Harmonic Enhances Polaris Playout Management Suite with Cost-Effective Integrated Master Control Functionality

Date:

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Polaris Play Automation Software Offers Rich Application Toolbox for Scheduled and Live Playout in Channel-in-a-Box Environments Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, today announced Polaris Play channel-in-a-box (CIAB) automation software for the company's Polaris playout management suite. Tightly integrated with Harmonic's market-leading Spectrum media server system, Polaris Play blends a rich set of automated ingest, media preparation, and playout workflow capabilities that enable efficient and cost-effective management of up to four fully branded SD or HD channels, each with matched simulcast channels, in a single rack unit.

Designed specifically for broadcasters with modest playout requirements and budgets, Polaris Play gives users a breadth of control capabilities that enable straightforward management of the critical elements that support an on-air channel, said Tom Lattie, vice president, product management at Harmonic. Users can leverage Polaris Play to drive a cost-effective CIAB model for their playout channels.

Polaris Play provides a suite of master control room (MCR) tools that enable ingest, content preparation, segmentation, preview, and channel playlist control. Scheduled operations can be driven by traffic or by manually created playlists. Coupled with the Spectrum MediaDeck integrated media server and its high-density I/O capabilities, integrated file services, and native codec and file wrapper support, Polaris Play simplifies deployment and operation of the playout workflow.

The Polaris suite represents Harmonic's evolving offering in the emerging Media Orchestration category, which is important as workflows consolidate and simplify. Within this suite, Polaris Play offers broadcasters a robust yet attractively priced CIAB solution powered by the industry's most trusted server platform, enabling users to reduce both CAPEX and OPEX.

Polaris Play can be combined with the recently announced Harmonic Polaris Live manual device control application, enabling the Spectrum ChannelPort integrated channel playout system to fulfill both production and master control requirements for many live-to-air workflows. The resulting hybrid environment offers powerful and highly efficient integrated master control room (iMCR) capabilities, allowing users to switch between scheduled playout and manual playout of live events based on the schedule, or on an ad hoc basis.

The iMCR model can be a game-changer, in that it enables users to drive graphics-intensive live-to-air workflows, said Lattie. Together, Polaris Play and Polaris Live offer the benefits of CIAB solutions - reduced equipment costs and workflow complexity - while providing the power and flexibility critical within the most demanding production environments.

In addition to reducing hardware costs, the iMCR model supports highly flexible and efficient workflows that users can customize with Polaris Live's simple touchscreen interface.

Polaris Play will be available Q1 2015. Further information about Harmonic and the company's products is available at www.harmonicinc.com.

About Harmonic

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) is the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure for emerging television and video services. The company's production-ready innovation enables content and service providers to efficiently create, prepare, and deliver differentiated services for television and new media video platforms. More information is available at www.harmonicinc.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements related to the anticipated capabilities and benefits of Harmonic's Polaris Play software, Spectrum , Spectrum ChannlePort , and Spectrum MediaDeck products. Our expectations and beliefs regarding these products may not materialize and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the possibility that the products may not meet some or all of their anticipated capabilities or provide some or all of their anticipated benefits, such as cost-effectiveness, giving users a breadth of control capabilities, simplification of deployment and operation, flexibility, and efficiency.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, such as those more fully described in Harmonic's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec.31, 2012, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Harmonic as of the date hereof, and Harmonic disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

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