Thomson Video Networks
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | ICT - Broadcast and Media |
| Headquarters | Rennes, France |
| Products | Video encoding and transcoding, contribution codec, video streaming, stream processing, video servers, QoS & network management system |
Number of employees | 400 (approx) |
| Website | www.thomson-networks.com |
Thomson Video Networks is a technology broadcast company that provides video compression, transcoding and processing solutions for media companies, video service providers, and TV broadcasters. The firm has offices in 16 countries and headquarters in Rennes, France.
History
The company has been established in the video delivery domain since the late 1980s when the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) was created with the purpose of deriving a standard for the coding of moving pictures and audio. As a video headend division of the French electronics Thomson group, now known as Technicolor SA, the company developed and manufactured MPEG-2 and MPEG-4/AVC video encoding and networking equipment based on advanced compression algorithms. Since 2011, the division has become an independent private held company with a financial structure backed by the public/private Venture Capital, FCDE.[1][2]
Its products include High Definition (HD) / Standard Definition (SD) broadcast and multi-screen video encoding, decoding, transcoding, multiplexing, redundancy and network management, as well as video stream server for contribution, terrestrial, satellite, cable, IPTV, and OTT services.
The firm participates in the development and definition of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) compression standard.[3] The HEVC standard aims at obtaining a bit-rate reduction of up to 50 percent compared to the current H.264 compression format, and paves the way for broadcasting in the Ultra high definition television (Ultra HD) picture format.[4] The firm is a member of broadcasting associations such as ATSC, MPEG-DASH Industry Forum, DVB, IABM, MPEG, OMA, SCTE, SMPTE, as well as a founding member of the French Research Institute B-Com.[5]
As of March 2016 Thomson Video Networks has been acquired by Harmonic Inc..[6]
Products
- ViBE EM series of HD/SD MPEG-2/MPEG-4 AVC Broadcast Encoder
- ViBE VS7000 Multi-screen & HEVC Encoder & Transcoder
- ViBE CP6000 Contribution Encoder & Decoder
- NetProcessor Video Processing & Multiplexing Platform
- Sapphire Channel In A Box MPEG Stream Server
- Amethyst IP/ASI Redundancy Switch
- XMS Network Management System
Competitors
Thomson Video Networks' competitors include vertically integrated system suppliers, such as Cisco Systems, Ericsson and Harmonic Inc., and, in certain product lines, a number of smaller companies, including Ateme, Envivio, and Elemental.
References
- ^ "Technicolor Sells Off Thomson Video Networks". 9 March 2011.
- ^ "FCDE To Acquire Thomson Video Networks". 9 March 2011.
- ^ "Thomson Video Networks unveils HEVC support for ViBE VS7000". 26 August 2013.
- ^ "Thomson Video Networks touts HEVC ultra HD trial". 6 September 2013.
- ^ "Thomson Video Networks, une ETI chez B-Com". March 2013.
- ^ "Harmonic Completes Acquisition of Thomson Video Networks". March 2016.