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 August 13, 2010 under Video Streaming and Compression |
Telestream, the leading provider of digital media tools and workflow solutions, announced the execution of a definitive agreement to acquire the business operations of the Anystream division of Grab Networks. The combination will further extend Telestream’s position in the software video transcoding market and significantly enhance the company’s ability to provide enterprise-class, file-based and live encoding solutions across the globe.
Founded ten years ago, Anystream pioneered a solution for media companies looking to produce and transcode video to publish on the web with the introduction of their Agility products. The company grew to become a leading provider of automated multi-platform media publishing solutions, and its solutions are used by over 600 of the leading media companies in 38 countries around the world.
Once completed, the transaction will add a world-class engineering and support team, an East Coast office, and a key account sales team to Telestream’s worldwide business. The addition of Anystream’s seasoned team of professionals grows a dedicated, world-class group focused on automated multi-platform media publishing solutions within the Telestream family.
“This is a great opportunity for Telestream to accelerate its momentum helping media and entertainment companies unleash the promise of their media assets through next-generation enterprise-class solutions designed for complex multi-format workflows. Anystream’s customer base will benefit not only from Telestream’s broad end-to-end digital media tools and workflow solutions, but also from its strategic focus on transcoding,” said Dan Castles, CEO of Telestream. “This transaction is very synergistic and truly a win-win for customers, employees, and partners alike.”
“This transaction further helps the company leverage a growing market,” remarked Michelle Abraham, principal analyst with In-Stat. In-Stat expects the worldwide multiformat transcoding market to grow from $117 million to $297 million in 2014, according to the report “Worldwide Market for Enterprise-Class Multiformat Transcoders” issued August 3, 2010. The transaction is subject to various closing conditions, and the terms of the deal were not disclosed as both companies are closely-held private entities.
Posted by Derrick on May 6, 2010 under Video Streaming and Compression |
Sorenson Media announced that the company will collaborate with Adobe and Amazon Web Services to present an informational online video workshop for participants at the 2010 Streaming Media East conference in New York City.
The two-hour workshop, entitled “The Business and Technology of Online Video,” will be held Tuesday, May 11 at the Hilton New York. Free to conference attendees, it will focus on simplifying the often difficult and unwieldy processes of encoding, managing, publishing and delivering video content over the Internet. Guided by step-by-step demonstrations, participants will learn how to capture, encode, store, publish, transcode and deliver their videos “in the cloud,” utilizing powerful features from the award-winning Sorenson Squeeze encoding solution, Sorenson 360 online video platform (OVP), and Amazon Web Services CloudFront and other streaming web services. The workshop will also cover integration capabilities of Sorenson Media’s total video solutions and Amazon Web Services with Adobe’s Open Source Media Framework. All attendees will receive a $50 Sorenson 360 usage voucher and $25 in Amazon Web Services usage credit.
“We are delighted to partner with two fellow industry leaders, Adobe and Amazon Web Services, to demonstrate innovative and intuitive approaches for online video production and deployment at the 2010 Streaming Media East conference,” said Eric Quanstrom, VP of marketing & strategy of Sorenson Media. “This is a tremendous opportunity to present the market’s highest-quality online video solutions to world-class individuals and organizations in a position to make optimal use of them.”
In addition to its involvement in the 2010 Streaming Media East workshop, Sorenson Media will serve as the official All-Star Sponsor for the 2010 Streaming Media All-Stars program. This sponsorship includes publication of the Streaming Media All-Stars feature in the April/May issue of Streaming Media, which goes out to approximately 20,000 readers, as well as a private event at a Mets baseball game on May 11 for select industry luminaries participating at Streaming Media East.
“It is fitting that Sorenson Media, whose technology has ‘sponsored’ so many transformative developments in the online video movement, is now sponsoring the celebration of key people helping to propel the industry forward,” said Quanstrom. “We also plan to make other significant announcements in conjunction with the event, so stay tuned.”
Tags: capture, East, encoding, online, publish, solutions, streaming, streaming media, transcode, Video, workshop
