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.“

WNYC Radio Rolls Out Innovative Radio Program with ViewCast Streaming Solution

ViewCast Corporation announced that WNYC, America’s most listened-to public radio station, has selected ViewCast’s Niagara GoStream SURF portable encoding system for the station’s newly-opened The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space. The Greene Space is a state-of-the-art, multi-media performance space and broadcast studio that presents live broadcasts and tapings of WNYC’s signature programs. In addition, music concerts and festivals, audio theater, literary readings, art exhibits, political debates, symposia, town hall meetings and other exciting civic and cultural events are presented in the space. Most shows from The Greene Space are webcast live and archived in real time in Adobe Flash formats via the Niagara GoStream SURF. Many programs are also made available as video-on-demand (VOD) via the WNYC website.

“With the opening of The Greene Space, thousands of visitors each year are welcomed inside WNYC to experience great radio as it is created,” said Indira Etwaroo, Executive Producer of The Greene Space. “Technology allows millions more to connect to great content by stream, and in many cases download, audio and video of our live events. This is why it was so important to outfit the space with a cutting-edge digital audio and video production system.

“We tried to configure a PC-based encoder, but the machine time and labor for encoding via software, particularly for VOD, was both difficult and expensive,” said Bill Porter, President of Whitehorse Productions, Inc. and consultant to The Greene Space, who managed the ViewCast implementation for WNYC. “ViewCast’s Niagara GoStream SURF was a cost-effective, turnkey solution to provide reliable, real-time, live streaming of video programs and performances, plus VOD turnaround by next morning.“

“WNYC’s The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space is a model of innovation and a testament to the advanced capabilities that ViewCast’s streaming media technology can facilitate for today’s forward-looking content providers,” said David Stoner, President and CEO, ViewCast. “Our plug-and-play, professional-grade Niagara streaming media systems ensure exceptional ease of use, video quality and reliability for sophisticated broadcast applications such as WNYC’s The Greene Space, enabling high-performance video capture and streaming for both live and on-demand content.“

ViewCast’s Niagara streaming media appliances are designed to deliver the quality, features and ease-of-use convenience that professional broadcasters demand. They are pre-configured, plug-and-play solutions that enable users to quickly capture and broadcast premium quality audio and video in multiple formats and at multiple bit rates - all simultaneously. Plus they are powered by ViewCast’s award-winning Osprey technology, guaranteeing exceptional quality and reliability.

ViewCast Selects Rahul Commerce as Master Distributor

ViewCast Corporation, a developer of industry-leading solutions for the transformation, management and delivery of digital media over IP and mobile networks, today announced that it has expanded its business relationship with Rahul Commerce, a leading distributor of multimedia technology in India. Previously a ViewCast reseller, Rahul Commerce has been designated a master distributor of ViewCast solutions, servicing India via offices in Mumbai and Pune and further extending ViewCast’s presence among Indian technology dealers, system integrators and broadcasting outlets.

“The new designation gives Rahul Commerce the opportunity to leverage its industry expertise and rich experience with ViewCast’s streaming media product portfolio in India, a country emerging as a significant market for streaming video in public and private enterprises,” said ViewCast Senior Vice President of Sales Gary J. Klembara.

“India’s rapidly developing Internet infrastructure represents a tremendous opportunity for its public institutions and private enterprises to leverage web streaming, video conferencing, IPTV and other rich media technologies to reach a larger audience within the country and around the world,” Klembara said. “Our alliance with Rahul Commerce promises to put ViewCast at the forefront of this technology movement, and positions us for accelerated business growth in the Indian market.” The market for streaming media technology in India has been driven in large part by the expansion of tele-education and tele-medicine programs across the government and education sectors. Broadcasting companies are proliferating in parallel, and are exploring Internet programming opportunities to extend the reach and revenue potential of the country’s 500+ television channels. With the roll-out of 3G and WiMax wireless communication services fueling the adoption of mobile streaming technology, and rising consumer demand for high definition (HD) programming, the market for ViewCast’s analog and HD streaming media product portfolio in India is primed for extraordinary growth.

