Elemental Technologies Releases Elemental Server

Elemental Technologies, the leading provider of massively parallel video processing solutions, announced the release of Elemental™ Server, the world’s first GPU-based transcoding appliance. Elemental Server’s breakthrough technology enables faster than real time, simultaneous encoding of video files targeting the comprehensive specifications required for the three-screen experience of TV, PC and mobile. Delivering high-speed encoding and premium video output using GPUs (graphics processing units), Elemental Server can replace multiple CPU-only solutions for a fraction of the price, ensuring immediate capital and maintenance cost savings.

With video consumption skyrocketing and predicted to comprise 90 percent of consumer Internet traffic by 2012, companies require encoding technology that leapfrogs current CPU-only solutions. Elemental Server’s innovative multi-GPU system can simultaneously process and encode video to multiple resolutions and bitrates and provides support for all major adaptive bit rate standards.

“Content distributors are experiencing rising demand for all types of video and Elemental Server is ideally suited to address this trend,” said Sam Blackman, CEO and chairman of Elemental Technologies. “The shift towards massively parallel computing opens new frontiers in the video processing landscape, and we are proud to introduce Elemental Server as the first of many enterprise-class, GPU-accelerated video processing solutions we are bringing to market.”

Companies not only focused on delivering online video content, but a broad range of broadcast networks, mobile operators and government agencies are deploying Elemental Server into their workflows to efficiently deliver more online video content with immediate benefits in price/performance and transcoding versatility.

Elemental Server is designed to fit into existing workflows with crucial video processing features including:

• Simultaneous processing of up to four 1080p or 24 standard definition video transcodes in real time.
• Support for concurrent processing of multiple resolutions and bitrates on a single system, simplifying the requirements for creating Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) content and streamlining the overall content production process.
• Dense transcoding that completely replaces multiple CPU-only hardware and software systems, allowing a single Elemental Server to replace up to seven dual quad-core CPU-only systems.
• Flexible output support for today’s most popular codecs including MPEG-2, VC-1 and H.264, as well as support for a wide variety of output containers including F4V, ASF, WMV, 3GP, and MP4.

Elemental Server is the first product available in a family of GPU-accelerated solutions currently in development. Elemental Server is available for sale directly from Elemental. Learn more about Elemental Server at www.elementaltechnologies.com/server.

Sorenson Media Launches Sorenson Squeeze 6

Sorenson Media announced the immediate availability of Sorenson Squeeze 6, a significant update to the gold-standard video encoding software application. Sorenson Squeeze 6 provides the first total workflow solution for video professionals, enabling customers to employ innovative tools - such as email and text notifications and a secure review and approval process - that simplify the overall workflow and allow them to more easily encode and publish their video files on the Internet. Optimized video codecs and new filters have also been added, significantly improving video quality and encoding speed.

Video Management Made Easy
Working in tandem with the Sorenson 360 Video Delivery Network (Sorenson Media’s re-imagined online video publishing platform), Sorenson Squeeze 6 includes a variety of new unique features that make encoding and publishing videos online easier:
- E-mail and Text Notifications. Sorenson Squeeze 6 can now send automatic notifications to clients, colleagues, supervisors, friends or the users themselves via e-mail and text message (SMS) when encoding jobs are completed. With this new feature, users can start an encoding job and walk away, knowing they will be notified immediately when the process is done.
- Review and Approval Workflow. Video professionals can now add their clients’ and supervisors’contact information to Sorenson Squeeze, which will automatically send them secure, password protected videos for review and approval after encoding jobs are completed. This automated workflow is accessible from desktop computer Web browsers as well as the iPhone, enabling busy professionals to review and approve content on the go. After viewing a video, reviewer feedback and comments are immediately sent back to the Squeeze user, thereby streamlining the workflow of today’s video professionals.
- Direct Publishing and Syndication. In addition to seamless publishing to the Sorenson 360 Video Delivery Network, Sorenson Squeeze 6 users can upload high-quality encoded files directly to popular social media sites, such as YouTube and Twitter, as well as to content delivery networks, including Akamai and Limelight.- Enhanced User Interface. The Sorenson Squeeze 6 interface has been re-designed to simplify the video compression workflow and provide easy access to the software’s powerful features, including encoding presets; high-quality audio and video filters; DVD burning tools; and the new review, approval and notification functions.- Complimentary Sorenson 360 Review & Approval Account. Every purchase of Squeeze 6 includes a complimentary one-year Review & Approval account to the Sorenson 360 Video Delivery Network, making Squeeze the first end-to-end encoding and publishing solution.

Higher Quality, Faster Encoding, Expanded Compatibility
Sorenson Squeeze 6 surpasses previous versions of the software in both speed and quality by incorporating and optimizing the latest On2 VP6 and MainConcept H.264 codecs. Internal benchmark tests have shown Sorenson Squeeze 6 is up to 500 percent faster than Sorenson Squeeze 5 when encoding in the H.264 and VP6 formats, both of which are standard formats included with every copy of Squeeze 6. New video filters, including blur, RGB, tint, white balance and timecode, have also been added to improve the quality of any encoded video. New input and output formats have also been added to Sorenson Squeeze 6, including:
- New Input Formats: AVC-Intra and WMV with VC-1 for use in Blu-ray and Microsoft Silverlight
- New Output Formats: AVI, AIFF, DV Stream, Image Sequence, Wave, and WMV with VC-1

