computer science

Thomson Video Networks

Thomson Video Networks is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Thomson Video Networks rather than just read about it. In short: Thomson Video Networks (TVN) was a technology broadcast company that used to provide video compression, transcoding and processing services to media companies, video service providers, and TV broadcasters. The firm had offices in 16 countries and headquarters in Rennes, France.

Key takeaways

Thomson Video Networks belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Thomson Video Networks to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Thomson Video Networks from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Thomson Video Networks (TVN) was a technology broadcast company that used to provide video compression, transcoding and processing services to media companies, video service providers, and TV broadcasters. The firm had offices in 16 countries and headquarters in Rennes, France. TVN was acquired by Harmonic Inc. in 2016.

History The company had been established in the video delivery domain since the late 1980s when the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) was created with the purpose of deriving a standard for the coding of moving pictures and audio. As a video headend division of the French electronics Thomson group, now known as Technicolor SA, the company developed and manufactured MPEG-2 and MPEG-4/AVC video encoding and networking equipment based on advanced compression algorithms. From 2011 until 2016, the division was an independent private held company with a financial structure backed by the public/private Venture Capital, FCDE. Its products include High Definition (HD) / Standard Definition (SD) broadcast and multi-screen video encoding, decoding, transcoding, multiplexing, redundancy and network management, as well as video stream server for contribution, terrestrial, satellite, cable, IPTV, and OTT services. The firm participated in the development and definition of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) compression standard. The HEVC standard aims at obtaining a bit-rate reduction of up to 50 percent compared to the current H.264 compression format, and paves the way for broadcasting in the Ultra high definition television (Ultra HD) picture format. The firm is a member of broadcasting associations such as ATSC, MPEG-DASH Industry Forum, DVB, IABM, MPEG, OMA, SCTE, SMPTE, as well as a founding member of the French Research Institute B-Com. As of March 2016 Thomson Video Networks has been acquired by Harmonic Inc.

Products ViBE EM series of HD/SD MPEG-2/MPEG-4 AVC Broadcast Encoder ViBE VS7000 Multi-screen & HEVC Encoder & Transcoder ViBE CP6000 Contribution Encoder & Decoder NetProcessor Video Processing & Multiplexing Platform Sapphire Channel In A Box MPEG Stream Server Amethyst IP/ASI Redundancy Switch XMS Network Management System

References

Illustrations

Thomson Video Networks Logo

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thomson Video Networks

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thomson Video Networks claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Thomson Video Networks before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Thomson Video Networks ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Thomson Video Networks

In research: Thomson Video Networks appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Thomson Video Networks in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Thomson Video Networks is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Broadcast engineering, Companies based in Brittany, Computer companies of France, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thomson Video Networks outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Thomson Video Networks in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Thomson Video Networks means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Thomson Video Networks out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thomson Video Networks in simple terms?

Why does Thomson Video Networks matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Thomson Video Networks?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Thomson Video Networks.