Posted by Derrick on October 28, 2009 under Video Streaming and Compression | 
ViewCast Corporation announced that WNYC, America’s most listened-to public radio station, has selected ViewCast’s Niagara GoStream SURF portable encoding system for the station’s newly-opened The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space. The Greene Space is a state-of-the-art, multi-media performance space and broadcast studio that presents live broadcasts and tapings of WNYC’s signature programs. In addition, music concerts and festivals, audio theater, literary readings, art exhibits, political debates, symposia, town hall meetings and other exciting civic and cultural events are presented in the space. Most shows from The Greene Space are webcast live and archived in real time in Adobe Flash formats via the Niagara GoStream SURF. Many programs are also made available as video-on-demand (VOD) via the WNYC website.
“With the opening of The Greene Space, thousands of visitors each year are welcomed inside WNYC to experience great radio as it is created,” said Indira Etwaroo, Executive Producer of The Greene Space. “Technology allows millions more to connect to great content by stream, and in many cases download, audio and video of our live events. This is why it was so important to outfit the space with a cutting-edge digital audio and video production system.
“We tried to configure a PC-based encoder, but the machine time and labor for encoding via software, particularly for VOD, was both difficult and expensive,” said Bill Porter, President of Whitehorse Productions, Inc. and consultant to The Greene Space, who managed the ViewCast implementation for WNYC. “ViewCast’s Niagara GoStream SURF was a cost-effective, turnkey solution to provide reliable, real-time, live streaming of video programs and performances, plus VOD turnaround by next morning.“
“WNYC’s The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space is a model of innovation and a testament to the advanced capabilities that ViewCast’s streaming media technology can facilitate for today’s forward-looking content providers,” said David Stoner, President and CEO, ViewCast. “Our plug-and-play, professional-grade Niagara streaming media systems ensure exceptional ease of use, video quality and reliability for sophisticated broadcast applications such as WNYC’s The Greene Space, enabling high-performance video capture and streaming for both live and on-demand content.“
ViewCast’s Niagara streaming media appliances are designed to deliver the quality, features and ease-of-use convenience that professional broadcasters demand. They are pre-configured, plug-and-play solutions that enable users to quickly capture and broadcast premium quality audio and video in multiple formats and at multiple bit rates – all simultaneously. Plus they are powered by ViewCast’s award-winning Osprey technology, guaranteeing exceptional quality and reliability.
Posted by Derrick on October 16, 2009 under Video Streaming and Compression |
ViewCast Corporation, a developer of industry-leading solutions for the transformation, management and delivery of digital media over IP and mobile networks, announced that it has expanded its business relationship with Rahul Commerce, a leading distributor of multimedia technology in India. Previously a ViewCast reseller, Rahul Commerce has been designated a master distributor of ViewCast solutions, servicing India via offices in Mumbai and Pune and further extending ViewCast’s presence among Indian technology dealers, system integrators and broadcasting outlets.
“The new designation gives Rahul Commerce the opportunity to leverage its industry expertise and rich experience with ViewCast’s streaming media product portfolio in India, a country emerging as a significant market for streaming video in public and private enterprises,” said ViewCast Senior Vice President of Sales Gary J. Klembara.
“India’s rapidly developing Internet infrastructure represents a tremendous opportunity for its public institutions and private enterprises to leverage web streaming, video conferencing, IPTV and other rich media technologies to reach a larger audience within the country and around the world,” Klembara said. “Our alliance with Rahul Commerce promises to put ViewCast at the forefront of this technology movement, and positions us for accelerated business growth in the Indian market.” The market for streaming media technology in India has been driven in large part by the expansion of tele-education and tele-medicine programs across the government and education sectors. Broadcasting companies are proliferating in parallel, and are exploring Internet programming opportunities to extend the reach and revenue potential of the country’s 500+ television channels. With the roll-out of 3G and WiMax wireless communication services fueling the adoption of mobile streaming technology, and rising consumer demand for high definition (HD) programming, the market for ViewCast’s analog and HD streaming media product portfolio in India is primed for extraordinary growth.
