Digital Rapids Connects Top-Tier Content Owners to YouTube

Digital Rapids-the leading provider of tools and solutions for bringing television, film and web content to wider audiences -- announced that the company is working with YouTube to integrate support for Content ID, YouTube's content identification and management system, directly into Digital Rapids' award-winning range of media production and repurposing systems.

Digital Rapids’ encoding and transcoding systems are used by leading media organizations to transform live, tape and file-based video and audio content into the formats required for viewing on multiple platforms including broadcast, cable and satellite television; IPTV; the Web; mobile phones and personal media players.

The integration of YouTube Content ID support with Digital Rapids' systems enables users to generate Content ID reference files -- often referred to as "fingerprints" -- immediately from the content during the encoding or transcoding process. These digital fingerprints are then uploaded to YouTube's Content ID system. YouTube's content identification tools compare existing and incoming user-uploaded videos against the reference file, identifying the ownership of such content and taking the action specified by the owner's usage policies. Content owners can choose to block user-uploaded content, permit it on YouTube while simply tracking usage data, or monetize the uploaded media by running advertising against it.

The creation of Content ID reference files directly within existing encoding and transcoding workflows increases productivity and reduces operational costs by eliminating the need for separate steps to create the fingerprints. By generating the Content ID reference files during production, content owners also need only upload the much smaller ID file to YouTube for tracking and protection, rather than the actual content itself -- increasing security and significantly shortening the time before YouTube can begin blocking, tracking or monetizing uploaded copies of the content.

"We're excited to be working with YouTube to streamline their interactions with content owners. Content identification technologies are often thought of strictly in terms of protection against piracy, but they also enable new monetization opportunities," said Brick Eksten, President of Digital Rapids Corporation. "The automatic identification of content and its ownership gives content owners the option of capitalizing on additional revenue opportunities wherever the content appears. The integration of YouTube's Content ID technology into our systems makes it easy for media organizations to take advantage of these capabilities within efficient, automated media production workflows."

"We're pleased to be working with Digital Rapids to integrate our Content ID technology with their solutions, which are used by leading broadcasters, motion picture studies and content providers worldwide," said George Salem, Content ID Product Manager at YouTube. "Easing content owners' ability to identify their content on YouTube is critical to how they work with us to both control and monetize their assets. Support for Content ID directly within Digital Rapids powered live ingest, encoding and file-based transcoding workflows lets their customers easily provide us with ID files at almost the exact same time the content is produced, without changing how they currently do business."

Digital Rapids Unveils New Features and Storage Options for TouchStream

Digital Rapids -- the leading provider of tools and solutions for bringing television, film and web content to wider audiences -- demonstrated new enhancements for the award-winning TouchStream live video streaming appliance at the 2009 IBC Conference and Exhibition.

TouchStream delivers Digital Rapids' renowned streaming video quality and reliability in a fully self-contained, portable appliance with unparalleled ease of use. Software controls are accessed through an intuitive touch-screen interface with integrated video monitoring, eliminating the need for laptops, keyboards, mice and separate monitors. Flexible features allow refinement of the incoming source and the addition of branding to the outgoing stream, while models supporting multiple formats -- including VC-1 and H.264 compression formats for Microsoft Silverlight and Adobe Flash technologies -- provide easy adaptability to varying project requirements.

New features include customizable, password-protected function locking. Administrators can configure a custom set of interface controls to be locked with a password, letting them limit the functions available to less experienced users to as little as desired -- even just start and stop. Taking 'one-click streaming' a step further -- to no clicks at all -- TouchStream can also be configured to begin streaming with the most recent encoding parameters upon power-up, without user interaction.

Two new storage options have also been introduced for TouchStream, supporting its ability to simultaneously archive live streams to files for subsequent on-demand use. Complementing TouchStream's existing support for external USB or IEEE-1394 storage devices, new internal hard drive and removable storage options allow the addition of archive storage without the added physical space requirements of external drives.

Digital Rapids is also gave IBC attendees a sneak preview of future functionality in TouchStream, including a Web browser-based remote control interface that looks virtually identical to the unit's local interface.

"Industry and customer response since we began shipping TouchStream has been phenomenal, but we aren't content to rest on that success," said Wesley Thiessen, Product Manager, Digital Rapids Corporation. "Our new enhancements continue to make TouchStream even easier and more flexible, particularly in multi-user environments where operators have varying degrees of experience."

