BigBand Networks (News - Alert) has launched a new intelligent software control plane called, “Converged Video Exchange” or CVEx, to provide a unified means for delivering and managing linear and non-linear video services to traditional MPEG set-top boxes (STBs) and next-generation IP devices.

 

CVEx brings increased efficiency of spectrum across a service provider’s applications along with a migration path to the future converged network. It removes the boundaries between disparate video service types by dynamically controlling the allocation of all RF and IP video services within a single bandwidth pool.

 

CVEx offers a single control plane as operators move toward eliminating the dedicated bandwidth silos for individual services like Video on Demand, Switched Digital Video (SDV) and IPTV (News - Alert).

 

Built to support industry standard protocols, CVEx offers interfaces for third party applications and is capable of integrating with CMTS architecture.

 

BigBand Networks provides CVEx based on its experience in delivering fully redundant session managers capable of high session transaction rates for SDV.

 

According to David W. Heard, chief operating officer of BigBand Networks, by unifying the video through their intelligent software control plane, CVEx helps to transform the current architecture into a converged video solution delivered to any device.

 

Operators are looking to evolve their networks for seamless delivery of both existing and differentiated services to multiple screens with high performance and reliability. CVEx will create a video unification strategy for multicast and unicast services that support converged video delivery.

The CVEx platform offers a common interface to deploy and ensure a quality video service experience across traditional MPEG set-top boxes and next-generation IP devices including PCs, TVs and to mobile devices. It also enables bandwidth to be pooled and reallocated on an as-needed basis and provides subscriber and video service measurement tools that cross multiple data planes.

 

BigBand believes that the unified approach to video delivery will help transition the present day cable infrastructure into a single converged network.