First Microsoft VC-1 Encoder Tools Now Available From Leading Solution Providers
07/09/2007 06:05
PR Newswire
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, September 7 /PRNewswire/ --
- Anystream, Envivio, Inlet Technologies, Memory-Tech, Rhozet (Harmonic
Inc.), Tarari and ViewCast announce first products using new Microsoft(R)VC-1
Encoder SDK
- BBC, CreateSpace (part of the Amazon group of companies), Universal
Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Animation LLC and Xbox
LIVE Marketplace among first customers to benefit from products based on
Microsoft(R)VC-1 Encoder technology.
Today at IBC2007, Microsoft Corp. announced broad industry support for
the Microsoft(R) VC-1 Encoder software development kit (SDK), a commercial
offering first announced at the 2007 National Association of Broadcasters
conference in April. Leading companies in digital delivery services and
compression tools have taken advantage of the substantial quality and
performance improvements delivered through the new SDK and are building
next-generation offerings that efficiently produce pristine video imagery for
a variety of distribution and consumption scenarios. Also recognising the
benefits of faster encoding and the value of delivering best-of-breed video
quality to their customers, leading content providers have adopted the new
VC-1 Encoder technology through the use of new products and tools.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
In the broadband and mobile content distribution segments, Red Bee Media
has chosen tools based on the Microsoft VC-1 Encoder from Anystream Inc to
rapidly repurpose and streamline the delivery of high-quality,
bandwidth-efficient video content for the BBC's innovative new iPlayer
service.
"We chose Anystream Agility because it allowed us to utilise the
efficiencies of the new Microsoft VC-1 Encoder to dynamically process and
deliver the highest-quality video across a host of viewing scenarios," said
Bob Johnson, chief technology officer at Red Bee Media. "With its
extensibility from mobile-based scenarios to the highest-quality HD optical
discs, the use of the Microsoft VC-1 Encoder provides us the with flexibility
to deliver content to the BBC optimised for virtually any screen and know
it's going to meet the BBC's high standards."
Top-tier content and service providers have also realised the benefits of
Microsoft VC-1 Encoder technology in creating high-definition (HD) content
for HD optical disc titles as well as broadband video on demand. European
facilities CMC, DMP, Sonopress, Imagion AG and DS? and US facilities GDMX,
Deluxe and Blink Digital (an Ascent Media company) are all delivering
next-generation HD DVD and/or Blu-ray titles using the technology. Also,
Microsoft and Amazon.com recently announced a programme for independent
filmmakers allowing them to publish up to 1,000 HD DVD titles with no set-up
fee through CreateSpace, part of the Amazon group of companies, which uses
the new VC-1 Encoder technology to produce high-quality, on-demand optical
media titles. To date, over 85 per cent of all HD DVD titles available in the
US have been encoded using VC-1.
In response to the efficiencies and quality of the new product,
Microsoft's popular Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace, with its high standards for
quality and bandwidth, has also adopted the SDK and has committed to
delivering only video created with SDK-based tools. Microsoft Silverlight(TM)
, a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering next-generation
media, also supports content generated from products based on the Microsoft
VC-1 Encoder SDK, among others.
"As digital delivery matures, high-fidelity display devices proliferate,
and consumer expectations continue to rise, content providers are recognising
the value of delivering superior-quality video to their customers," said Amir
Majidimehr, corporate vice president of the Consumer Media Technology Group
at Microsoft. "The Microsoft VC-1 Encoder SDK gives solution providers access
to features and capabilities developed through years of experience with the
Hollywood encoding facilities, generating the award-winning video quality
seen on HD DVD today."
Among the first to develop products based on the Microsoft VC-1 Encoder
SDK are world-class solution providers Anystream, Envivio Inc, Harmonic Inc,
Inlet Technologies, Memory-Tech Corp, Tarari Inc and ViewCast Corp.
-- Anystream Agility. Anystream Agility is a solution for on-demand media
production and publishing. Since its launch, Agility has been embraced
by the world's leading media companies by helping them supply the
burgeoning demand for video in a wide variety of formats. Anystream
Agility automates and streamlines the time-consuming, specialised
production work flows required to deliver video content to the
exploding number of outlets and devices round the world. By optimising
multiplatform content production, Agility enables content owners to
profitably exploit and scale new media business models.
-- Envivio 4Caster C4. The Envivio Convergence Generation Series 4Caster
C4 is a multichannel, multicodec real-time encoder that fits into an
Internet Protocol-based ecosystem to receive, decode, encode and
transmit programming via IP. The C4 can encode in Windows Media(R)
Video (VC-1), H.264 and AVS in resolutions targeting
standard-definition Internet Protocol television (IPTV) and internet
TV. The design of the C4 allows service providers to protect their
investment by providing a solution that can be easily configured to
support a variety of formats within one unit.
-- Harmonic Rhozet Carbon Coder and Carbon Server. Carbon Coder is a
stand-alone application that handles transcoding between all major
video compression formats, as well as providing a host of additional
functions such as standards conversion, logo insertion and time code
burn-in. Carbon Server is a management tool that manages a network of
Carbon Coder engines to accelerate transcoding for high-volume
applications.
-- Inlet Technologies Fathom and Spinnaker. Fathom is an advanced
encoding platform that solves the problem of managing multiple output
formats for different viewing devices and allows the targeting of any
playback device, all from a single user interface. Spinnaker is a
streaming solution that delivers quality video and audio for live
media delivery applications such as IPTV; web streaming; public,
education and government (PEG) channels; broadband TV; and enterprise,
education or government video.
-- Memory-Tech Digital Movie Factory Pro HD. Designed for user-friendly
work flow, Digital Movie Factory Pro HD combines the quality of the
Microsoft VC-1 Encoder with template-based compression and HDi
interactivity software to provide a powerful but streamlined tool for
HD DVD creation. Features include multiple audio tracks, subtitles,
full Advanced Access Content System (AACS) support, and output to HD
DVD-R disc and WinDVD HD.
-- Tarari Encoder Accelerator for Windows Media. Tarari provides hardware
and software acceleration of computing-intensive processes that are
too difficult for general-purpose CPUs to process in a reasonable time
frame. The Tarari Encoder Accelerator for Windows Media supports
hundreds of encoder applications and accelerates VC-1 encoding to
speeds three to 18 times faster than software alone.
-- ViewCast Niagara SCX Pro and Niagara Streaming Systems. ViewCast's
Niagara SCX Pro encoding management platform puts users in control
with a comprehensive set of user tools and integration web services to
manage and deliver live and on-demand streaming content. Niagara
Streaming Systems are turnkey solutions for the acquisition,
digitisation, compression and streaming of audio and video for
internet and intranet delivery.
The ability of companies to build innovative products using the Microsoft
VC-1 Encoder SDK originated with the parallel encoding tool Microsoft
developed to help studios encode the next generation of high-definition
optical discs. That tool is now openly available from Sonic Solutions as its
CineVision PSE product. CineVision PSE features powerful server-based
encoding technology, stunning cinematic-quality encoding, extensive VC-1
parameter control, stream legalisation and segment-based re-encoding.
More information regarding specifications and licensing of the Microsoft
VC-1 Encoder SDK can be found at
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/mediaandentertainment/ibc2007/vc-1.mspx.
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