Posted by Derrick on August 17, 2010 under Video Streaming and Compression | 
Digital Rapids announced that The HEAT Group, owners of the Miami HEAT National Basketball Association (NBA) team and operators of Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena, are using Digital Rapids’ StreamZ encoding system to speed the production of high-quality live and on-demand video content for the HEAT.com website and internal production workflows. Most recently, StreamZ was used for live streaming of events leading up to and following the signings of high-profile free agent players Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
The Broadcast Services department at The HEAT Group produces live event coverage and pre-packaged content for all departments in the organization, including advertising, marketing, internal training, the HEAT.com website, and shows airing on NBA TV and regional television. The group also produces content such as half-time features that are used within live game broadcasts on SunSports.
Online video is a key focus for the production group, as the team leverages it to support the HEAT brand, engage existing fans and grow the team’s fan base globally. Content from the team’s in-arena HEATV broadcast, special features and more are encoded through StreamZ into the formats required for on-demand Web viewing. StreamZ is also used for live Web streaming of special events and announcements. The StreamZ system is also used in an automated workflow to transcode library footage provided by NBA Entertainment into The HEAT Group’s preferred editing format for subsequent production needs.
Finding their existing encoding solution slow and inefficient, The HEAT Group chose StreamZ for its exceptional performance, high quality and the versatility to meet their broad and growing digital media needs. StreamZ was supplied to The HEAT Group by reseller CIS Group.
“By enabling us to efficiently create high-quality material for HEAT.com with very fast turnaround, the Digital Rapids StreamZ system helps us engage and grow our fan base, and that has a direct impact on our revenues,” said Ed Filomia, Senior Director of Broadcast Services for The HEAT Group. “We’re able to get video content from the arena and events onto the website faster than ever before, while the versatility of the system lowers our equipment and operational costs by supporting our live and on-demand production needs in one platform.”
The importance of streaming video as an integral part of the team’s marketing strategy was underscored at the recent start of the NBA’s 2010 free agency period. As part of a campaign to encourage HEAT star Wade to re-sign with the team, HEAT mascot Burnie took up residence on an exterior ledge of the arena for a week. To fuel publicity and fan interest in the campaign, StreamZ was used to provide a live stream of Burnie’s exploits 24-hours per day through the HEAT.com website. The StreamZ system was also used for live streaming of the welcoming party and press conference marking the signings of Wade and his new superstar teammates James and Bosh.
Tags: Digital Rapids, encoding solution, encoding system, live, live event coverage, live stream, Live Streaming, on-demand, on-demand Web viewing, online video, streaming video, StreamZ, transcode, video content
Posted by Derrick on June 4, 2010 under Video Streaming and Compression |
Digital Rapids — the leading provider of tools and solutions for bringing television, film and Web content to wider audiences – announced that the company will incorporate direct support for the upcoming HTTP Dynamic Streaming technology from Adobe within Digital Rapids’ comprehensive range of studio encoding, transcoding and live streaming systems.
HTTP Dynamic Streaming is a new delivery method, enabling on-demand and live adaptive bit rate streaming of standards-based MP4 media over HTTP to Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR applications. This capability gives content creators, developers and publishers more choice in high quality media delivery while maintaining the reach of the Flash platform. While RTMP, the Adobe Flash Media Server protocol for streaming video, remains the protocol of choice for lowest latency, fastest start, dynamic buffering and stream encryption, HTTP Dynamic Streaming leverages existing HTTP Web infrastructure and cache technologies to help increase capacity and reduce delivery costs for large scale publishers. HTTP Dynamic Streaming’s adaptive bit rate capabilities will automatically switch between multiple streams at varying bit rates to provide consistent, uninterrupted viewing experiences up to HD quality even under dramatically changing network connectivity and playback conditions.
“Digital Rapids has a strong history with video on the Flash platform, and we’re excited to have their support for HTTP Dynamic Streaming,” said Scott Wellwood, Director of Business Development for Dynamic Media at Adobe. “Digital Rapids’ extensive range of solutions for live and on-demand content creation and transformation are used by some of the world’s top media organizations and service providers, and we look forward to working with Digital Rapids to bring HTTP Dynamic Streaming to their customers.”
