May 30, 2001 --- Artel has introduced a multiplexer for enabling the transport of MPEG-compatible digital TV content over wide area networks. Through the use of digital subscriber line (xDSL) technologies such as very high bit rate DSL (VDSL), the company's CopperTV multiplexer can distribute broadcast-quality, full-screen digital television over copper lines to the home.

The CopperTV multiplexer is a high-powered, scalable MPEG switching engine that can transport high-quality compressed digital video over ATM-based wide area networks at speeds of up to 155 Mbit/s (OC-3) for transport to DSLAMs. MPEG-based signals are received at a centrally located satellite downlink or video server facility. CopperTV accepts DVB-ASI multi-program and single program transport stream (MPTS and SPTS) content from these sources and then re-multiplexes the selected programs into a single-program transport stream for distribution across an ATM network to a DSLAM.

"Content-based services like video are the revenue cash cow for the service providers in this decade, and Artel's approach of laying video directly on MPEG/ATM rather than requiring an IP layer is an exceptionally savvy response to market needs," commented CIMI Corporation President Tom Nolle in a prepared statement. "This should lower the cost of video deployment, and make video distribution more accommodating to regulatory trends."