“ViewCast’s Osprey video capture cards and Niagara streaming media encoders have been integral to Rahul Commerce’s success in the streaming media technology market, enabling us to provide our clients with reliable, high-performance streaming media platforms, backed by ViewCast’s reputation for quality service and support,” said Dhiren Shah, director, Rahul Commerce in Pune. “Working together with ViewCast in our elevated role as master distributor, we can capitalize on India’s rapidly growing demand for Internet streaming technology and services, as well as its nascent demand for mobile streaming capabilities and HD programming.”
Rahul’s capabilities in India are exemplified by the company’s work with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which has implemented ViewCast’s Osprey 230 analog video capture cards in schools and hospitals in remote locations around the country to help facilitate the organization’s expansive distance learning and tele-medicine programs. Utilizing its EDUSAT satellite system to aggregate and disseminate interactive programming from/to geographically dispersed educational and healthcare facilities, the ISRO counts on Osprey 230 cards to enable reliable, high-performance streaming of live and on-demand video content across a large network of facilities.
ViewCast Osprey video capture cards and Niagara streaming media encoders are designed to deliver the quality, features and ease-of-use that professional broadcasters demand. They are pre-configured, plug-and-play solutions that enable users to quickly capture and broadcast premium quality audio and video in multiple formats and at multiple bit rates – all simultaneously.
Posted by Derrick on August 22, 2009 under Video Streaming and Compression |
ViewCast Corporation (OTCBB: VCST), a developer of industry-leading solutions for the transformation, management and delivery of digital media over IP and mobile networks, today unveiled the Niagara® 2120, a low-cost, easy to use streaming media appliance that supports H.264 streaming via the Adobe® Flash® platform. The compact and portable Niagara 2120 provides professional-quality performance and reliability for organizations in corporate, government, education, worship and athletic settings seeking a plug-and-play platform for streaming video content across enterprise networks or over the Internet.
“The Niagara 2120 delivers exceptional value and powerful capabilities that enable customers of all levels of technical expertise to quickly and easily stream high quality live and on-demand video,” said ViewCast President and CEO Dave Stoner. “With seamless support for H.264 streaming, the Niagara 2120 expands ViewCast’s leadership in the streaming media appliance market and equips customers to leverage ViewCast’s industry-renowned capabilities on the Adobe Flash Platform.”
“ViewCast solutions based on the Adobe Flash Platform enable the delivery of rich, real-time media experiences to an ever-growing audience of consumers that rely on Adobe Flash technology for high quality video over the Web,” said Bill Rusitzky, senior director of global media alliances for Adobe. “The Niagara 2120 is the latest example of ViewCast’s continued technological innovation and commitment to providing high-performance video streaming solutions based on Adobe Flash technologies.”
The Niagara 2120 shares many of the same advanced features found in ViewCast’s other professional-grade streaming media encoders, and is optimized for simplified set-up and operation. Featuring a built-in Web interface to enable streamlined management from anywhere on the network, the compact, self-contained unit is ideal for location streaming applications and also fits easily into any production control room. Users simply set the desired streaming parameters via the intuitive Web interface, then initiate one or more streams simultaneously from the front panel “Stream” button.
The Niagara 2120 enables organizations of all sizes, and those with limited budgets, to stream live and on-demand sports, educational and training content, corporate events and more to an expansive Web-based audience, which in turn creates marketing and sponsorship opportunities that can increase revenue streams. With support for H.264 streaming to the Adobe Flash Platform, customers are afforded high-performance streaming capabilities across a broad range of bandwidths to elevate the quality and impact of their Internet video programming.
The Niagara 2120 comes standard with ViewCast SimulStream® technology, which enables a single video source to generate several video streams simultaneously – in multiple resolutions and bit rates – with each stream configured differently for laptops, cell phones, or mobile devices. ViewCast’s Niagara SCX® streaming media management software is also included with the Niagara 2120, enabling centralized set-up, monitoring and control over multiple systems positioned anywhere on the network – all from a single desktop.
Like all Niagara appliances, the Niagara 2120 features image scaling, cropping, de-interlacing, inverse telecine and closed caption rendering capabilities. The Niagara 2120 provides flexible connectivity options including component, Y/C (S-Video), and composite video inputs, as well as balanced and unbalanced stereo audio.
