ON24 Announces Full Windows 7 Support

ON24, Inc., the global leader in webcasting and virtual event solutions, announced that it will be providing full support for webcasts and virtual shows on Windows 7. The launch of Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system has been one of the most anticipated technology introductions of the year.

In addition, ON24 is announcing a beta program for select customers to execute online webcasts using Silverlight, Microsoft’s plug-in for creating rich interactive Web applications. "ON24 already offers Flash webcasts," explained ON24 Chief Technology Officer Jayesh Sahasi. "With the introduction of Silverlight, we will be able to supplement the use of proprietary media players like RealPlayer and Windows Media Player with next-generation technology—for even greater reach and functionality."

ON24 product development and support efforts are designed to maximize virtual event accessibility. "As our Windows 7 and Silverlight support demonstrates, providing ubiquitous access to virtual events is our priority," said ON24 Chief Marketing Officer Denise Persson. "We are committed to providing to our customers the industry’s greatest reach."

Highwinds and Octoshape Tee Up High Quality Streams for PGA TOUR

Highwinds Network Group, Inc., a multiplatform IP services and content distribution provider, and Octoshape, a provider of streaming solutions for high quality and large-scale events, announced that their technologies have been used for online streaming of the four PGATOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup events on PGATOUR.COM.

PGATOUR.COM’s signature LIVE@ franchise offered live streaming from marquee holes at all four of the Playoff tournaments which included The Barclays (Aug. 27-30), Deutsche Bank Championship (Sept. 4-7), BMW Championship (Sept. 10-13) and THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola (Sept. 24-27). Streaming of the month-long PGA TOUR Playoffs utilized the Highwinds-Octoshape solution and helped deliver quality streams of this high-profile event to global online audiences.

As the demand for high-quality video and an enhanced feature set grows in the online media sector, Highwinds and Octoshape continue to work together to deliver robust, resilient solutions through the Octoshape live streaming solution running seamlessly on the Highwinds content delivery network (CDN). The PGATOUR.COM video player, which is fully customizable and enables golf fans to enjoy enhanced features, including digital video recording, leaderboard overlays, scorecard overlays, social network interaction and more, integrated the Octoshape high-quality video streaming solution for the four FedExCup events. For the same events, all live PGATOUR.COM coverage was streamed over the Highwinds CDN.

“Highwinds is quickly becoming recognized as the go-to CDN for the streaming of high-quality, large-scale news, entertainment and sporting events,” said Steve Miller, president and CEO of Highwinds. “Our partnership with Octoshape, which has included the streaming of such live events as the Presidential Inauguration, the Michael Jackson Memorial Service and now the 2009 PGA TOUR Playoffs, continues to grow to support the future of online video. Octoshape’s live streaming solution is a perfect complement to our robust CDN infrastructure and live delivery services.”

“The streaming infrastructure offered by Octoshape is designed to deliver high quality video, DVR, and instant on playback to global audiences,” said Scott Brown, CEO of Octoshape U.S. “Events of this quality and scale only come from the magic combination of ‘Class A’ production and technology integration like that of PGATOUR.COM, our proven, leading-edge technology and Highwinds’ high-performance CDN.”

HSN (hsn.com), the leading interactive lifestyle network and retail destination, announces the launch of a dynamic new application (“app”) for the Apple® iPhone™ and iPod® touch®. The 45 million subscribers to the devices who download the HSN Shop App now have the ability to view HSN programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, throughout the US. The launch creates the e-commerce industry’s first live-video “3-screen experience,” enabling consumers to browse and shop the network’s 35,000-plus array of products from home or on the go.

All the engaging highlights that HSN and hsn.com users enjoy are packed into the clever app, available for download at both the iTunes App Store and hsn.com. Live, ‘round-the-clock HSN TV (along with a library of original videos), the HSN Today’s Special, Items Recently Aired, and the many hosts, featured designers and their tens of thousands of products are among the familiar and favorite hallmarks of HSN programming that will be available through the mobile experience. Additionally, the HSN Shop App brings with it a set of new features, including the interactive shake2shop, which, with a simple shake of the device, generates random product recommendations as well as deals and promotions targeted at HSN’s mobile customers.

“Our customer is fashionable and discerning, and thrives on information, ideas and discovery,” says HSNi CEO, Mindy Grossman. “HSN strives to be the true multichannel experience, and this new iPhone app now allows our customer to take HSN with her, anytime, anywhere, and be that reliable, ‘on-the-go’ resource for lifestyle information she craves.”

The HSN Shop App also makes for a seamless transactional experience, allowing the user to call HSN directly or use the device’s browser to purchase an item. Items can also be saved for later purchase, or emailed to a friend.