MediaMesh from Digital Rapids Wins STAR Award at IBC 2009

Digital Rapids -- the leading provider of tools and solutions for bringing television, film and web content to wider audiences -- announced that the company's new MediaMesh content distribution system is the recipient of a 2009 STAR (Superior Technology Award Recipient) Award given by the editorial staff of TV Technology Europe magazine at the 2009 IBC convention.

The STAR Award (Superior Technology Award Recipient) is designed to celebrate and showcase the preeminent technological innovations available to the broadcast industry. TV Technology Europe's editor reviewed a variety of products, examined the technical applications and their overall contribution to the industry, and then chose 25 winners.

"STAR awards are given to interesting new products that help a user save money or accomplish a task in an easier way," said Mark Hallinger, Editor of TV Technology Europe. "The products selected help advance the industry -- some were chosen because of technical novelty or innovation, some because they filled an important gap in the production or transmission chain, and some because they were just cool products."

"Reducing costs, streamlining operations and broadening distribution reach were themes that we heard repeatedly from content providers throughout the IBC show, and are all objectives that MediaMesh was designed to help our customers achieve," said Brick Eksten, President of Digital Rapids Corporation. "We're pleased that TV Technology Europe has recognized the benefits of MediaMesh, and honored to receive this award."

MediaMesh combines a robust, scalable delivery framework with full-featured, flexible receiving appliances, providing efficient distribution of digital media between content providers, contributors, aggregators and distribution partners. Enabling delivery of HD, SD and Digital Cinema content over terrestrial IP networks and satellite, MediaMesh significantly lowers delivery costs while streamlining the tapeless delivery of content ranging from ad spots and promos to syndicated series and long-form features. MediaMesh RX receiving appliances provide powerful functionality at the endpoints of the digital distribution chain, with integrated review, inventory management, transcoding, re-packaging and playout.

Digital Rapids to Showcase New Technology and Share Expertise at IBC 2009

Digital Rapids -- the leading provider of tools and solutions for bringing television, film and web content to wider audiences -- is bringing more than just advanced technology to this year's IBC Conference and Exhibition, September 11-15 in Amsterdam. In addition to the IBC debuts of new and enhanced solutions in stand # 7.G41, Digital Rapids will be sharing its expertise with attendees both at the stand and in free sessions in the IBC Training Zone. Digital Rapids systems have also been chosen to power the encoding of content for the IBC TV News website and mobile delivery for the sixth consecutive year. For first time, IBC TV News will feature live streaming of news updates on the Web, complementing their on-demand news clips.

Digital Rapids' award-winning TouchStream portable live streaming appliance will also be featured alongside the Datpresenter rich media webcasting service and software from Datmedia in stand IP511 in the IBC IPTV Zone.

"We believe it's important to offer IBC attendees more than just the chance to experience our technology and products. Robust, versatile and efficient solutions are as important as ever with customers' shrinking budgets and increasing audience expectations, but technology is just part of what media organisations need to meet these challenges. Customers are looking to us for expertise, guidance, and the flexibility to meet their unique needs," said Clive Vickery, Managing Director, EMEA and Asia at Digital Rapids.

"With a range of activities to share our solutions and knowledge both in and beyond our stand, we can help attendees learn how to maximise new revenue opportunities with the flexibility, efficiency and cost-effectiveness they need to come out of the economic storm stronger than ever. "

Digital Rapids' TouchStream Live Encoder is an Amazing Appliance

Digital Rapids' TouchStream portable live encoder is an amazing appliance. I feel in love with the tool at NAB when I saw that it had a touch screen interface. The touch screen interface gives users the ability to set up live encodes without using a computer. The portability of the TouchStream along with the price makes it a tool worth checking out. Many will be happy when this tool is available.

Streaming and Compression Companies at NAB 2009

Some Streaming and Compression Companies to check out at NAB are Telestream, Sorenson Media, Wowza Media Systems, Digital Rapids, Inlet Technologies, Kulabyte and HaiVision. Wirecast is the must see tool if you visit the Telestream booth. Sorenson Media is always a must see for NAB. Wowza Media Systems has new server developments and Digital Rapids has automatic publishing after encoding that you definitely should see.

Also, make sure you also stop by the Inlet Technologies' booth to view their Semaphore product. Lastly, visit companies, Kulabyte and HaiVision to check out their Live HD Encoding tools. These are only a few of the items to see at NAB 2009.

