ESPN to use Motorola's video distribution system

ESPN will use Motorola Mobility's video distribution system to transition all programming for ESPN and ESPN-2 networks to an MPEG-4 HD format. Motorola's system also positions ESPN to offer both HD and 3D TV programming when service providers are ready for it. Motorola's system is comprised of the SE-6601A MPEG-4 encoder that preserves video quality while decreasing bandwidth consumption, the DSR-6100 integrated receiver/decoder (IRD) that uses MPEG-4 to MPEG-2 transcoding to bridge to legacy operator services, and a software control system. As both ESPN and ESPN-2 transition to all MPEG-4 HD over the next several years, Motorola's system will distribute full resolution HD programming while simultaneously providing legacy MPEG-2 HD and SD services to ESPN affiliate operators, all without requiring additional satellite bandwidth. Moreover, Motorola's modular uplink and control system, coupled with the DSR-6100 IRD, enables agile management of ESPN's content in order to deliver HD programming that is more relevant to consumers in a particular region. As part of the migration, all ESPN and ESPN-2 programming will be processed with Motorola's SE-6601A high definition MPEG-4 AVC encoder compliant of 1080p60 and 3D encoding. Designed for markets requiring high quality MPEG-4 compression of real-time content, the SE-6601A receives video content and converts it to the MPEG-4 format for distribution via satellite to ESPN's affiliates. At the downlink sites, the content will be received and processed with Motorola's DSR-6100, which receives MPEG-4 video (including 3D), and then transcodes to MPEG-2 HD, SD and/or analogue NTSC to support whatever video infrastructure the service provider has in place. The DSR-6100 uses the in-band active format descriptor (AFD) to translate input HD services to an appropriate standard definition service with proper aspect ratio, allowing for migration to HD-only distribution strategies.