MDX 9000 Series Media Distribution Switch

The growth and popularity of digital media has created a whole new set of challenges for network operators. Delivering large files at high bit rates from ever-expanding content libraries drives rapid and unpredictable growth in video traffic. Traditional server-based delivery methods are becoming less effective, more costly and they only exacerbate the network connectivity problem.

The MDX 9000 Series offers operators an innovative, network-centric approach to video service delivery. It is the first digital media delivery system built on a network platform, and it combines scalable network transport with media storage and streaming.

Modeled after the blade server concept, the MDX integrates servers, storage, networking and applications into a unified platform. Its modular design offers a true alternative to sprawling racks of servers, hard disk drives, network adapters, cables and supporting LAN switches cluttering already overburdened data centers. The MDX features a series of hardware and software innovations, including:

VueStor™ Solid-State Storage

One of the many Verivue innovations is its VueStor solid-state storage subsystem, a fully integrated shared storage solution built directly into the chassis. Based on Flash Memory technology, VueStor has no moving parts, resulting in an energy efficient storage solution that offers significantly higher streaming performance when compared to hard disk drives or conventional solid state drives (SSDs).

 

Verivue Intelligent Content Distribution (ICD)

Individual MDX nodes can be networked together over an IP backbone to operate as a content distribution network (CDN), each node cooperating with others to dynamically move content to achieve the optimal balance between bandwidth, storage and performance. Pushing popular content to the network edge, for example, decreases the load on the backbone, freeing up capacity and lowering delivery costs.

 

Seamless Multi-Screen Convergence

Delivering video to a broad range of devices comes with enormous technical challenges. Digital televisions and set-top boxes, along with personal computers, game consoles, mobile phones and other networked consumer electronics devices support an assortment of transport protocols and container formats. Conventional media delivery products require separate servers for each protocol, leading to server sprawl. The MDX supports multiple video transport protocols and container formats from the same "universal" network interface, eliminating sprawl and enabling operators to converge to a common infrastructure for media distribution and delivery.

 

Green Design Advantage

Power consumption and heat dissipation are two critical issues facing operators today. The MDX was designed for improved energy efficiency, offering substantial reductions in power, cooling and space when compared to commodity rack-mount server approaches. Of course, power and space savings translate into a tangible reduction in total cost of ownership (TCO).

 

There is little doubt that demand for IP video will continue to escalate. And with the transformation of the Internet into a video delivery platform, the need for a scalable media distribution platform offering seamless multi-screen convergence becomes essential for operators. The MDX represents an entirely new product category born through innovation and necessity, with explicit focus on helping operators address the challenge of video service delivery.