Stofa Denmark’s OTT service provides more than 70 channels of first-run content on tablets, PCs and smartphones thanks to multi-profile 4Caster C4 encoders
In a separate release:
AMSTERDAM -- Envivio, a leading provider of live and on-demand multi-screen IP video processing and delivery solutions, today introduced version 3.0 firmware for 4Caster™ C4, its flagship multi-profile encoding/transcoding solution. 4Caster C4 is the industry’s first and only platform to support a broad range of functions—including encoding, transcoding, packaging, encryption and publishing—in a single system that delivers broadcast-quality TV, HTTP adaptive streaming and 3GPP mobile video. Version 3.0 also adds support for MPEG-2 encoding and IP statistical multiplexing of H.264 and MPEG-2 video streams for cable and satellite broadcast services.
“Video networks today need to be built to deliver TV without Boundaries to both the traditional television set and the growing variety of mobile and Internet-connected devices, creating complex challenges for network and content owners to meet consumer expectations for a high quality of experience,” said Julien Signès, Envivio’s president and CEO. “With its new firmware upgrade, 4Caster C4 is an even more powerful encoding platform optimized to support today’s services and also accommodate the constantly growing range of devices.”
The new firmware adds several features that are designed to enhance bandwidth efficiency, improve video quality, reduce costs and improve density:
- IP Statmux: Integrated statistical multiplexing eliminates points of failure since an external multiplexer is not required. Bandwidth efficiency for variable bit-rate applications in satellite direct-to-home (DTH) or cable networks can be improved by up to 50%.
- MPEG-2 Support: The addition of MPEG-2 encoding enables service providers to support legacy broadcast services in addition to multi-screen. Operators can improve video quality thanks to Envivio’s software-based compression architecture that avoids the chipset limitations inherent in hardware-based encoders.
- Common Encoding: By encoding once and then converting to specific output formats, efficiency and density are significantly improved compared to prior architectures requiring a separate broadcast and multi-screen headend infrastructure. With the 3.0 software deployed on the 4Caster C4 Gen III hardware platform, Envivio can achieve higher density and significantly lower operating cost per channel than other solutions.
- Foresight Advanced Pre-Processing: Envivio has made further improvements to its proprietary codec with the addition of the new Foresight algorithm, which improves quality and compression efficiency by analyzing the structure and complexity of H.264 video sources to optimize transcoding.
- Video Quality Monitoring: The new video quality monitoring feature of 4Caster C4 3.0 internally monitors ingest and output streams and provides an objective video quality score for all resolutions and all bit rates. This allows the operator to easily monitor the quality of service without having to deploy separate and costly quality control equipment.
- Image Insertion: Emergency alert systems, blackout control, channel branding and advertisement overlays can be supported directly from the encoder, eliminating the need to convert to baseband and utilize additional third-party equipment.
Envivio is showcasing this architecture at IBC, stand 1.D73. Version 3.0 firmware is available immediately for existing 4Caster C4 Gen III and 4Caster C4² installations. For information on upgrading to the latest release, please contact your Envivio sales representative or Envivio Support. Contact information and product details can be found online at www.Envivio.com.
In a separate release:
AMSTERDAM -- Envivio, a leading provider of live and on-demand multi-screen IP video processing and delivery solutions, today announced the second generation of the Envivio Halo Network Media Processor (NMP). Halo 2 makes it possible to deliver several features of traditional TV services on iOS, Silverlight and Android-based devices—including closed captioning, subtitles and alternate audio services—enhancing the quality of experience for viewers.
This new release also features improved content protection, ease-of-operations, and better performance to enable the fastest multi-screen service deployment on the market. An optional embedded origin server can facilitate adaptive bit-rate service delivery for Apple HTTP Live Streaming and Microsoft Smooth Streaming. Multiple international cable and telco operators are currently deploying Envivio’s Halo NMP solution.
Halo 2 allows operators to use multiple digital rights management (DRM) systems simultaneously, enabling the selection of best-in-class security to support a large range of devices. Halo protects premium content in a variety of ways including using Microsoft’s Playready and AES-based encryption for Apple HTTP Live Streaming. The new release has pre-qualified specific interfaces for Verimatrix, Nagravision, Microsoft and Securemedia. It can be quickly and easily integrated with any standard DRM due to an open, standards-based interface.
In a separate release:
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Envivio, the leading provider of live and on-demand multi-screen IP video processing and delivery solutions, today announced record results for the six month period ending July 31, 2011, the first half of Envivio’s fiscal year 2012.
Revenue for the first half of fiscal 2012 nearly doubled compared to the same period last year, while gross margin continues to improve. With this revenue and margin growth, Envivio reached profitability during the second quarter of the current fiscal year.
Envivio’s growth was fueled by the accelerated demand for multi-screen television services from Tier-1 service providers worldwide. In particular, Envivio secured multiple projects with U.S.-based Tier-1 cable and telecom operators for multi-screen TV delivery. Envivio offers a flexible, software-based architecture for provisioning of high quality video content on any network and to any screen, including TVs and new devices, in contrast with legacy broadcast technology providers focused only on traditional broadcast services delivered to TV sets.
First Half FY2012 Business Highlights: