SUWANEE, Ga., Oct. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ARRIS (Nasdaq: ARRS) today announced that the ARRIS EGT VIPr2200 encoder can now compress four High Definition channels into one QAM channel, increasing bandwidth efficiency without sacrificing video quality. Unlike ASIC-based products, VIPr is a fully programmable platform allowing performance improvements like 4:1 HD through simple software upgrades without the need for hardware changes. This means less downtime for upgrades and longer product life cycles.

Cable operators have been able to fit 2 HD services into one 256 QAM without "processing" those services. More recently, rate shapers and other alternatives were able to increase that efficiency by 50% to accommodate 3 HD channels. The VIPr2200's Intelligent Recode(TM) feature (full decode/re-encode within the original encoding parameters), sophisticated pre-processing and filtering, and integrated closed-loop statistical multiplexing, allows very high quality rate reduction.. This allows operators to multiplex up to 4 HD services that can fit into a 256 QAM channel without observable video quality degradation.

Another benefit derived from the VIPr's 4:1 HD compression ability is bandwidth management and conservation - bandwidth that can be dedicated toward other revenue-generating services like On Demand, high speed data and voice, and more HD channels.

The ARRIS EGT VIPr2200 can be seen at Booth #7108 at SCTE Expo, October 28-30 in Denver, CO.

About ARRIS

ARRIS is a global communications technology company specializing in the design, engineering and supply of technology supporting triple- and quad-play broadband services for residential and business customers around the world. The company supplies broadband operators with the tools and platforms they need to deliver reliable telephony, demand driven video, next-generation advertising and high-speed data services. ARRIS products expand and help grow network capacity, reliably deliver voice, video and data services and assure optimal service delivery for end customers. Headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia, USA, ARRIS has R&D centers in Suwanee; Chicago, IL; Beaverton, OR; Wallingford, CT; Waltham, MA; Cork, Ireland; and Shenzhen, China, and operates support and sales offices throughout the world. Information about ARRIS products and services can be found at www.arrisi.com.

SOURCE ARRIS