“ViewCast’s Osprey video capture cards and Niagara streaming media encoders have been integral to Rahul Commerce’s success in the streaming media technology market, enabling us to provide our clients with reliable, high-performance streaming media platforms, backed by ViewCast’s reputation for quality service and support,” said Dhiren Shah, director, Rahul Commerce in Pune. “Working together with ViewCast in our elevated role as master distributor, we can capitalize on India’s rapidly growing demand for Internet streaming technology and services, as well as its nascent demand for mobile streaming capabilities and HD programming.”

Rahul’s capabilities in India are exemplified by the company’s work with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which has implemented ViewCast’s Osprey 230 analog video capture cards in schools and hospitals in remote locations around the country to help facilitate the organization’s expansive distance learning and tele-medicine programs. Utilizing its EDUSAT satellite system to aggregate and disseminate interactive programming from/to geographically dispersed educational and healthcare facilities, the ISRO counts on Osprey 230 cards to enable reliable, high-performance streaming of live and on-demand video content across a large network of facilities.

ViewCast Osprey video capture cards and Niagara streaming media encoders are designed to deliver the quality, features and ease-of-use that professional broadcasters demand. They are pre-configured, plug-and-play solutions that enable users to quickly capture and broadcast premium quality audio and video in multiple formats and at multiple bit rates - all simultaneously.

ViewCast Supports Streaming to Adobe Flash

ViewCast Corporation (OTCBB: VCST), a developer of industry-leading solutions for the transformation, management and delivery of digital media over IP and mobile networks, today unveiled the Niagara® 2120, a low-cost, easy to use streaming media appliance that supports H.264 streaming via the Adobe® Flash® platform. The compact and portable Niagara 2120 provides professional-quality performance and reliability for organizations in corporate, government, education, worship and athletic settings seeking a plug-and-play platform for streaming video content across enterprise networks or over the Internet.

“The Niagara 2120 delivers exceptional value and powerful capabilities that enable customers of all levels of technical expertise to quickly and easily stream high quality live and on-demand video,” said ViewCast President and CEO Dave Stoner. “With seamless support for H.264 streaming, the Niagara 2120 expands ViewCast’s leadership in the streaming media appliance market and equips customers to leverage ViewCast’s industry-renowned capabilities on the Adobe Flash Platform.”

“ViewCast solutions based on the Adobe Flash Platform enable the delivery of rich, real-time media experiences to an ever-growing audience of consumers that rely on Adobe Flash technology for high quality video over the Web,” said Bill Rusitzky, senior director of global media alliances for Adobe. “The Niagara 2120 is the latest example of ViewCast’s continued technological innovation and commitment to providing high-performance video streaming solutions based on Adobe Flash technologies.”

The Niagara 2120 shares many of the same advanced features found in ViewCast’s other professional-grade streaming media encoders, and is optimized for simplified set-up and operation. Featuring a built-in Web interface to enable streamlined management from anywhere on the network, the compact, self-contained unit is ideal for location streaming applications and also fits easily into any production control room. Users simply set the desired streaming parameters via the intuitive Web interface, then initiate one or more streams simultaneously from the front panel “Stream” button.

The Niagara 2120 enables organizations of all sizes, and those with limited budgets, to stream live and on-demand sports, educational and training content, corporate events and more to an expansive Web-based audience, which in turn creates marketing and sponsorship opportunities that can increase revenue streams. With support for H.264 streaming to the Adobe Flash Platform, customers are afforded high-performance streaming capabilities across a broad range of bandwidths to elevate the quality and impact of their Internet video programming.

The Niagara 2120 comes standard with ViewCast SimulStream® technology, which enables a single video source to generate several video streams simultaneously – in multiple resolutions and bit rates - with each stream configured differently for laptops, cell phones, or mobile devices. ViewCast’s Niagara SCX® streaming media management software is also included with the Niagara 2120, enabling centralized set-up, monitoring and control over multiple systems positioned anywhere on the network – all from a single desktop.

