HITS and Motorola Upgrade NAS

HITS, a provider of turnkey solutions to smaller cable systems, and Motorola have upgraded the National Authorization Service (NAS) to support interactive video applications using the Enhanced Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) platform, including ETV services that are managed and delivered via the HITS AxIS service.

HITS AxIS has already launched nearly a dozen ETV applications for beta testing by four cable MSOs, including dashboard, “Movie Tickets” and “Yellow Pages on TV” services customized to local markets, as well as request-for-information and t-commerce applications. (For more, click here).

The NAS solution provides cable headends with the capability to receive, process and distribute digital video, interactive and data services without requiring a local Digital Access Control (DAC) system. HITS and Motorola also operate the QT Plus platform, a centrally managed alternative to DAC and NAS headend management systems that is popular with cable systems serving smaller markets and multiple dwelling unit (MDU) developments.

The most recent set of enhancements to the NAS platform include its ability to support Motorola’s APEX high-density edge QAM, which can help HITS affiliates to efficiently allocate bandwidth as they deploy switched digital video (SDV) and modular CMTS network architectures, and expand their VOD and high-speed data offerings. The APEX platform supports standards-based video and high-speed data interfaces, while the physical chassis offers field-swappable QAM modules and redundant swappable power supplies.