Liberty Media (LMDIA)

SAN JOSE, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 09/03/09 -- Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) announced today that Liberty Sports Group is the latest video content provider to select the Cisco® MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) and transcoding high-definition (HD) platform for efficient, high-quality distribution of programming. Taking these steps to optimize its networks, Liberty Sports Group is well-positioned to scale and streamline its operations and accelerate service velocity.

Facts:

• Liberty Sports Group used the Cisco platform to launch full-time HD channels for three regional sports networks that will provide more than 8.5 million viewers across 17 U.S. states with sports programming from 23 professional and collegiate teams.
• The Cisco solution allows Liberty Sports Group to distribute a single MPEG-4 AVC HD video stream for reception by Cisco Advanced Receiver Transcoders, allowing affiliates to convert the incoming video to MPEG-2 HD, MPEG-2 standard definition or analog to protect investments in the large installed base of MPEG-2 set-tops.
• The single MPEG-4 AVC HD video stream is created by a Cisco MPEG-4 AVC encoder for considerable video compression performance improvements over MPEG-2.
• DVB-S2 forward error correction and modulation help deliver higher throughputs, improved satellite bandwidth use and more efficient content delivery.

Supporting Quotes:

• "Like Cisco, we take a long-term view when it comes to video distribution architecture," said Brian McHale, chief technology officer at Liberty Sports Group. "The ability to gain as much as a 50 percent improvement in bandwidth utilization by deploying a proven encoding and transcoding platform gives us significant operational benefits, as well as the flexibility we want for our future."
• "Our MPEG-4 AVC encoding and transcoding solution helps network operators squeeze more performance out of existing bandwidth without impacting video quality," said Bart Spriester, vice president and general manager of the Digital Media Networks business unit for Cisco. "With the increased focus that content providers and network operators have on operating expenses, this Cisco platform delivers the cost effectiveness they want and the quality video experience their customers expect."

Supporting Resources:

• Cisco D9054 MPEG-4 AVC HD encoder
• Cisco award-winning D9858 Advanced Receiver Transcoder

Technorati Tags: AVCHD, Cisco, encoder, HD, MPEG4, sports, transcoder, video

About Liberty Sports Group

Liberty Sports Group is comprised of three regional sports networks including FSN Northwest, FSN Pittsburgh and FSN Rocky Mountain (and sub-region FSN Utah). The three networks combined reach more than 8.5 million viewers across 17 states and own exclusive programming and distribution partnerships with more than 23 professional and collegiate teams. Liberty Sports Group is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Entertainment Group (NASDAQ: LMDIA). For more information, please visit www.libertysportsgroup.com.

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