NTT Electronics Full HD H.264 Codec Selected for the MLB Network
High-quality, low-latency live video to be delivered from 30 MLB Ballparks
April 6, 2009

Tokyo, Japan - NTT Electronics Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward (hereafter, NTT Electronics) is pleased to announce that its HV9100 Series AVC/H.264 HDTV/SDTV encoders/decoders have been selected as the codec equipment to be used for HD sports coverage on the MLB Network, a sports channel operated by Major League Baseball (hereafter, MLB) in the United States.

The MLB Network was launched by MLB on January 1st, 2009 as a satellite and cable channel dedicated to 24 hours-7 days a week detailed coverage of Major League Baseball including live coverage of weekly games. To provide this broadcast service and to satisfy the most ardent baseball fans; the MLB Network is producing all broadcasts in full high-definition video.

NTT Electronics encoders/decoders are being installed in the 30 MLB Ballparks (29 are located in the United States and one is located in Canada) to ensure all broadcasts feed to the newly constructed studio center in Secaucus, New Jersey. The system was developed by CBT Systems (headquartered in San Diego, California), a company that provides consulting and engineering systems and services to high-end broadcasters. At the launch of the MLB Network, the network was made available to 50 million homes, the highest viewing figures for a network debut in satellite and cable history.

“To provide audiences with high-quality video and audio, MLB Network has selected the NTT Electronics HV9100 Series, in that this codec offers both high video quality and low latency at a high rate (40 Mps) and supports the AVC/H.264 4:2:2 chroma format. This will offer baseball fans the opportunity to enjoy full HD coverage from every Ballpark, every day.” said Mr. Darrell Wenhardt, President of CBT Systems.

The HV9100 Series supports both HD (1080i / 720p) and SD (480i / 576i). It additionally supports, optionally, up to 16 channels of audio input capability and an IP interface. The HV9100 Series gained a great deal of attention right after its release in January 2008, and has already been selected by many broadcasting stations with a broad use ranging from domestic station content transmissions to contributions or distributions in North America, Europe and Brazil.
“It's a great pleasure for us to support the transmission of full HD coverage from MLB's Opening Day. The HV9100 Series has already demonstrated outstanding performance in many sporting events around the globe such as the Olympics and thus, we feel that the HV9100 Series is ideally suited to the MLB Network's need for high quality video,” said Mr. Koichi Masaki, newly appointed General Manager of the Multimedia Systems Division at NTT Electronics. “Through the provision of our codec technology, we are delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the broadcasting of the spectacular plays made by the world's top MLB players and to also allow viewers to have an in-stadium experience directly from their home television sets.”

HV9100 Series AVC/H.264 HDTV/SDTV encoders/decoders