Thomson Video Networks

Thomson Video Networks (TVN) was a French broadcast-technology company focused on the processing and delivery of television and other professional video services. Based in Rennes, France, the company supplied equipment and software to broadcasters, media companies, telecommunications operators, and other video-service providers. Its portfolio covered the principal stages between a professional video source and a distribution network, including encoding, decoding, transcoding, multiplexing, redundancy, stream serving, and management of video-processing infrastructure. The business developed out of the video headend activities of the French electronics group Thomson, now known as Technicolor SA. Its technical lineage reached back to the late 1980s, a period when the emerging MPEG standards were establishing a common basis for digitally coding moving pictures and audio. Thomson Video Networks developed systems supporting MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC, serving both standard-definition and high-definition workflows. These systems were used in contribution networks and in distribution environments serving terrestrial, satellite, cable, IPTV, and emerging over-the-top services. TVN’s product strategy extended beyond traditional broadcast encoding. The company offered multi-screen and adaptive video technologies intended to help service providers deliver programming across televisions, computers, mobile devices, and other connected screens. Its ViBE VS7000 platform combined multi-screen video processing with support for HEVC encoding and transcoding, while other ViBE products addressed broadcast encoding and contribution links. The company also marketed platforms for multiplexing, channel origination, stream serving, network redundancy, and centralized infrastructure management. Thomson Video Networks participated in the development and definition of the High Efficiency Video Coding standard. HEVC was designed to reduce the bitrate required for comparable video quality relative to H.264, supporting more efficient delivery and helping enable Ultra High Definition television. The company’s involvement in standards and industry organizations reflected its position within the professional video-technology ecosystem. It participated in bodies and forums including ATSC, the MPEG-DASH Industry Forum, DVB, IABM, MPEG, OMA, SCTE, and SMPTE, and was a founding member of the French research institute B-Com. From 2011 to 2016, the business operated as an independent privately held company with financial backing from FCDE, a French public-private investment structure. During this period it maintained offices in 16 countries and marketed its systems internationally. Harmonic Inc. acquired Thomson Video Networks in 2016. Following the acquisition, Thomson Video Networks ceased to operate as an independent company, and its technologies and business activities became part of Harmonic’s professional video portfolio.

Thomson Video Networks emerged from the video headend activities of the French electronics group Thomson, whose later corporate identity became Technicolor SA. Its technical development was closely connected with the transition from analogue broadcasting toward digitally compressed television. The creation and evolution of the MPEG family of standards from the late 1980s provided the industry with common methods for representing moving pictures and audio in digital form. Thomson’s video business developed equipment based on these technologies and became associated with professional video delivery infrastructure. The company’s core engineering work involved MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC encoding and networking equipment. These technologies allowed broadcasters and service providers to compress television signals for more efficient contribution and distribution. Thomson Video Networks supplied systems for both standard-definition and high-definition workflows, and its equipment could be deployed in terrestrial, satellite, cable, IPTV, and other video networks. Its activities covered more than encoding alone: products addressed decoding, transcoding between formats, multiplexing multiple services, redundancy, stream serving, and centralized network management. As video consumption expanded beyond conventional television sets, the company developed products for multi-screen distribution. The ViBE product family included broadcast encoding systems, contribution equipment, and platforms for processing video for multiple delivery environments. The ViBE VS7000 addressed multi-screen and HEVC encoding and transcoding, while the ViBE EM series focused on broadcast MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC encoding. The company also offered the NetProcessor video-processing and multiplexing platform, Sapphire channel-in-a-box stream servers, Amethyst IP/ASI redundancy switches, and the XMS network-management system. Thomson Video Networks was also involved in the industry’s move toward more efficient compression. It participated in the development and definition of HEVC, a standard intended to deliver comparable picture quality at substantially lower bitrates than H.264. This work was relevant to bandwidth-constrained distribution and to the emergence of Ultra High Definition television. The company participated in a broad range of technical and industry organizations, including ATSC, the MPEG-DASH Industry Forum, DVB, IABM, MPEG, OMA, SCTE, and SMPTE. It was also a founding member of the French research institute B-Com. Between 2011 and 2016, Thomson Video Networks operated as an independent privately held company. Its financial structure was backed by FCDE, described as a public-private venture-capital organization. During this period the company expanded its international presence, with offices in 16 countries, while continuing to serve broadcasters, media organizations, and video-service providers. Harmonic Inc. acquired Thomson Video Networks in 2016. The acquisition integrated TVN’s technologies and operations into Harmonic and ended the company’s existence as an independent business. Accordingly, Thomson Video Networks is best understood today as a former professional-video technology company whose product heritage became part of Harmonic’s broader broadcast and media-delivery business.

