manager at Citizens has stated that the company was looking for access to IP-encapsulated, high quality HD channels that will help them expand their customer reach without any complex integration needs. EchoStar's ViP-TV transport service meets their IP requirements and offers unsurpassed video quality and at competitive pricing.

 

EchoStar claims that they have the experience and skill set to establish an efficient video transport system for IPTV (News - Alert) co-ops like Citizens and their ViP-TV service can deliver affordable and aggregated MPEG-4 IP-encapsulated audio and video channels from their high-powered satellite.

 

Company officials said that it has understood the importance of having advanced video IP technology to deliver best digital entertainment to customers. EchoStar ViP-TV brings together its experience and expertise in television broadcasting, technology and customer support to provide unparalleled services to its clients.

Their uplink facilities and operation centers are fine tuned to bring a connection across the IP divide with EchoStar ViP-TV that eclipses all expectations for a reliable fault tolerant satellite delivery of programming.

 

EchoStar had previously agreed with Ringgold Telephone Company to deliver its ViP-TV video transport service and had deployed Entropic Communications’ RF4400 Silicon Tuner.