Video solution provider Harmonic today introduced the Ion AVC encoder, the latest in its family of DiviCom compression solutions. The Ion AVC Encoder delivers four simultaneous MPEG-4 AVC standard-definition channels in high- and low-resolution formats.

The encoder, a one-rack unit, also includes 12 audio channels and can be managed and controlled by Harmonic’s NMX Digital Service Manager.

JC Morizur, Director of Digital Video Solutions for Harmonic said that in reality, about 90% of subscribers watch the top 20 channels and only 5% will watch the long tail, which he describes as the bottom 50 channels. The Ion AVC encoder comes into play as a cost effective model that doesn’t cut corners on quality, he said.

"It becomes not economical for [service providers] to use high-end encoders or high-end processing solutions because the return on investment is not always worth it," said Morizur. "So we have this encoder, which is entry level because it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the high-end model but gives them the ability to economically deploy long-tail video content on their lineup at a very cost-effective manner."

In a separate announcement today, Harmonic said that DirecTV, the largest direct-to-home satellite operator, will be deploying Harmonic’s DiviCom Electra 7000 high-definition MPEG-4 AVC encoders for its national HD channel expansion. The solution also includes Harmonic’s ProStream 1000 stream processing platform with DiviTrackIP distributed statistical multiplexing.

The Ion AVC encoder and the MPEG-4 AVC, along with Harmonic’s full range of compression solutions, will be on display at IBC 2007, being held in Amsterdam this weekend.