MediaStar IP Multi-Mux Gateway for Single and Multi-Channel Transport Stream Reception & Re-transmission (796)
When live TV channels are being delivered to a commercial customer by a service supplier such as a Telco or Cable Company, they are typically provided in an IP format as unicast or multi-cast multi-channel MPEG transport streams.
On the customer’s premises, these streams can be routed directly to the MediaStar IP Multi-Mux Gateway (model 796) which can then analyse them and derive the incoming stream parameters. The TV channel names will be shown, and an administrator can then select which of these they wish to re-distribute using a simple browser-based GUI.
The selected TV channel streams will be AES encrypted so that the video and audio content is protected as it is re-distributed as individual multicast streams across the LAN. Encryption is increasingly important as content providers insist on full content protection right up to the viewing device.
End users can view the content on large screen displays or PCs and tablets using MediaStar Media Players (models 780 or 782) or the MediaStar Portal Player software (models 470 or 477) respectively. These pull the multicast streams from the LAN when users select a specific channel to watch, decrypt the stream and then display the live TV content at its original quality.
Each 796 Multi-Mux unit can operate as a free-standing unit or networked under the control of the MediaStar Media Manager software (model 462). In this case the Multi-Mux unit will automatically inform the Media Manager software when TV channels are made available, so that it can make new media icons. These icons can then be dropped onto playlists or channel selection lists that are allocated to individual displays or PCs within the MediaStar system ecosystem.
The IP Multi-Mux is a 'hot swappable' blade based processor module that can be plugged into a MediaStar Multi-slot 3RU Rack (models 770 or 770-DR) or it can be used in a MediaStar Single Slot Appliance Chassis (model 769). It has a single network interface which can receive and transmit a total of 600 Mbps and can simultaneously encrypt up to 20 TV channels. Typically, the 796 should be connected to a network switch which has VLAN segregation and security to isolate the internal corporate LAN from the external network source to preserve network integrity.