In addition to compatibility with Adobe’s HTTP Dynamic Streaming tools, support for the creation of on-demand media for HTTP Dynamic Streaming delivery will be integrated directly into Digital Rapids’ award-winning StreamZ and StreamZHD encoding systems, and the Digital Rapids Transcode Manager enterprise-class, distributed transcoding software. Live HTTP Dynamic Streaming will be supported in StreamZ, StreamZHD and select models in the StreamZ Live family of dedicated live encoders, including the recently-announced StreamZHD Live ABR adaptive bit rate streaming system. (Please see our March 8 press release for more details about StreamZHD Live ABR).
“HTTP Dynamic Streaming will provide a robust new delivery option for content providers streaming to viewing experiences built on Adobe Flash technologies, and we’re pleased to be working with Adobe to support it,” said Darren Gallipeau, Product Manager at Digital Rapids. “The addition of HTTP Dynamic Streaming support alongside our existing RTMP-based capabilities for Adobe Flash technology will let our customers choose their preferred, optimal delivery method while leveraging the industry-leading quality, performance and flexibility of our solutions.”
Posted by Derrick on April 24, 2010 under Video Streaming and Compression |
Highwinds, a content, network and hosted IP services business, announced that the National Association of Broadcasters selected its content delivery network (CDN) for the second consecutive year to deliver video from the annual NAB Show. Video highlights from the 2010 NAB Show, that took place from April 10-15 in Las Vegas, were delivered to online audiences over Highwinds’ CDN during and after the event through the NAB Show web site at www.nabshow.com.
Highwinds worked closely with the National Association of Broadcasters and Digital Rapids, who provided onsite transcoding technology again this year. Video of the event, including daily highlights, studio segments, and attendee and exhibitor interviews, were made available for on-demand distribution to worldwide audiences over Highwinds’ CDN. NAB offered more online video coverage than it had in previous years, with new event footage and segments.
Highwinds owns and operates the fastest growing CDN on the planet, delivering live and on-demand video from some of the world’s largest broadcasters to global audiences over its high-performance RollingThunder network. Customers gain intuitive self-provisioning features and superior content command and control with Highwinds’ StrikeTracker console and open APIs, enabling the immediate propagation and streaming of all video uploaded to Highwinds’ network.
Posted by Derrick on March 11, 2010 under Video Streaming and Compression |
Digital Rapids — the leading provider of tools and solutions for bringing television, film and web content to wider audiences – unveiled the new StreamZHD Live ABR encoder, the industry’s highest-performance Adaptive Bit Rate streaming system. The latest model in the StreamZ Live family, StreamZHD Live ABR encodes and streams live HD and SD content at unparalleled quality for delivery through the latest generation of adaptive streaming technologies.
StreamZHD Live ABR supports the Dynamic Streaming capabilities of Adobe® Flash Media Server®; adaptive HTTP streaming to Apple® iPhone® mobile devices, and Microsoft® Internet Information Services (IIS) Smooth Streaming to Microsoft® Silverlight® powered viewing experiences. StreamZHD Live ABR is also easily extensible to support additional adaptive delivery technologies, such as Adobe’s upcoming HTTP Dynamic Streaming (announced as Project Zeri).
Adaptive bit rate streaming enables higher-quality viewing experiences with television-like continuity and reliability on the Web and mobile devices. StreamZHD Live ABR creates multiple output streams at varying bit rates and resolutions from the input source. As the content is delivered to each viewer, the chosen adaptive delivery technology automatically switches between these streams to deliver the best possible quality based on the viewer’s current network and local system conditions. The results are consistent, uninterrupted viewing experiences up to HD quality even under dramatically changing network connectivity and playback conditions.
Building on Digital Rapids’ long-standing ability to output multiple formats, resolutions and bit rates simultaneously in real time, StreamZHD Live ABR provides superior encoding performance for adaptive delivery. Combinations of up to seven HD and SD streams can be output simultaneously in real time from a single StreamZHD Live ABR unit. StreamZHD Live ABR can output streams up to full 1920×1080 at 30fps in the H.264 compression format — including simultaneous 1080p and 720p outputs — and up to 720p with VC-1 compression. Multiple StreamZHD Live ABR systems can be synchronized to encode the same source for adaptive streaming applications requiring a greater number of simultaneous streams. A single StreamZHD Live ABR unit can also create outputs for multiple platforms — such as the Web and iPhone — concurrently.