While the HSN Shop App is supremely navigable and user-friendly,hsn.com will soon feature a tutorial that walks all new users through the app’s various fundamentals and features. To insure the optimal experience, the app will also evolve based on customer feedback.

“HSN truly leads the way in total convergence of its media technologies,” says Brian Bradley, EVP/ GM, HSN Online & Advanced Services. “The loyalty of our customer base has been predicated in large part on a unique ability to engage them in all aspects of their lives, and the addition of a mobile ‘third screen’ opens up an entirely new dimension for interaction.”

Inlet Technologies’ SpinnakerTM live streaming appliance provides the encoding backbone for the HSN Shop App’s streaming video. Spinnaker fully supports Apple’s HTTP adaptive streaming, which reduces buffering and other interruptions to create an exceptional viewing experience and diminish latency, helping HSN customers move through the purchasing process quickly. Inlet, the leader in advanced encoding solutions for new media, has been a HSN web streaming partner since 2008.

At launch, the HSN Shop App will be marketed via on-air promos run throughout HSN TV programming. Other promotional efforts will follow.

The HSN Shop App arrives amidst HSN’s ongoing multichannel convergence effort, which includes expansion of its Shop-by-Remote service and complete transition to high-definition (HD) format.

Brazil’s Arycom to Resell Streambox ACT-L3 Solutions

Streambox Inc. today announced that it has formed a partnership with Arycom, a major provider of satellite telecommunications services, to resell Streambox ACT-L3 solutions in the Brazilian marketplace. Through the partnership, Arycom will leverage its expertise in turnkey satellite and IP-based solutions to broaden Streambox’s presence in key vertical markets including broadcasting, government, telecommunications, and the military.

Based in São Paulo, Brazil, Arycom is a leading provider of satellite capacity and services through the Inmarsat and Iridium satellite systems. The company’s core competencies in fixed and mobile IP technologies for land, air, and sea-based applications offer clear synergies with Streambox’s IP-centric solutions for newsgathering, video transport, and content aggregation. Based on the industry-leading ACT-L3 codec, Streambox’s software-based solutions enable broadcasters, government agencies, and enterprises to deliver high-quality live and file-based broadcast video from the field using low cost, low-data-rate IP connections.

Streambox and Arycom will be conducting a ‘road show’ in Brazil, scheduled for March 23-27, 2009. The objective for the ‘road show’ is to highlight the joint capabilities of the two companies and to do hands-on presentations of how broadcasters and other key user groups can stream high-quality, low cost SD and HD video over a variety of IP networks.

“Arycom is the ideal partner to help us expand our market presence in Brazil. The company’s deep experience in IP- and satellite-based technologies and solutions offers a natural fit with the Streambox portfolio of products,” said Bob Hildeman, chairman and CEO at Streambox. “In addition, we will be able to leverage Arycom’s established relationships with suppliers and major Brazilian broadcasters, as well as its excellent network and customer base in our traditional vertical markets.”

“The Brazilian broadcasting landscape is becoming intensely competitive as broadcasters race to become early adopters of the latest technologies. As a result, there is strong demand for turnkey ENG and IP-based video solutions,” said Svante Hjorth, CEO of Arycom. “Streambox’s software-based newsgathering and video transport solutions will give us powerful leverage as we seize this market opportunity with broadcasters as well as other key industry groups we already target.”

On2 VP7 Video Codec Selected by 21Vianet

On2 Technologies, a leader in video compression solutions, announced it has licensed its VP7 video codec to 21ViaNet (China), Inc.. Founded in 1996, 21ViaNet is the leading carrier-neutral IDC service provider in China.

21ViaNet was named in Deloitte's '2008 Technology Fast 50 Companies in China' in recognition of its achievements and market success. The company has expansive partnerships with China's major telecom operators including China Telecom and China Unicom, as well as major content providers like CCTV. As part of its ongoing commitment to provide its extensive customer base with value added services, 21ViaNet has launched a new video services business division, using On2 Technologies'VP7 video codec as a key component of its video distribution platform.

The On2 VP7 video codec requires less data for high quality video, thereby reducing overall bandwidth costs without compromise to the end user viewing experience. As proprietary technology to On2, the video codec is patent pool free. This brings additional cost efficiency for publishing and distributing all kinds of content, as the video codec is not subject to MPEG-LA royalties. For more information about On2 VP7 please visit www.on2.com/on2video

The new On2 VP7-enabled video services division enables 21ViaNet to offer more value added options to its customers, assisting content providers and owners, such as TV stations and Telecom operators, to generate more traffic and to broaden revenue streams. 21Vianet is also currently developing another product that deploys On2 VP7 which it hopes will help promote sales of Internet video service enabled TV sets.

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.