Like all Niagara appliances, the Niagara 2120 features image scaling, cropping, de-interlacing, inverse telecine and closed caption rendering capabilities. The Niagara 2120 provides flexible connectivity options including component, Y/C (S-Video), and composite video inputs, as well as balanced and unbalanced stereo audio.

ViewCast at IBC 2009ViewCast will be demonstrating the Niagara 2120 at IBC 2009 in Amsterdam, September 11 - 15. The company will also be demonstrating its Niagara 7500, a powerful, feature-rich streamingappliance for Web-based delivery of high-definition video, specifically designed to simplify the most demanding professional broadcasting applications. Visit ViewCast at IBC #IP323.

ViewCast Announces Support for Microsoft IIS Smooth Streaming

ViewCast Corporation, a developer of industry-leading hardware and software for the transformation, delivery and management of professional quality video over IP and mobile networks, announced support for Microsoft Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS) Smooth Streaming content delivery platform for Microsoft Silverlight. Working seamlessly with the IIS Smooth Streaming advanced, HTTP-based adaptive streaming technology, select Niagara streaming media encoders will enable media companies and consumers alike to take advantage of bandwidth-optimized, high-definition (HD) content streamed over the Internet.

IIS Smooth Streaming enables content creators and delivery networks to stream video on
demand (VOD) and live events to consumers’ PCs in the highest possible quality - including true HD (720p) - transparently adapting video stream quality to accommodate users’ available bandwidth without freezing or buffering the stream. This approach ensures that users can enjoy the highest possible quality online viewing experience, while enabling media companies to provide a consistent, seamless viewing experience that extends average viewing times and associated revenue opportunities.

“IIS Smooth Streaming technology is an exciting advance for media streaming applications, bringing media companies and consumers one step closer to realizing television-caliber programming definition and continuity via the Internet,” said Dave Stoner, ViewCast President and CEO. “By supporting IIS Smooth Streaming technology with our Niagara streaming media encoders, we’re enabling our customers to seamlessly scale their media streaming applications to meet the unique requirements of their viewers. But we’re also demonstrating to the marketplace the importance of our technology. As advancements like Microsoft IIS Smooth Streaming generate growth in Internet video programming, they also generate new interest and growth in our technology. ”

“Microsoft is committed to bringing next-generation media experiences to the Web via IIS Smooth Streaming and Silverlight in order to provide the scalability and quality of service that media companies require to grow their online video businesses,” said Steve Sklepowich, group product manager for Silverlight at Microsoft Corp. “Microsoft is enabling ViewCast to realize the full promise of true HD via Microsoft’s adaptive streaming platform, providing direct benefit to their customers.”

ViewCast Niagara streaming media encoders are designed to deliver the quality, features and ease-of-use convenience that professional broadcasters demand. They are pre-configured, plug-and-play solutions that enable users to quickly capture and broadcast premium quality audio and video in multiple formats and at multiple bit rates - all simultaneously.

Niagara 7500 Makes Debut at NAB 2009

High-definition video streaming reaches a new level of quality and performance with the Niagara 7500 from ViewCast. Making its debut at NAB 2009, the Niagara 7500 simplifies the complex workflows associated with the transformation and delivery of high-definition video to IP and mobile networks. The Niagara 7500 features a sleek, innovative touch control interface with contextual menus that streamline and simplify the operation of this high-powered, dual quad core streaming appliance.

The unit features SD and HD SDI video inputs, balanced/unbalanced analog and AES/EBU digital audio, and eight stereo pairs of embedded SDI audio inputs. Users can switch on-the-fly between incoming SD and HD video, and stream in multiple bit rates and resolutions simultaneously in Microsoft VC-1, Silverlight, and H.264 Flash Live. The Niagara 7500 includes powerful video preprocessing tools such as closed-caption rendering, de-interlacing, and inverse telecine. Users can control multiple Niagara 7500 systems remotely with the included Niagara SCX Pro management software. Further, a robust SDK for application customization is also available, making the Niagara 7500 an ideal choice for the most demanding professional broadcasting applications. If you want to stop by the Viewcast booth they'll be at Booth #SL6020 (South Hall).

