New ATX Next-Gen IP-Based Local Channel Solution Becomes Generally Available

ATX recently announced that its DVIS II next-generation, IP-based local channel insertion platform is generally available.

“ATX timed the availability of DVIS II with the growing need among MSOs converting their services to IP to continue to provide their customers with dedicated channels carrying local information vital to guests and residents,” said Jeff McInnis, General Manager of Media Distribution at ATX. “DVIS II leverages the openness and flexibility of IP to provide MSOs with expanded deployment flexibility, as well as the opportunity to enrich the end-user experience while reducing operational costs.”

People who live in communal environments, such as apartment complexes, retirement homes, and other multi-dwelling units (MDUs), depend on local content inserted into television lineups for personalized news and information, and also security. “The transition of video to IP means that video service providers will need to update their installed base of mostly QAM-based channel insertion equipment to continue to supply their commercial accounts with this customer-critical service.”

The DVIS II supports both IP- and QAM-based output, which allows for a smoother transition to IP by enabling service providers to support local insertion at properties with a mix of QAM and IP endpoints, at the same time. The platform is managed by the company’s Visium Manager, “an all-purpose element management system that can control Visium MD multimedia gateways and the Visium Set-Back Box (SBB) security adapter, significantly simplifying the installation, monitoring and maintenance of potentially thousands of DVIS II encoders.”

The DVIS II platform uses a low-cost, premises-located edge encoder with ATX’s Visium Enhanced Origin Server. The latter is a low-latency software engine that is flexible in that it can be hosted within an MSO data center, the public cloud, or on the premises of large enterprise customers with local area networks (LANs). The server also has customizable authentication and authorization functions to make sure that end clients associated with the correct accounts are the sole ones to receive the local content.