Digital Rapids NAB 2011 Announcements

April 14, 2011

Digital Rapids will be bringing their complete range of tools and solutions for transforming and distributing media to the 2011 NAB Show, in booth number SL6010 (Lower South Hall). Digital Rapids connects content to opportunity, providing the leading tools, technology and expertise for bringing live and on-demand video to wider audiences and the latest viewing platforms.

Enabling superior multi-screen viewing experiences, powerful file-based workflows and efficient B2B content distribution, their solutions span video ingest, encoding, transcoding, management, streaming, playout and delivery. In addition to exciting new products being unveiled for the first time at the show, they will feature some new products previewed late last year and new versions of their established solutions: Digital Rapids Transcode Manager, StreamZ Live IP, StreamZHD Live ABR,TouchStream StreamZHD, MediaMesh.

Digital Rapids Unveils Quartet of New Products and Upgrades for Live Multi-Screen Encoding and Streaming

April 10, 2011

NAB Show, Las Vegas, Booth SL6010: Digital Rapids has unveiled a wide array of new products and enhancements in the company's comprehensive range of encoders for live multi-screen delivery. The new offerings include the launch of the StreamZ Live IP encoder for repurposing live IP-based inputs; significant performance increases in the StreamZHD Live ABR adaptive streaming encoder; new remote management capabilities for the TouchStream live streaming appliance; and a preview of a new hybrid encoder, extending Digital Rapids' proven, multi-screen encoding benefits into 'traditional' television applications in the broadcast, cable, satellite and telco markets.

From IP to Multi-Screen

StreamZ Live IP offers the superior output quality, outstanding reliability and flexible output format support of Digital Rapids' StreamZ Live encoder series in a dedicated configuration for transcoding live IP-based sources. StreamZ Live IP's rich output capabilities allow content owners to easily repurpose contributed source feeds for revenue-expanding multi-screen content distribution opportunities.

StreamZ Live IP supports single or multi-program Transport Stream inputs with H.264 or MPEG-2 compressed video. The adaptive streaming model of StreamZ Live IP features the same flexible output capabilities as the award-winning StreamZHD Live ABR adaptive bit rate encoder. StreamZ Live IP supports HTTP Dynamic Streaming, IP multicast and multicast fusion with peer-assisted networking with Adobe® Flash® Media Server 4 software; HTTP Live Streaming for Apple® iPhone® and iPad™; and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Smooth Streaming. Adaptive bit rate streaming enables higher-quality viewing experiences with television-like continuity and reliability on the Web, IPTV, over-the-top (OTT) services and mobile devices.

Multiple StreamZ Live IP encoders can be combined with the scalable  Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager software for enterprise-class management, automation, scheduling, multi-channel monitoring and failover.

Advancing Adaptive Streaming

The StreamZHD Live ABR encoder family, providing adaptive bit rate encoding and streaming from baseband HD and SD video signals, has itself been expanded and enhanced. New StreamZHD Live ABR systems feature increased processing power that allows encoding of a greater number of simultaneous outputs. Combinations of up to 15 HD, SD and mobile streams can be output simultaneously in real time, including concurrent output for multiple adaptive streaming technologies and target devices.

Connecting Broadcast Television with New Opportunities

NAB attendees are also being treated to a technology preview of a new hybrid live encoder, combining Digital Rapids' renowned multi-screen output versatility and quality with robust features for the unique demands of broadcast, cable, telco and satellite television operations. The carrier-grade StreamZ Live Broadcast encoder will feature simultaneous encoding for 'traditional' television and 'any-screen' delivery including mobile phones, tablets, PCs, IPTV, game consoles and more -- all in a single encoder.

Digital Rapids Previews Next Generation of High-Volume Transcoding Software with Cloud Support, Intelligent Automation and More

April 10, 2011

Transcode Manager 2.0 powered by new Kayak application foundation

NAB Show, Las Vegas, Booth SL6010: Digital Rapids has unveiled version 2.0 of the award-winning Digital Rapids Transcode Manager enterprise-class, multi-screen media file transcoding software. Transcode Manager 2.0, built on the groundbreaking new Kayak application platform, combines outstanding quality, intelligent automation and exceptional performance for transforming high volumes of media between acquisition, production, archive and distribution formats. New features include powerful, logic-driven process automation; greater deployment flexibility; and seamless scalability beyond facilities into the cloud.

In addition to previews of Transcode Manager 2.0 in Digital Rapids' booth (SL6010) at the 2011 NAB Show, the new cloud transcoding capabilities running on the Windows Azure platform will be demonstrated by Digital Rapids in the partner demonstration area of Microsoft Corp.'s booth, SL3812.

"The rapid growth of revenue-expanding, multi-screen distribution opportunities and the exploding volume of available content are driving fundamental shifts in the way media enterprises approach their content processing workflows," said Brick Eksten, President of Digital Rapids Corporation. "From the on-demand scalability of the cloud to greater automation 'intelligence', these organizations are seeking more efficient ways to grow their operations while managing costs. Leveraging our new Kayak application foundation, Transcode Manager provides these customers with a powerful, future-proof transcoding platform that addresses these needs and can easily adapt with the evolving media landscape."

Advanced logic-driven process automation

Transcode Manager 2.0 features sophisticated new process automation capabilities. The included Kayak Designer allows users to visually define sophisticated, decision-based media processing flows with rich metadata support. Processes from video and audio manipulations and compression to progress monitoring and publishing can be easily combined into simple or complex workflows with immediate visual feedback.

Transcode Manager 2.0 integrates its logic-driven automation inline within the transcoding process. Advanced logic branching allows different tasks or parameters to be applied based on the characteristics of the source media and previous processing results. Continuous analysis dynamically adapts processing to changing input attributes on a frame-by-frame basis, such as mixed 3:2 pulldown and 'natively' interlaced content within the same source file.

Into the Cloud

Transcode Manager 2.0 extends its superior scalability with seamless integration between on-premises and cloud-based media processing. Cloud transcoding support enables on-demand, elastic resource expansion without the capital expenditure and time-consuming effort of provisioning of additional local physical systems. Lightweight, self-deploying Kayak Cloud Engines can be instantiated as-needed using available software licenses. Running on the Windows Azure platform, Transcode Manager 2.0's cloud transcoding capabilities tightly integrate with on-premises Transcode Manager installations for seamless hybrid operations.

"The cloud model offers content creators and distributors the ability to scale up rapidly to meet peaks in demand without a significant capital expenditure burden or lengthy deployment cycle," said Jake Winett, Director of Media & Entertainment Industry Solutions, Microsoft Communications Sector. "Digital Rapids' approach with Transcode Manager 2.0 and the Kayak application foundation enable media organizations to use the Windows Azure platform in their content transformation workflows, and we're excited to be working closely with Digital Rapids to showcase these combined strengths to our customers."

Flexible Deployments and Easy Transitions

Transcode Manager 2.0 will enable flexible new deployment models, with licenses 'checked out' from a central pool as needed by transcoding tasks rather than statically assigned to specific transcoding engines. Transcode Manager 2.0 will also provide a smooth transition path for existing Transcode Manager users. New Kayak-based transcoding engines can be integrated easily into existing Transcode Manager installations, appearing to operators as additional resources in the Transcode Manager interface alongside existing 'classic' Transcode Engines.

Developers wishing to deeply integrate their technologies or solutions with Transcode Manager 2.0 can develop directly on the Kayak application platform. Kayak provides a rich, multi-language, component-based foundation for developing, designing and managing applications deployable from the desktop to the cloud.

Transcode Manager 2.0 is slated for release in the second half of 2011.

Digital Rapids Previews New Contribution Extensions for Award-Winning MediaMesh Content Delivery System

April 12, 2011

NAB Show, Las Vegas, Booth SL6010: Digital Rapids -- the leading provider of tools and solutions for bringing television, movie and Web content to wider audiences -- is offering attendees of the 2011 NAB Show a preview of a powerful new extension to the award-winning MediaMesh business-to-business content delivery system. The new MediaMesh TX content contribution appliance provides flexible, easy-to-use content packaging and sending capabilities mirroring the robust features of the proven MediaMesh RX receiving appliance.

Scaling from point-to-point delivery to sophisticated global distribution networks, the MediaMesh content delivery system combines robust, scalable transfer technology with full-featured, easy-to-use sending and receiving solutions, providing efficient transfer of digital media files between content providers, contributors, aggregators and distribution partners. Optimizing the transfer of HD, SD and Digital Cinema media over terrestrial IP networks and satellite, MediaMesh delivers content ranging from ad spots to syndicated series and long-form features with significant cost savings and an unmatched combination of speed, simplicity, security and flexibility.

MediaMesh TX contribution appliances blend powerful, centralized inventory management with best-in-class media transformation and packaging capabilities, enabling flexible submission, repurposing and delivery of file-based media. Features include content and metadata management; file conforming and transcoding; resource creation (such as proxies and thumbnails); quality control verification; playout; print-to-tape; and delivery to individual recipients or groups at the network 'edge'. MediaMesh TX harnesses this rich functionality within an intuitive, graphical interface.

Recipient information such as specific formatting requirements and edge location addresses are managed 'behind-the-scenes' through a phonebook-style directory, allowing operators to easily select delivery targets without manually tracking such details. Published content may be sent in the recipient's final destination format or in a mezzanine package to be conformed to local format requirements upon receipt, increasing distribution efficiency by reducing the need to deliver multiple variants from the source.

"With the continually expanding diversity and opportunity of the content distribution landscape, media organizations are replacing complex and fragmented processes with streamlined workflows that increase their efficiency and effectiveness," said Brian Stevenson, Director of Product Management for IPTV and Delivery at Digital Rapids. "By simplifying and speeding the packaging and delivery process, MediaMesh enables these organizations to lower their delivery and operational costs while expanding their revenues through broader distribution and syndication. MediaMesh TX contribution solutions round out the MediaMesh system, enabling a complete, intuitive, end-to-end content delivery workflow with considerable savings over physical distribution or expensive services."

MediaMesh TX contribution appliances are slated for release in the second half of 2011.

The complete range of Digital Rapids solutions is being showcased in booth number SL6010 at the 2011 NAB Show, April 11-14 in Las Vegas. For more information about Digital Rapids, please visit www.digital-rapids.com.

Digital Rapids Doubles Encoder Density with Powerful New Models

March 29, 2011

Markham, Ontario: Digital Rapids -- the leading provider of tools and solutions for bringing television, movie and Web content to wider audiences -- today announced new dual-channel models in the  StreamZ and StreamZHD families of studio encoding systems; StreamZHD Live ABR adaptive streaming encoder; and Flux family of video capture and pre-processing hardware. The new models combine Digital Rapids' long-standing ability to output multiple formats, resolutions and bit rates simultaneously in real time with the capability to capture and encode from two distinct sources concurrently.

Dual-channel, standard-definition StreamZ models feature SDI video input support with embedded audio. High-definition, dual-channel models of StreamZHD and StreamZHD Live ABR support HD-SDI, dual-link HD-SDI, 3G-SDI and standard-definition SDI video inputs. Real-time down-conversion of dual-link and 3G-SDI inputs leverages new facility infrastructures and allows easy repurposing of such sources without the workflow inconvenience and expense of external format converters.

The new SD Flux-2200 and HD Flux-4200 boards offer similar hardware functionality in half-height, half-length PCI Express® cards. Flux cards are bundled with the tightly integrated Stream LE software, allowing customers to add Digital Rapids' renowned multi-format capture, encoding, transcoding and streaming capabilities to existing PC workstations.

Further supporting these increased input channel densities, the latest StreamZHD and StreamZHD Live ABR system configurations also feature increased processing power, enabling the encoding of a greater number of simultaneous multi-format outputs.

"Media organizations are processing a higher volume of content than ever before, from increased numbers of live channels for multiple target devices to an exponentially growing number of file-based deliverables," said Darren Gallipeau, Product Manager at Digital Rapids. "The new dual-channel models of our encoding solutions will help customers address these increased demands while lowering the capital costs, space and power requirements associated with separate single-channel encoders."

Digital Rapids' comprehensive range of encoding solutions combine unmatched visual quality and performance with flexible, feature-rich software, seamlessly supporting the transformation of content for live and on-demand multi-screen distribution opportunities and file-based applications.