Adaptive bit rate technologies also minimize the initial viewing delay typical with earlier streaming methods, providing fast start-up times approaching the immediacy of traditional television. The historical approach of content providers offering streams in two or three tiered bit rates for the viewer to select between — often with poor results under changing conditions or if viewers over-estimate their capabilities — is also no longer necessary. Viewers simply start viewing from a single engagement point, with the adaptive technologies managing the bit rate dynamically.
StreamZHD Live ABR combines all of these benefits with the proven advantages of Digital Rapids’ StreamZ Live encoder family, forming the ideal adaptive streaming platform. Advanced video pre-processing features including motion adaptive de-interlacing with pixel-level analysis and video noise reduction deliver superior visual quality with the most efficient use of bandwidth in the compressed result. Video adjustments and graphic overlay enable refinement of incoming sources and the addition of branding to output streams. Multiple StreamZHD Live ABR encoders can be combined with the scalable Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager software for enterprise-class management, automation, scheduling, multi-channel monitoring and failover.
“Our live encoding and streaming solutions have long been regarded as the quality leaders, but even with the best encoding quality, the viewing experience can be constrained by delivery challenges such as varying network bandwidth. StreamZHD Live ABR combines our superior quality and robust, enterprise-class features with advanced delivery mechanisms to significantly improve the viewer experience,” said Darren Gallipeau, Product Manager at Digital Rapids. “Higher quality and consistent reliability lead to longer viewer engagement times, which in turn offer greater monetization opportunities to content owners. Meanwhile, the exceptional performance of StreamZHD Live ABR lowers the cost of encoding for adaptive streaming by producing all of the outputs within a single unit.”
The new StreamZHD Live ABR model is now shipping. Full adaptive streaming capabilities are also available in Digital Rapids’ versatile StreamZHD multi-format, live and on-demand studio encoders.
StreamZHD Live ABR and other Digital Rapids solutions will be showcased in booth number SL6010 at the 2010 NAB Show, April 12-15 in Las Vegas. For more information about Digital Rapids, please visit http://www.digital-rapids.com/.
Posted by Derrick on February 8, 2010 under Video Streaming and Compression |
Digital Rapids — the leading provider of tools and solutions for bringing television, film and web content to wider audiences — and Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) announced that the Dutch public broadcaster has selected Digital Rapids’ StreamZ encoding systems to power live and on-demand Internet and mobile coverage of the 2010 Olympic Games for audiences in the Netherlands. The 2010 Olympic Games will be held February 12-28 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Part of Netherlands public broadcasting system Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO), NOS is a market leader in the field of news and sports coverage on television, radio, the Internet and mobile devices. NOS will supplement their television coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Games with up to eight simultaneous live streams on the Web and extensive mobile content. The StreamZ systems will encode source video feeds into Web-friendly streams for viewing through an interactive experience powered by Microsoft(r) Silverlight(r) technology, and into multiple formats for mobile viewing. The encoded live streams will also be archived for viewers to watch on-demand.
“Our goal at NOS is to help strengthen the position of Dutch sports, by enabling the public to follow the many sports that play an important role in our society across all possible digital media platforms,” said Roeland Stekelenburg, Head of New Media at NOS. “During the 2008 Olympic Games, the ratio of streams viewed on our Website relative to the size of our country’s population was one of the highest in the world. Digital Rapids StreamZ encoders allow us to provide the quality and reliability we need for coverage of an event of this significance.”
“We’re thrilled that NOS has again chosen our award-winning encoding systems for their online Olympic Games coverage,” said Brick Eksten, President of Digital Rapids. “Audience expectations for the breadth, depth and quality of online sports coverage are higher than ever, and StreamZ encoding solutions are ideal for enabling superior Web-based experiences surpassing these expectations.”
StreamZ is the industry’s most versatile encoding solution, delivering multi-format video capture, encoding, transcoding and live streaming in a powerful turnkey configuration that integrates easily into any professional media environment. Combining the quality and performance advantages of hardware-based preprocessing with a format-flexible and feature-rich software application, StreamZ seamlessly supports live and on-demand multi-platform distribution opportunities with real-time, simultaneous encoding to multiple output formats.
Tags: content, devices, Digital Rapids, encode, encoders, encoding, formats, live, mobile, multiple, on-demand, output, Real-time, Silverlight, streams, StreamZ, Systems, transcoding, Video