To coincide with the release of Squeeze 6, Sorenson Media has also launched an innovative new Preset Exchange, an online repository of professional “video encoding recipes” or presets. The presets in the Exchange have been created by top industry compression experts, thereby providing Squeeze 6 users with direct access to the same encoding tools used by seasoned encoding professionals to get the best quality out of their encoding processes. Because the Preset Exchange is seamlessly integrated with Squeeze 6, users can instantly import new presets into Squeeze by clicking “Install” on the Preset Exchange Web site. Along with previous integration with Avid’s suite of editing applications, Sorenson Squeeze 6 also now works seamlessly with Apple’s Final Cut Pro and iMovie. This process significantly improves workflow times by eliminating the need for cumbersome exporting and importing between applications and enables users to tap into the powerful Squeeze feature set directly from their favorite editing software.

ViewCast CEO David Stoner to Discuss Streaming Technology

ViewCast Corporation, a developer of industry-leading solutions for the transformation, management and delivery of digital media over IP and mobile networks, announced that President and CEO David Stoner will be speaking at the Sports Video Group’s second-annual Venue Technology Summit in Dallas on November 11. This year’s event will take place in one of the most technologically advanced stadiums ever designed: the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Attendees will enjoy an in-depth technical overview of the new stadium’s groundbreaking video facility, as well as panel discussions and workshops covering some of the hottest topics facing venue technology professionals.

Stoner will participate in the afternoon panel (2:45 pm - 3:45 pm) on Understanding Fiber, IP, and Wireless Technology. The panel will discuss how next-generation technologies are transforming sports venues into massive communication hubs that can deliver content to fans more easily than ever. The discussion will lay out the basics of the technologies and help venue personnel and architects understand how they can change venue design and systems integration to better achieve their programming objectives.

“I have been involved in engineering and operations management of technology companies engaged in video and imaging technology and hardware and software development for more than 20 years, and I look forward to sharing my expertise with fellow participants in this year’s Venue Technology summit,” said Stoner. “ViewCast has been at the forefront of innovative solutions that are tailor-made for large venue broadcasting. By sharing knowledge about next-generation technologies, like our turnkey IP-based streaming media systems, we can enable venue technology professionals to deliver the professional-quality video programming they need to grow their market share beyond conventional coverage areas.“

Telestream Speeds Video Encoding

Telestream announced that DnA Creative Services, a leading video production company in Louisiana has selected Episode® Encoder for Windows to address the company’s advanced encoding and content repurposing needs. DnA uses Episode Encoder for various applications such as convert video to MPEG for DVD, using QuickTime and Windows Media for emailing and uploading projects to clients, and Flash for embedding videos on client web sites. Episode Encoder makes it easy to import virtually any file format and encode media to Web, DVD, or mobile including portable device formats.

As a full-service media company that provides location filming, audio recording, and complete postproduction services, DnA needed a practical means of delivering TV commercials digitally to area television stations. Over the years, DnA has used several software encoders, including Sorenson Squeeze, but turned to Telestream’s Episode Encoder for Windows due to its flexibility to quickly encode a multitude of formats including high-quality broadcast formats.

One of DnA’s ongoing projects is a semi-annual modeling and talent competition. During the weeklong event, DnA does on-location editing and uses the Episode iPhone setting to quickly encode videos before showing them to event producers on the iPhone handset. With this flexibility, the producer can instantly provide approvals and comments before broadcasting on the large projection screen over the main stage, thus mitigating any additional costs for re-shoots. In addition to flexibility, DnA chose the Episode Encoder because it has the fastest encoding speeds available in a desktop video encoder, and its fine-tuning compression capabilities generate the highest-quality media files.

“Episode Encoder's impact is much greater than the dollar value we charge for encoding video. With Episode, we are totally comfortable that the encoded video will be the highest quality and the process will be very quick and simple as opposed to the worry and work-around we would have had to go through with other encoding solutions,” said David Cardwell, Owner of DnA Creative Services.

DnA also credits using Episode to encode DVD-compliant video files, which cuts the company’s time to produce a master DVD in half. Even more significant, videos on the resulting DVDs look noticeably better and in the long run the company expects to see this directly impact its bottom line.

“The Episode line continues to deliver an unprecedented customer encoding experience, and we are delighted to have customer success stories of this nature,” said Barbara DeHart, VP of Marketing at Telestream. “The innovative work DnA Creative Services is doing as the result of Episode truly changes the way the company does business. The quick encoding speeds actually allow companies such as DnA to focus on its core competencies and in this instance, I would say, the product has not only out-performed the competition, but helps deliver peace of mind.”

Free Video Streaming and Compression Tools Training in Atlanta

There will be a Free Video Streaming and Compression Tools Training in Atlanta, Georgia at the Courtyard Atlanta Airport North/Virginia Avenue on Dec. 11, 2009. So If you're in or near Atlanta, Georgia and need to get familiar with video streaming and compression make sure you attend this Free Episode Encoder, Wirecast and Sawmill Professional Training in Atlanta. The training will get you up to speed with video encoding using Telestream's Episode Encoder and webcasting with Telestream's Wirecast. The training day also includes Instructor and Video Streaming and Compression Consultant, Derrick Freeman, teaching attendees how to perform log file analysis using Sawmill Professional. You can Click Here to Register for the Event in Atlanta.