Elemental Live Helps Columbus Communications Deliver Multiscreen Video Services

Columbus Communications recently joined with U.S. - based software company, Elemental Technologies, to provide encoding of content for new multiscreen video services from Columbus Communications.

Columbus, a retail and wholesale telecommunications company located in the Caribbean and Latin America, will use Elemental Live to provide the region’s cable subscribers with access to live television and on demand video on several connected viewing devices such as smartphones, tablets, PC’s and more. The company will encode more than 250 linear broadcast channels simultaneously, so subscribers can enjoy live television broadcasts from their preferred device. Also, the company is encoding more than 1,000 hours of on-demand video content that subscribed users can easily access when and where they choose. At the 2012 Cable Show in Boston, MA, TMC’s Erik Linask (News - Alert) had the opportunity to speak with Martijn Van Balken, director of product marketing at Elemental, about the company’s product, Elemental Stream.

Elemental Stream is a video processing system that is designed to segment, package, and secure live and on-demand video content for multiscreen delivery.

Balken stated that the reason Elemental Stream is so unique is that it separates the packaging from the core processing allowing for “mass customization that we want to allow our customers to do.”

By customizing content separately from the core processing, the system lowers the costs for IP video delivery.

In the current stage, cable subscribers in the greater Caribbean and Latin American region, including Jamaica, Trinidad, Curacao and Grenada, will first have access to the live broadcasting and prepared on -demand library through their PC, iPhone (News - Alert) and iPad devices. Later, viewing will be available for larger screen viewing and hybrid set-top boxes.