Automatic Web Page Publishing and FTP After Encoding

Automatic web page publishing and FTP after encoding is difficult to find in many of today's compression tools. Many tools have the FTP capability but many can't create web pages automatically after the compression process is complete. Well, enter the Digital Rapids' encoding servers. Digital rapids has the StreamZ Encoding Server and the StreamZHD Encoding Server both of which are turnkey encoding solutions which use the Digital Rapids' StreamEnterprise software. In the StreamEnterprise software you can set up automatic FTP and web page publishing after your compression job is finished. The StreamEnterprise software has many other filters for video and audio encoding. Now if these two features mentioned above weren't enough here's another. Wouldn't it be nice to be notified after your encoding jobs are complete? Well if you're using the StreamZ Encoding Server or the StreamZHD Encoding Server, you can set up E-mail notification after completion of your encoded file. You can even include a lower datarate copy of your video in an attachment. Simply Amazing!

TouchStream Named Most Innovative Product

Digital Rapids, a leading developer of solutions for bringing television, video and movie content to the Internet and the latest generation of viewing devices -- announced that the company's new TouchStream video and audio streaming appliance was honored with the Most Innovative Product award at the Broadcast India exhibition in Mumbai last month. The award is the fourth for TouchStream since its unveiling in September.

The annual Broadcast India exhibition and conference welcomes over 22,000 visitors from India and abroad. It covers broadcast, film, audio, radio, IPTV, mobile TV and its related fields, and offers attendees the opportunity to explore the latest state-of-the-art equipment and technology.

"We're excited that TouchStream has again been honored for its innovative approach to meeting the market's need for high-quality, easy to use and versatile live streaming solutions," said Wesley Thiessen, Product Manager, Digital Rapids Corporation. "TouchStream truly is a ground-breaking product, and we're proud of the industry acclaim that it has garnered in the short time since its introduction."

TouchStream delivers Digital Rapids' renowned live streaming quality and reliability in a fully self-contained, easy-to-deploy appliance. Leveraging the most intuitive of human interfaces -- touch -- TouchStream appliances offer unparalleled ease of use. Streamlined software controls are accessed through a touch-screen interface with integrated live video monitoring and VU meters for audio validation, eliminating the need for laptops, keyboards, mice and separate monitors.

TouchStream appliances will be available through Digital Rapids and the extensive worldwide network of authorized resellers and systems integrators. For more information about Digital Rapids, visit www.digital-rapids.com.

Digital Rapids Appoints Barry Fairhurst as Vice President of Sales

Digital Rapids -- a leading developer of solutions for bringing television, video and movie content to the Internet and the latest generation of viewing devices -- today announced the appointment of Barry Fairhurst as Vice President of Sales.

Based in Digital Rapids' Markham, Ontario head office, Fairhurst will be responsible for the development, implementation and management of sales strategies and processes in support of the company's continuing strong growth and broad customer base. Fairhurst joins Digital Rapids following 13 years at Avid Canada, having managed Avid's direct and indirect sales and customer support operations.

"Digital Rapids and our solutions have earned tremendous critical and customer acclaim as leading our industry. As we continue to grow, it's essential that our sales organization and processes evolve to best address the opportunities available in the market and be responsive to our customers' dynamic needs," said Brick Eksten, President of Digital Rapids Corporation. "Barry's leadership abilities and extensive experience in all facets of sales management will be critical assets as we realize our full sales potential and enter our next phases of growth, while his background in the media and entertainment market will enable him to quickly relate to our customers' requirements and help them fulfill their objectives. We're excited to have him join our team."

"It is with great pleasure that I join a company so committed to its customers, partners and technology, and I welcome my role in taking Digital Rapids to the next level," said Fairhurst.

Digital Rapids' solutions enable organizations to transform their video and audio content into the formats required for viewing on multiple platforms and devices including the web; IPTV; mobile phones; personal media players and more. Digital Rapids solutions have been adopted by thousands of worldwide customers of all types and sizes, from leading broadcast networks, motion picture studios, telecommunications companies, online content distributors and post production facilities to corporations, government agencies, schools and churches.

Digital Rapids' TouchStream Grabs Awards

Digital Rapids -- a leading developer of solutions for bringing television, video and movie content to the next generation of viewing devices -- announced that the company's new TouchStream video and audio streaming appliance has won three prestigious industry awards following its unveiling at the IBC Conference and Exhibition in September.

