Harmonic offers the best of both worlds when it comes to powerful HD solutions. For service providers who have decided to launch their HD services in MPEG-4 AVC (H.264), primarily satellite and telco operators, the DiviCom® Electra™ 7000 encoder is unmatched in performance and video quality. The Electra is a multi-channel, multi-service encoder capable of delivering up to four full and low resolution channels in 1-RU for applications including PiP, enhanced program guides and multi-channel mosaics.

For cable and terrestrial operators, the DiviCom MV 500 MPEG-2 HD encoder offers a best-in-class solution for HD services. As opposed to rate shaping which can result in a degradation of video quality, the MV 500 makes it possible for cable operators to deliver as many as four HD programs within a single 256-QAM channel. This represents a significant increase in channel density that can accelerate the transition to an all-HD world. Likewise, for terrestrial broadcasters seeking to increase viewership and revenue, the ability to introduce a second HD or additional SD channels in their allocated bandwidth opens up a range of new business models.