Casablanca On-Line employs Pleora’s affordable EtherCast™ IP Engines to leverage IP networks for studio-to-satellite distribution of DVB-ASI streams

Successful trial with Brazil’s leading provider of end-to-end satellite transmissions leads to deployment of Pleora's EtherCast IP Engines™
EtherCast’s affordability, flexibility, low-bandwidth capabilities and small form factor key to success in cost-effective “last mile” application

OTTAWA, CANADA, September 7, 2007:

Pleora Technologies and Casablanca On-Line, of Sao Paolo, Brazil, today announced that Casablanca On-Line is deploying EtherCast PL1453 IP Engines for its studio-to-satellite distribution of DVB-ASI (Digital Video Broadcast – Asynchronous Serial Interface) streams.

The announcement comes after the successful conclusion of a technical trial earlier this year, where Pleora’s EtherCast engines reliably delivered DVB-ASI transport streams over Casablanca On- Line’s production IP network. Casablanca On-Line chose the EtherCast PL1453 IP Engine because the product met the company’s strict requirements with regards to reliability, size, price, and over-all flexibility.

“The small form-factor of the EtherCast PL1453 was crucial for our application, as was its flexible data transfer capabilities and its surprisingly affordable sticker price,” said Alex Pimentel, General Manager of Casablanca On-Line. “In this initial phase we’re distributing a low bit-rate (150 Kb/s) FM radio signal as a ‘last mile’ DVB-ASI stream from our client’s studios to our satellite teleport connection 3 miles away, but the EtherCast products enable us to offer our services for additional radio and video channels nationally and internationally. By adopting DVB-ASI over IP, we hope to significantly expand our business.”

Casablanca On-Line will use the EtherCast 1453s to distribute the well-known Brazilian national radio station Jovem Pan Classic as a DVB-ASI signal, muxed (multiplexed) together with other radio signals at the company’s teleport connection in a satellite MCPC (multiple channel per carrier) system.

"The increased quality and reliability of managed IP networks make them an attractive and cost-effective option for transporting DVB-ASI streams," said George Chamberlain, President of Pleora Technologies. "The collaboration with Casablanca Online shows that using EtherCast for IP delivery of DVB-ASI streams allows carriers, cable companies, ISPs, studios and others to deliver new services cost-effectively.”

Field-proven reliability

The EtherCast Video IP Engines are derived from the field-proven IP engine technology offered in Pleora's world-leading line of iPORT™ products for vision applications. Pleora's EtherCast engines do not alter the original signal, and there are no video or audio quality compromises. Jitter control is exceptional, transfer is lossless, and end-to end latency is low and predictable. Any packets dropped by the network are automatically recovered.

EtherCast IP engines are available as palm-sized, single-channel units (EtherCast PL1453), or as four-channel 1U rack-mounted systems (EtherCast PL4453). The small footprint and low power requirements make PL1453 an ideal OEM board for inclusion in third-party equipment.

About Pleora

Pleora Technologies Inc. is a global supplier of Ethernet video connectivity products for the broadcast, medical, machine vision, and security/surveillance industries. Pleora's iPORT and EtherCast product families transport imaging and video data in real time over low-cost Ethernet connections with extremely high performance. Pleora is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

About Casablanca Group

Casablanca Group is the largest audiovisual conglomerate in Latin America and Brazil’s leading provider of end-to-end satellite transmissions dedicated to news agencies, event organizers, production houses and business corporations, all of whom need to exchange audiovisual information in digitally compressed format.