TouchStream was honored with a Broadcast Engineering IBC 2008 Pick Hit Award; TV Technology Europe Magazine's Superior Technology (STAR) Award; and a TVBEurope 'Best of IBC2008' Editor's Pick award.

"We're thrilled that the innovative benefits of TouchStream have been recognized with these three highly respected awards," said Wesley Thiessen, Product Manager, Digital Rapids Corporation. "These accolades are testament to TouchStream's breakthrough combination of quality, usability and transportability, which is ideal for meeting the ever-increasing demand for flexible live streaming solutions. Coming right on the heels of our IBC Innovation Award win with NBC Universal, they also further reinforce Digital Rapids' position as the leader in ingest, encoding and streaming solutions."

TouchStream appliances deliver Digital Rapids' renowned live streaming quality and reliability as a fully self-contained, easy-to-deploy appliance. Leveraging the most intuitive of human interfaces -- touch -- TouchStream appliances offer unparalleled ease of use. Streamlined software controls are accessed through a touch-screen interface with integrated live video monitoring and VU meters for audio validation, eliminating the need for laptops, keyboards, mice and separate monitors.

The Broadcast Engineering Pick Hit awards are the industry's longest-running new product technology awards, with a 24-year history. The judges are readers of Broadcast Engineering World Edition magazine and working professionals in the broadcast, post and network and satellite industries who remain anonymous throughout the judging process to protect the integrity of the awards. Winning products are judged to have a positive impact on the intended user's everyday work, and to offer substantial improvement over previous technology at a price within the reach of the intended users.

The TV Technology Europe STAR Award (Superior Technology Award Recipient) is designed to celebrate and showcase the preeminent technological innovations available to the broadcast industry. TV Technology Europe's editor reviewed a variety of products, examined the technical applications and their overall contribution to the industry, and then chose 25 winners. STAR awards are given to products that help a user save money or accomplish a task in an easier way.

The 'Best of IBC2008' Editor's Pick awards are chosen by the combined editorial teams behind TVBEurope magazine and the official show publication, The IBC Daily. The editors searched IBC for the most innovative new products that demonstrated the potential to make or save money for end users -- not just clever technology for technology's sake.

TouchStream appliances will be available through Digital Rapids and our their worldwide network of authorized resellers and systems integrators.

Digital Rapids Takes H.264 Encoding and Streaming to New Heights

Digital Rapids -- a leading developer of solutions for bringing television, video and movie content to the latest generation of viewing devices -- unveiled new real-time, high definition encoding capabilities for the Digital Rapids Studio AVC Encoder software. Combining the real-time performance previously only available in hardware encoders with the feature and format flexibility of a software-centric solution, the Digital Rapids Studio AVC Encoder will support H.264 ingest, encoding, transcoding and streaming in high definition formats including 720p, 1080p and 1080i. The enhanced HD H.264 capabilities will also be available in upcoming models of the StreamZ Live family of live streaming encoders.

Digital Rapids Studio AVC Encoder is an optional module for Digital Rapids' StreamZ and StreamZHD media encoding servers and the Digital Rapids Transcode Manager enterprise-class transcoding software, providing premium-quality video encoding in the H.264 (AVC, or MPEG-4 Part 10) compression format for distribution across multiple viewing platforms. StreamZ Live encoders bring the same outstanding output quality and reliability to a dedicated live streaming platform.

"Until now, users of the H.264 compression format have been forced to choose between the flexibility and feature-richness of software-based encoding solutions, and the real-time performance of hardware-based encoders," said Brian Stevenson, Director of Product Management at Digital Rapids. "Our new HD H.264 enhancements offer the best of both worlds, while continuing our tradition of offering outstanding visual quality."

Digital Rapids Studio AVC Encoder continues to deliver superior quality from its software-based compression architecture than that available with typical hardware encoders. When used with StreamZ and StreamZHD, the Studio AVC Encoder also continues to leverage those systems' acclaimed hardware-based pre-processing to optimize output quality and bandwidth efficiency in the compressed result. StreamZ and StreamZHD continue to raise the bar for multi-format encoding solutions, seamlessly supporting three-screen experiences with real-time encoding and streaming in multiple formats targeting a broad range of devices.