• 2016

  Acquired by Harmonic

  [1]Thomson Video Networksen.wikipedia.org

  Harmonic Inc. acquired Thomson Video Networks, ending its operation as an independent company.

• 2011

  Becomes an independent private company

  [1]Thomson Video Networksen.wikipedia.org

  Thomson Video Networks operated as an independent privately held company with financial backing from FCDE.

• Video headend business develops within Thomson

  [1]Thomson Video Networksen.wikipedia.org

  The business developed from Thomson’s video headend division and built expertise in digitally compressed television and professional video delivery.

• Participates in HEVC development

  [1]Thomson Video Networksen.wikipedia.org

  The company participated in the development and definition of HEVC, a more efficient video-compression standard intended to support applications including Ultra High Definition television.

A specialist supplier of professional video headend, compression, transcoding, contribution, and distribution infrastructure for broadcasters and video-service providers.

• Broadcast encoders

  ViBE EM series

  The ViBE EM series comprised high-definition and standard-definition broadcast encoders supporting MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC. It was designed for professional television workflows in which compressed video feeds had to be prepared for distribution or contribution networks.

• Multi-screen and HEVC encoder/transcoder

  ViBE VS7000

  The ViBE VS7000 was a video-processing platform for multi-screen delivery and HEVC encoding and transcoding. It addressed service providers distributing television and video programming across a combination of broadcast and connected-device environments.

• Contribution encoder and decoder

  ViBE CP6000

  The ViBE CP6000 was a contribution encoder and decoder intended for professional transport of video between production, broadcast, and distribution facilities. It formed part of the company’s broader contribution-video equipment portfolio.

• Video processing and multiplexing platform

  NetProcessor

  NetProcessor was a platform for video processing and multiplexing. It supported the assembly and management of television services within distribution headends and related network environments.

• Channel-in-a-box MPEG stream server

  Sapphire

  Sapphire was a channel-in-a-box MPEG stream server. The product was intended to combine functions needed to create and serve television channels in a compact broadcast workflow.

• IP/ASI redundancy switch

  Amethyst

  Amethyst was an IP/ASI redundancy switch designed to improve resilience in video transport and headend systems. It addressed continuity requirements where backup paths or equipment were needed for professional video services.

• Network management software

  XMS Network Management System

  The XMS Network Management System provided centralized oversight and management for Thomson Video Networks video-processing infrastructure. It supported operational control of equipment deployed across broadcast and distribution networks.

• 2016

  Sell the company to HarmonicM&A

  Background

  Thomson Video Networks had developed an international portfolio of broadcast and video-delivery technologies, including systems for compression, transcoding, multiplexing, and multi-screen services.

  Action taken

  Harmonic Inc. acquired Thomson Video Networks and incorporated its business and technologies into Harmonic’s portfolio.

  Aftermath

  The transaction ended Thomson Video Networks’ independent corporate status.

  Source

• 2011

  Operate as an independent private video-technology companyStrategy

  Background

  The video-network business separated from its previous divisional structure within Thomson and operated independently from 2011, with financial backing from FCDE.

  Action taken

  The company pursued an independent international business focused on broadcast encoding, transcoding, processing, contribution, and multi-screen delivery.

  Aftermath

  Thomson Video Networks continued operating as an international specialist supplier until Harmonic acquired it in 2016.

  Source

1. 1Thomson Video Networksen.wikipedia.org