Charter goes cherry picking

Susan Rush
from CED Broadband Direct, August 7, 2002

Charter Communications Inc. is looking to create custom digital channel lineups, and is turning to Terayon Communications Systems Inc. to make it happen.

The fourth largest MSO is deploying the latest digital video management system, the DM 3200 CherryPicker, in its cable systems.

With the DM 3200, Terayon has taken its CherryPicker to the next level, the company said. The second-generation product has been reduced from eight racks to one and its inputs have increased from eight to 16. Using the proprietary ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), the DM 3200 ensures the "highest picture quality and optimal bandwidth utilization for grooming, digital-into-digital advertising insertion and rate shaping for HDTV content," Charter said in a statement.

The latest CherryPicker has been designed to increase the number of programs or services that can be rate shaped from between 12-18 to 32.

Terayon's first-generation CherryPicker is deployed today with the eight largest U.S. MSOs. The company recently inked a deal calling for Harmonic to resell its CherryPicker digital video management system.