Pleora Unveils Affordable, Multi-Port System for Transporting Broadcast-Quality Video over Ethernet

Highly flexible, attractively priced EtherCast™ PL4453A reliably delivers ASI and SD/SDTi video over low-cost Layer 2 Ethernet VLANs

Ottawa, Canada, September 5, 2006: Pleora Technologies, a leading supplier of Ethernet video connectivity products, today unveiled the EtherCast PL4453A, a high-performance, multiport transport system that reliably delivers digital broadcast video in real-time over low-cost Ethernet networks.

The EtherCast PL4453A is ideal for transporting SDTV (standard-definition television) and HDTV (high-definition television) content over managed Layer 2 VLANs (virtual local-area networks). VLANs cost considerably less to lease or own than the facilities traditionally used to transport broadcast-quality video, such as satellite links, ATM (Asynchronous Transport Mode) networks, or SONET/SDH (Synchronous Optical Network/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) networks.

“Steady improvements in the service quality of Ethernet VLANs, coupled with their low cost, make them an attractive new option for transporting broadcast video,” said George Chamberlain, President of Pleora Technologies. “Our EtherCast PL4453A is a real-time video transport system for VLANs based on field-proven technology. We offer the system at an attractive price point, making the migration to video-over-Ethernet an easy choice for carriers, cablecos, studios, and others.”

Pleora’s EtherCast PL4453A is a highly flexible four-port system delivered in a standard 1U rack-mount enclosure. Each port functions as an independently addressable IP node, can be configured as either a receiver or transmitter, and works with three different video formats: DVBASI (Digital Video Broadcast – Asynchronous Serial Interface), SD-SDI (Standard Definition – Serial Data Interface), and SDTi (Serial Digital Transport Interface, or SMPTE [Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers] 305M).

Field-proven performance

The EtherCast PL4453A Video IP System is derived from the field-proven IP (Internet Protocol) engine technology offered in Pleora’s other EtherCast transport products and its world-leading line of iPORT™ products for vision applications.

Each port in the PL4453A auto-senses the format of the incoming ASI or SD/SDTi video signal, converts the video quickly and efficiently to IP, and pumps it in real time over managed Ethernet LAN/WAN facilities. Ancillary data in the video stream, such as digital audio and timing information, is also converted. Multicast transmission (i.e. IGMP or the Internet Group Management Protocol) is fully supported, enabling the same video stream to be distributed simultaneously to multiple destinations.

Pleora’s EtherCast PL4453A system does not compress or decompress the signal, and there are no video 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.

Advanced management software

The EtherCast PL4453A Video IP System is supported by two classes of management software – the EtherCast Configuration Utility (ECU), a basic utility for configuring and managing systems deployed in the same LAN, and the EtherCast Management Unit (EMU), a more sophisticated web-based application for managing multiple systems at different sites.

The EMU is offered in its own 1U chassis and can supervise an unlimited number of LAN/WANconnected PL4453A units from a single location, across routed networks. The EMU also manages Pleora’s palm-sized, single-port EtherCast PL1453A Video IP Engines Pleora will display the EtherCast PL4453A at IBC2006, Booth 345, Hall 2. For pricing and availability, contact Pleora Technologies at +1-613-720-0625 or info@pleora.com.

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, www.pleora.com