ViewCast at IBC 2009
ViewCast will be demonstrating the Niagara 2120 at IBC 2009 in Amsterdam, September 11 – 15. The company will also be demonstrating its Niagara 7500, a powerful, feature-rich streaming
appliance for Web-based delivery of high-definition video, specifically designed to simplify the most demanding professional broadcasting applications. Visit ViewCast at IBC #IP323.
Posted by Derrick on May 19, 2009 under Video Streaming and Compression |
ViewCast Corporation, a developer of industry-leading hardware and software for the transformation, delivery and management of professional quality video over IP and mobile networks, announced support for Microsoft Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS) Smooth Streaming content delivery platform for Microsoft Silverlight. Working seamlessly with the IIS Smooth Streaming advanced, HTTP-based adaptive streaming technology, select Niagara streaming media encoders will enable media companies and consumers alike to take advantage of bandwidth-optimized, high-definition (HD) content streamed over the Internet.
IIS Smooth Streaming enables content creators and delivery networks to stream video on
demand (VOD) and live events to consumers’ PCs in the highest possible quality – including true HD (720p) – transparently adapting video stream quality to accommodate users’ available bandwidth without freezing or buffering the stream. This approach ensures that users can enjoy the highest possible quality online viewing experience, while enabling media companies to provide a consistent, seamless viewing experience that extends average viewing times and associated revenue opportunities.
“IIS Smooth Streaming technology is an exciting advance for media streaming applications, bringing media companies and consumers one step closer to realizing television-caliber programming definition and continuity via the Internet,” said Dave Stoner, ViewCast President and CEO. “By supporting IIS Smooth Streaming technology with our Niagara streaming media encoders, we’re enabling our customers to seamlessly scale their media streaming applications to meet the unique requirements of their viewers. But we’re also demonstrating to the marketplace the importance of our technology. As advancements like Microsoft IIS Smooth Streaming generate growth in Internet video programming, they also generate new interest and growth in our technology. ”
“Microsoft is committed to bringing next-generation media experiences to the Web via IIS Smooth Streaming and Silverlight in order to provide the scalability and quality of service that media companies require to grow their online video businesses,” said Steve Sklepowich, group product manager for Silverlight at Microsoft Corp. “Microsoft is enabling ViewCast to realize the full promise of true HD via Microsoft’s adaptive streaming platform, providing direct benefit to their customers.”
ViewCast Niagara streaming media encoders are designed to deliver the quality, features and ease-of-use convenience that professional broadcasters demand. They are pre-configured, plug-and-play solutions that enable users to quickly capture and broadcast premium quality audio and video in multiple formats and at multiple bit rates – all simultaneously.
Tags: adaptive streaming, High-definition, IIS Smooth Streaming, Microsoft, Niagara, Silverlight, Smooth Streaming, streaming, streaming media encoders, Support, technology, ViewCast
Posted by Derrick on February 24, 2009 under Video Streaming and Compression |
High-definition video streaming reaches a new level of quality and performance with the Niagara 7500 from ViewCast. Making its debut at NAB 2009, the Niagara 7500 simplifies the complex workflows associated with the transformation and delivery of high-definition video to IP and mobile networks. The Niagara 7500 features a sleek, innovative touch control interface with contextual menus that streamline and simplify the operation of this high-powered, dual quad core streaming appliance.
The unit features SD and HD SDI video inputs, balanced/unbalanced analog and AES/EBU digital audio, and eight stereo pairs of embedded SDI audio inputs. Users can switch on-the-fly between incoming SD and HD video, and stream in multiple bit rates and resolutions simultaneously in Microsoft VC-1, Silverlight, and H.264 Flash Live. The Niagara 7500 includes powerful video preprocessing tools such as closed-caption rendering, de-interlacing, and inverse telecine. Users can control multiple Niagara 7500 systems remotely with the included Niagara SCX Pro management software. Further, a robust SDK for application customization is also available, making the Niagara 7500 an ideal choice for the most demanding professional broadcasting applications. If you want to stop by the Viewcast booth they’ll be at Booth #SL6020 (South Hall).
Tags: broadcasting applications, H.264 Flash Live, HD, High-definition, Microsoft VC-1, Niagara 7500, SD and HD, SDI video inputs, Silverlight, streaming, video streaming, ViewCast, workflows
