In conjunction with the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference June 8-12, Sorenson Media announced the immediate availability of new iPhone video publishing for its Sorenson 360 Video Delivery Network (VDN). This new solution enables small- to medium-sized businesses, video professionals, bloggers and other content creators to quickly and seamlessly encode and publish the highest quality video content on the Internet for direct viewing by Apple iPhone users (i.e. through the iPhone's Web browser and without the need to install a separate app). The enhanced Sorenson 360 VDN represents a significant step forward in one-stop online video publishing across major platforms and devices, including the recently announced iPhone OS 3.0 and the iPhone 3G S.“With the addition of iPhone publishing for Sorenson 360, Sorenson Media is greatly expanding the reach and power of what is already the most cost-effective and user-friendly online video publishing solution in the marketplace,” said Peter Csathy, CEO of Sorenson Media. “Up to this point, video playback on the iPhone has simply been out of reach for video professionals. This new release reinforces the hallmarks of Sorenson 360 - unparalleled quality, innovation, flexibility, ease-of-use and affordability. It is now easier than ever for anyone to publish iPhone-ready video content over the Internet.”
In contrast to the one-format-fits-all approach used by many online video publishing services, in which the user has little flexibility in the video format and player used, Sorenson 360 offers specific iPhone presets, enabling users to easily encode video content in the iPhone-compatible H.264 format and deliver that content using the iPhone's native video player. This is a significant development because, while the majority of online video content is encoded in Adobe Flash format, the iPhone does not play Flash content, meaning most videos featured on Web sites are not viewable using the iPhone's Web browser. With Sorenson 360, video professionals can reach their audiences virtually anywhere the Internet is available, including on the iPhone.
“Sorenson 360 simplifies the experience of the video publisher and the iPhone user alike through its ability to automatically detect how the user is accessing a video file - whether through a traditional browser on a desktop or laptop computer, or through the iPhone's Web browser,” said David Dudas, vice president of product management. “Based on this information, Sorenson 360 then automatically delivers the video file using the appropriate player - a Flash player for users on desktops or laptops, or the iPhone’s native video player for iPhone users.”The Sorenson 360 VDN enables users to encode and upload video content either seamlessly through the industry-leading Sorenson Squeeze software or directly via their browsers using the Sorenson 360 interface; both processes significantly reduce upload time and provide automatic access to the iPhone presets. Through its unique browser-based encoding tool, Sorenson 360 users simply drag and drop their video files from their hard drive or record new videos via their webcams and, with one step, publish and make them playable directly on an iPhone.
Sorenson 360 is compatible with all versions of Apple iPhone - iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3G and prior versions 1 and 2 - as well as Apple iPod Touch via WiFi. This includes the iPhone OS 3.0 and the Safari 4 browser. Video specifications for the Sorenson 360 iPhone presets are: H.264 video codec - MP4 output, up to 1 Mbps, 640 x 480 pixels, 30 frames per second.
