EchoStar Launches IPTV Platform

ViP-TV Can Transport 200 Channels To Various Video Providers

By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 10/23/2007 7:00:00 AM

EchoStar Communications and its subsidiary, EchoStar FSS, have launched ViP-TV, which can transport more than 300 channels via satellite to telcos, private and rural cable operators, municipalities and master-planned community video providers, officials said Tuesday.

ViP-TV is meant to be a turnkey solution for wholesale multichannel content transport and distribution, and offers customers affordable, scalable and aggregated MPEG-4 Internet protocol encapsulated radio and TV channels from a high-powered Ku-band satellite. 

ViP-TV’s suite of channels includes ViP-Premier, which offers over 100 channels of the most popular T programming; ViP-HD, which boasts 40 channels of industry-leading high-definition programming; ViP-Movies, a menu of 40 of the most popular movie services; ViP-Latino, offering 30 of the top-rated Spanish-language programming services; and the ViP-International programming package, providing over 30 programming channels in 10 different languages. 

The ViP-TV service is also offered in connection with transport of local broadcast networks from more than 165 local TV markets currently provided by EchoStar to over 1,000 cable and Telco systems in standard definition.

ViP-TV delivers its service using a high-powered Ku Band satellite with full continental United Sates coverage, so that the service can be rapidly deployed and is low cost to maintain.