HITS Central Headend Management Service Supports Conax Conditional Access System and Devices from Evolution Digital; Campus Televideo Signs On As First HITS Central Affiliate

By CMC | Mon, 26 Jul 2010

Denver, Colo, July 26, 2010 - HITS, a business unit of the Comcast Media Center (CMC), announces HITS Central™, a centralized headend management solution for cable system operators.  HITS Central allows cable operators to deploy a wide array of customer premises equipment (CPE) without operating multiple conditional access (CA) management systems.

"HITS Central represents a centralized content management solution for cable system operators," said Gary Traver, Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of the CMC. "With HITS Central, cable operators can implement a variety of customer premises equipment, from lower cost DTAs to HD DVRs selling in retail stores. This enhances their ability to offer competitive video services capable of generating additional revenue."

The CMC recently entered a relationship with Evolution Digital, LLC, a leading supplier of digital solutions for bandwidth reclamation and next-generation set-top boxes. The relationship enables HITS Central to support Evolution's SD and HD digital-to-analog (DTA) converters as well as devices using CableCARDs™ with Conax DVB-CA (Digital Video Broadcast Conditional Access) encryption systems.  HITS Central affiliates will also be able to deploy devices that use different encryption technologies.

"This new partnership between Evolution Digital, Conax and CMC provides operators with an open standard conditional access platform that supports multiple set-tops," said Brent Smith, President of Evolution Digital. "This can dramatically reduce the costs for a cable operator to go all digital."

"We are proud to be part of HITS Central," added Rohit Mehra, Vice President, North America for Conax AS. "Conax and Evolution Digital, LLC have packaged a truly open, secure DVB digital platform. In conjunction with HITS Central, we can offer a safe, cost effective and scalable solution for independent cable operators in North America that will provide them with a real competitive advantage."
Campus Televideo, the nation's leading provider of private cable television services to college and university campuses, will be the first cable system operator to deploy HITS Central services using Evolution Digital HD DTAs with integrated Conax conditional access on its cable plant.  Beginning with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY, Campus Televideo will offer low-cost HD video services using Evolution HD DTAs to universities looking for a subscription-based solution.

"DTAs that can be centrally managed via HITS Central are a great solution for delivering a competitive lineup of digital television programming," said Brian Benz, CEO of Campus Televideo.  "In addition to representing a very effective means for controlling our capital and operating expenses, the solution also addresses the security requirements of our content providers."

The HITS Central product suite offers remote management capability for a host of centralized headend solutions. HITS Central supports channel map changes, code object downloads, encryption, automated provisioning of CableCARD host devices and management of non-linear video operations, such as switched digital video (SDV), VOD and iTV. 

About HITS
The HITS® multiplatform content distribution services are designed to help MSOs optimize operating cash flow and create additional sources of revenue beyond traditional cable. HITS services include conditional access, linear and fiber programming delivery, Video On Demand, and interactive services.  HITS is operated by Denver-based Comcast Media Center (CMC), a subsidiary of Comcast Cable.  CMC provides centralized content management and distribution solutions for cable systems, video content providers and advertisers.  More information about HITS and the CMC is available at http://www.comcastmediacenter.com.

About Evolution Digital
Evolution Digital, LLC was formed to provide cost-effective solutions for small-to-medium size cable operators to stem the loss of subscribers to DBS and Telco competition. By using Evolution Digital's low-cost DTA converter, operators can reclaim analog bandwidth and use that additional bandwidth to enhance their HD and high-speed data offerings. Once momentum is regained, Evolution Digital provides products to win back lost market share and prepare the market for next generation, "over-the-top" content with ever increasing ARPU as TV and high speed data merge. Evolution Digital is committed to open standards for both set-top boxes and content security, providing operators with choice previously unavailable. More information about Evolution is available at http://www.evolutionbb.com.

About Conax
Conax a leading global provider of security solutions for digital TV and content distribution, provides content protection for premium pay-TV content via all types of networks - cable, satellite, IP, terrestrial, and MMDS. Through its global network of partners, Conax is able to offer state-of-the-art content security to more than 350 digital TV operators in over 80 countries around the globe. Conax is ISO 9001 certified and ISO 27001 security certified. All Conax products are compliant with open standards.  Conax is part of the Telenor Group (www.telenor.com). Telenor Group has telecom operations in 14 countries, 172 million mobile subscriptions worldwide and is among the largest mobile operators in the world. More information about Conax is available at www.conax.com.

About Campus TeleVideo
Campus Televideo (CTV) is the nation's leading provider of satellite delivered cable television and other resnet services to colleges and universities serving over 220 campuses nationwide. CTV offers a comprehensive set of solutions that allow universities to customize their television and data services to better serve their campus community's specific needs. More information about Campus Televideo is available at www.campustelevideo.com .