Go Stream SURF Superior Tool for Live Webcasting

If you are serious about taking your webcasts to the next level or simply wanting to launch live streaming for your organization, you should know that Viewcast's Go Stream SURF is a superior tool for Live Webcasting. The portable live encoder comes from the manufacturers of the Osprey capture cards which have been the de facto standard for many building live encoders in the streaming space. Enter the Go Stream SURF live encoder, which is portable and user friendly with an easy to use push button interface and common audio and video inputs for ease of use. The Go Stream SURF, which can be accessed via the internet for set-up and use, has three buttons on the front panel that can be programmed for live encoding to specific datarates. You can program three different encoding datarates and have them all performing live streaming and the same time. The live streaming solution is qualified and very heavy duty.

So, if you need to do small or large webcasts on a regular basis in the field or in a set environment, you'll find a lot of benefit in using the Go Stream SURF. Viewcast's encoder can be used for streaming to many of the popular streaming servers such as: Adobe's Flash Streaming Server, Wowza Media Server Pro (for Flash Streaming), Windows Media Streaming Server, and Real Networks' Helix Universal Server.

If you purchase a Go Stream SURF and need assistance with set-up you can contact Derrick for Go Streaming SURF Consulting and he can walk you through the set-up and assist you in implementing your live encoder on-line. This can also be done in your production environment on-site. Call Derrick Freeman at 407-477-5837 for more details on your consulting needs.

ViewCast Streaming Encoder Ideal Solution for Delivering PEG Programs

In the Wisconsin city of West Allis, a Niagara streaming media encoder is playing a central role in expanding the audience for public, educational, and government access (PEG) television programming. A product of ViewCast Corporation, a leading global provider of streaming hardware and software, the Niagara encoder has enabled the city to port its government access programs to AT&T's U-verse residential IPTV service, recently launched in the greater Milwaukee area.

"Thanks to ViewCast, we're able to bring our government access programs to an even broader audience via leading-edge IPTV, said Jerry Musial, video and cable coordinator for the City of West Allis. "The Niagara system was extremely easy to adopt, and its budget-conscious pricing played a big role in our choice. As a non-technical person, I really appreciated the excellent support and assistance we received from ViewCast, which enabled us to get up and running quickly and smoothly."

Musial also serves on the board of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), an association that represents the communications needs and interests of local governments and their advisors.

A city of 60,000 in Milwaukee County, and the site of the Wisconsin State Fair, West Allis offers a wide range of government access programming to its citizens. The programs are locally produced as well as supplied by state and federal agencies, and include information about state and city services, community events, and coverage of city council meetings. The ViewCast Niagara system encodes the video for transport over a T1 network to the U-verse system, which began serving the West Allis viewing area in February.

All Niagara encoders have AT&T's U-verse PEG streaming specifications programmed as a menu item, and ViewCast is one of only four providers noted in U-verse's PEG encoder information collateral. This makes ViewCast an ideal solution for municipalities that are seeking to deliver PEG content over this new, rapidly growing IPTV platform.

ViewCast President and Chief Executive Dave Stoner said: "Niagara encoders are playing a central role in expanding the audience for PEG television programming. Mr. Musial's involvement in NATOA is a testament to West Allis' leadership in the area of municipal communications, as is the city's commitment to embracing advanced new media technologies such as IPTV. We are pleased that we were able to meet West Allis' needs and look forward to continuing our successful partnership."

"Moreover, we see continuing and rising adoption of video streaming for sports and entertainment applications, as well as public access, as evidence of the growing trend toward using the Internet as a major channel for streaming all varieties of programs, information, and other content," Stoner added.