Cisco`s new IP/TV 3400 Series Servers provide turnkey, easy-to-deploy network video solutions for enterprise customers

Cisco Systems, Inc. announced the IP/TV 3400 Series Servers, a new family of systems that deliver a comprehensive array of network video services for corporate intranets, including video on demand (VOD), live video and scheduled video broadcasting. Pre-configured with IP/TV 2.0 client-server software and pre-installed video store, video cards, network interface cards and device drivers, the IP/TV 3400 Series Servers offer enterprise customers a turnkey solution for easy installation and deployment.

Featuring a rack-mounted, modular design, the IP/TV 3400 Series Servers consist of three separate servers - the IP/TV 3410 Control Server, the IP/TV 3420 Broadcast Server and the IP/TV 3430 Archive Server - each offering a specific set of video functions. Designed around IP/TV`s distributed video server architecture, these servers provide the management features, scalability and bandwidth efficiencies required for large-scale deployment.

"Utilizing our knowledge and experience with managing mission-critical networks, Cisco is committed to providing a family of industry-leading video solutions that meet the enterprise`s needs for robustness, scalability and manageability," says Ian Carty, Head of Enterprise Line of Business, Cisco Systems SA. "The latest addition to this family, the IP/TV 3400 Series Servers make it easier than ever for enterprises to deploy a video communications solution that helps them more easily educate employees, distribute information across geographic boundaries and create a competitive edge."

IP/TV 3400 Series Servers

The Cisco IP/TV 3410 Control Server offers a comprehensive set of management capabilities that simplify content, bandwidth and server management for program and network managers. It manages clusters of Broadcast and Archive Servers, both locally and remotely, and communicates program information directly to client desktops. The IP/TV 3420 Broadcast Server is designed for multicasting live and pre-recorded programs, while the high-performance IP/TV 3430 Archive Server is designed primarily for distributing VOD programs.

The IP/TV 3400 Series Servers include IP/TV software, which runs on Microsoft Windows NT. Future versions of IP/TV software will integrate Microsoft`s Windows Media Technologies, as jointly announced with Microsoft last July.

The Cisco IP/TV 3400 Series Servers offer the following feature set to meet the video communications needs of large organizations:

• High-Quality Video Communications: The IP/TV 3400 Series Servers produce a full-motion, full-screen TV images with tightly synchronized video and audio.
• Scalable: The IP/TV 3400 Series Servers utilize a distributed server architecture that localizes and minimizes bandwidth consumption by replicating and dispatching content to local servers. This architecture enables network administrators to seamlessly add video servers as needs expand.
• Powerful Management Capabilities: Providing centralized point-and-click control of both scheduled and on demand programming, the 3410 Control Server offers a full suite of management capabilities including server, content and bandwidth management; program scheduling; content tracking; web integration and security.
• IP Multicast: The IP/TV 3400 Series Servers utilize IP Multicast to optimize bandwidth for live and scheduled video, broadcasting a single, real-time stream per program over the network, regardless of how many people tune in.
• Standards Compliant: For greater interoperability, the IP/TV 3400 Series Servers use industry-standard technologies for its networking protocols, platform application programming interfaces, file formats and a wide range of codecs.

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