Systems integrator ARRIS has engineered an IPTV headend for BT to provide distribution for BT TV and BT Sport. Installed at London’s BT Tower, the headend will support BT’s new sport channel’s BT Sport 1 and 2 and ESPN.
ARRIS’s headend solution brought together technologies from Screen for DVB subtitling, Miranda for core processing functions, and Brocade for IP switches and routers. The solution was designed with encoder redundancy and separate disaster recovery capabilities to ensure the system could recover seamlessly from any possible outages. In addition, ARRIS has deployed its industry-leading encoders and application platform to deliver a wide array of digital video experiences in both SD and HD.
“BT needed a technology and systems integration partner to develop and evolve its headend, and ARRIS was the natural choice to be the prime contractor, with our global track record of innovation and expertise,” said Steve McCaffery, ARRIS’s SVP, EMEA, “Our technical and commercial relationship with BT continues to develop, and the quality of our collaboration is clearly demonstrated by the world-class headend solution at BT Tower.”
BT Sport launched on 1 August in the UK and Ireland and is now available in some four million homes. BT Sport viewers can access the content via BT TV, as well as online or via an app.
David Mason, BT’s head of delivery, TV service platforms, said, “The reliability of ARRIS technology, expertise and collaboration gives us the confidence that we have a leading delivery platform that is providing our customers with an excellent viewing experience.”
