Harmonic Inc. (Nasdaq: “HLIT”) today announced that its new DiviCom® Ion™ AVC standard definition (SD) encoder has successfully completed encoder conformance testing for the Microsoft Mediaroom Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) and multimedia software platform. The test was administered by Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) as part of the Microsoft Mediaroom Interoperability and Qualification Lab (IQ Lab) program, which is intended to enable the ongoing interoperability and compliance of encoders used in deployments of Microsoft Mediaroom. A Microsoft Mediaroom ecosystem partner, Harmonic powers the video headends for a majority of Microsoft’s IPTV customers. Harmonic delivers over 5,000 broadcast video channels around the world to more than four million IPTV subscribers, and counts more than 100 telco operators as its customers.

Able to deliver four simultaneous MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) SD channels in both high- and low-resolution formats, the IP-based Ion AVC encoder offers service providers a dense, cost-effective and high-quality platform for constant bit-rate (CBR) video delivery. Designed for service providers that need to meet the increasing demand for high-quality digital video services while minimizing capital and operating expenditures, the new Ion AVC is ideal for applications such as “long-tail” program delivery in a unicast environment, a key competitive differentiator for service providers.