On June 2, Vecima announced an expansion of its MediaScale IP Video Streaming platform footprint with Blue Ridge Communications, a regional cable television, Internet and VoIP provider that serves much of the Poconos area and central Pennsylvania in the U.S. According to a press release, the Vecima platform is being scaled to handle additional subscribers on the TiVo-driven Blue Ridge offering and improve delivery of video traffic for customers anywhere in Blue Ridge’s network.
In September 2021, Blue Ridge announced a rebuild for more than 8,000 miles of existing footprint with fiber to better serve over 250,000 consumers. “Offering a world-class video streaming system to customers within both new high-bandwidth fiber to the home and traditional cable plant is a key aspect of evolving the customer experience as we roll out high-speed fiber technologies,” commented Mark Maisenheimer, VP of operations at Blue Ridge.
Vecima notes its TiVo ecosystem is among the broadband industry’s leading video platforms for telecommunications operators. The platform's AI-powered voice search, an intuitive user guide, and aggregation of operator provided local and broadcast channels, coupled with access to leading over-the-top (OTT) applications, provides a superior experience for end subscribers.
Maisenheimer added, “We are increasing bandwidth, providing the industry’s best experience to Blue Ridge’s customers, and improving delivery of content from third-party OTT applications to give our subscribers the world’s leading data and video service.”
The latest iteration of Vecima’s MediaScale Cache also improves on the user experience for OTT video applications outside the Blue Ridge ecosystem, thanks to the Streaming Video Alliance Open Caching standard. Via the standard, third-party OTT providers can opt in for transport agreements to utilize the MediaScale Cache infrastructure within the Blue Ridge footprint.
“With the TiVo platform, Blue Ridge will make it easier for viewers to find, watch, and enjoy the programming they want, and on their terms,” said Jeff Glahn, SVP of global sales at Xperi subsidiary TiVo. “We are excited to provide Blue Ridge’s subscriber base this enhanced video experience.”
Using cache streamers at the edge of the network increases bitrate and reduces latency for the end user while reducing network cost for the provider.
“Our MediaScale portfolio and Open Caching capability are transforming the telecommunications landscape,” said Dan Gledhill, SVP of global sales at Vecima. “We are helping operators with video broadband technologies deploy faster, serve more customers, normalize service across a wide array of physical plan types, and optimize utilization of the networks that support subscribers.”