Thomcast Debuts SmartData Pack

Thomcast Communications Inc.its efforts to increase broadcasting efficientcies, Thomcast Communications is unveiling its SmartData pack, a solution for the insertion of intelligent data into an existing bandwidth, at the NAB Convention, Booth L9609. A key component of Thomcast's new "end-to-end" databroadcasting solution, the SmartData pack allows broadcasters to optimize the full 19.4 Mbps of a transport stream by replacing null packets with intelligent data.

This optimization results in the ability to provide more broadband content using the same broadcast pipeline, which translates into more airtime and higher revenues through increased efficiency.

Null packets are essentially empty packets that contain no program information and are inserted into a data stream to maintain a constant bandwidth of 19.4 Mbps. Currently, transport streams consisting only of audio and video fall short of utilizing the total space available for broadcast and, in order to prevent network disturbances, the null packets are used to fill the remaining portions of the stream.

Thomcast's SmartData Pack combines the versatility of Thomcast's OpenMux Galaxy Servers and the powerful remultiplexing capability of the Amber Remultiplexer. Whenever the Amber detects a null packet opportunity, intelligent data is sent by the OpenMux-based system, inserted by the Amber, resulting in a 100% filling of the output transport stream.

About OpenMux

OpenMux is a real-time multiplexing kernel that runs on Windows NT and is dedicated to the broadcasting of multimedia applications (IP, data, video and audio, etc.) via any type of DVB MPEG-2 network. The goal of the OpenMux software package is to provide an easy way to compute MPEG-2 Transport Streams (TS) in real-time. It multiplexes transport packets from input streams and outputs a valid MPEG-2 TS stream, in real time.

OpenMux can handle various types of inputs simultaneously: Single Program TS, Multiple Programs TS, PSI/SI and PSIP tables or TCP/IP packets, and generates an MPEG-2 Transport stream output. Thanks to its versatility OpenMux can address a wide range of MPEG-2 applications like NVOD server, radio broadcast, IP in MPEG-2, EPG data broadcast and Interactive TV files.

OpenMux is now embedded into the entire Thomcast line of MPEG-2 multimedia servers, including SAPPHIRE Video Servers, the award-winning OPAL IP to MPEG Gateway, CORAL Interactive Data Gateway, QUARTZ SI (DVB-Service Information) Management System, PEARL PSIP Generator (ATSC/PSIP), as well as in the SILVER Skygate Server, dedicated to the SKYPLEX program (on-board satellite DVB multiplexing).

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