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Streaming21’s award-winning Media-On-Demand (MOD)
solution for IP networks centers around the high performance Media
Server component, providing a full suite of functionality for delivering
interactive, on-demand pre-recorded audio and video to hundreds of
thousands of users over IP networks. On-demand audio and video are
delivered with exceptional broadcast quality and low latency playback,
resulting in a dynamic viewing experience that exceeds the quality
of conventional broadcasting.
The fully integrated solution offers CODEC independence, concurrent
delivery of all major ISO and industry-standard digital media formats,
scheduled content distribution, load balancing, automatic failover,
and integrated remote management supporting the synchronization and
replication of rich media assets across multiple distributed server
groups. Streaming21’s media-on-demand services can be accessed
via a variety of devices, including personal computers, TVs equipped
with set-top boxes, and wireless handheld devices.
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Media-On-Demand Access–Video and Music
Media-on-demand — video programming and MP3 music
that are available to audiences at their leisure — has always
been a powerful driving concept for the entertainment industry. For
leading-edge enterprises whose top priorities are content collaboration,
corporate communications, and training, the promise of on-demand access
to corporate information and communications from anywhere and at anytime
has become even more attractive. Now, with Media Server and MP3 Server,
movies, training material, music, and more can be made available to
thousands of concurrent users from any location.
Streaming21’s media-on-demand solution delivers broadcast-quality,
full-screen, 30-frames-per-second video and CD-quality audio. It is the only
fully integrated solution offering CODEC-independent, broadband-optimized delivery
for pre-recorded media. This media-on-demand solution is not tied to any individual
encoder format; so multiple media formats, for example MPEG-1, MPEG-2, ASF,
and more, are supported on each server concurrently. The same server will concurrently
stream multiple programs simultaneously to different viewers, even though the
video programs may actually be encoded in different formats and with varying
compression rates.
Streaming21’s media-on-demand solution supports all major ISO and industry-standard
digital media CODECs, including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MP3, AVI, ASF, WMV,
DAT, HDTV, ATSC and eCinema. CODEC independence and media format flexibility
ensure that you will be able to take advantage of many existing high-quality
digital media and accommodate the needs of a majority of users. They also allow
you to tailor your service to accommodate various delivery methods and networks
to best serve your audience.
Scheduled Content Distribution
Media Server can locally archive live broadcasts originating
from Media Caster and distribute content to the location nearest to
the viewer either manually under operator control, or according to
a distribution schedule. Integrated remote management controls provide
the means to transfer and store content files at the proper Media
or MP3 Server for optimal performance. Deployed independently or integrated
with other third-party Content Distribution Networks, Streaming21’s
media-on-demand solution supports the synchronization and replication
of rich media assets across multiple, distributed server groups and
co-location facilities.
Multi-Server Clustering
The media-on-demand solution supports the clustering
of multiple Media or MP3 Servers. This allows multiple independent
servers to operate as a single logical unit for on-demand delivery
with shared storage, fault tolerance, and load balancing.
The multi-server implementation (the cluster) provides
increased capacity and the flexibility to rapidly scale the system
capacity when needed. It also reduces the amount of storage capacity
needed, eliminates the need for replication of data, and simplifies
the management of media files, thus reducing the total cost of the
solution to a fraction of what it might otherwise be. The solution
is made possible by Streaming21’s patent-pending, real-time Shared
Streaming File System, which provides data sharing and high performance
storage access far beyond that of conventional storage systems. Depending
on system configuration, each cluster can support from several hundred
to several thousand concurrent streams at a nominal 3.0 Mbps per stream.
Unmatched Scalability
As the number of users on the network grows and your operation expands
geographically, Streaming21’s media-on-demand solution lets you deploy multiple
Media Server Clusters to support ever-growing numbers of users. Media
and MP3 Server Clusters can be distributed within a single facility,
or to geographically dispersed locations, allowing you to place Servers
close to viewers to minimize the load on the backbone network. Multiple
distributed server clusters ensure efficient use of the network, unparalleled
streaming service quality, infinite scalability and full network control.
Load Balancing
As the number of users increases, so does the burden
associated with high traffic on each individual server. Some servers
can be forced to bear more of a burden than others. To continuously
optimize the use of each server and the network, Streaming21’s
solution provides the ability to distribute the service load across
multiple servers or network segments. This function, critical to maintaining
peak network performance, is carried out by Media Director.
Media Director allocates users to Media and MP3 Servers,
both statically and during run time; this ensures that optimal performance
is achieved and maintained. Media Director has the intelligence to
determine the capacity, loading, and current status of all servers.
Based on this knowledge it automatically directs each user to the
appropriate server. The operator only needs to specify the parameters
under which Media Director will operate, in real time.
Automatic Failover
Another major function provided by Streaming21’s
media-on-demand solution is automatic failover. If, during periods
of heavy demand, a facility reaches capacity, experiences network
interruptions or otherwise become unavailable, Media Director
automatically and transparently redirects viewers to other Media and
MP3 Servers. Playback is seamlessly resumed without loss of service,
providing users with a high quality experience.
Comprehensive Management Capabilities
File management, user authentication, system configuration, access control,
and network performance tracking are all performed within a streamlined, intuitive
interface. Streaming21’s Media Manager provides a remote management interface
that turns any java-enabled PC into a management platform from which scheduling,
delivery, tracking, billing and transaction management for all Media Servers
and Media Casters on the network can be performed. Built-in SNMP, ODBC, and
LDAP provide support for the management needs of today’s networks. Detailed
access records are logged using a database to provide billing transactions as
well as performance and usage analysis. Locally or remotely, you have total
control and instant access to the servers on your network— at anytime.
Media Caster and Media Server built-in support for SNMP, the standard network
management protocol, enables any management console such as HP’s OpenView to
remotely monitor and control a complex media-on-demand environment.
Business Application Examples
Value-added services can be readily integrated and deployed in time frames
typically driven by today’s business models including:
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Enterprise & Small Business |
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Carrier/Hospitality |
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Education/e-Learning |
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Pay-Per-View Services |
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Web-based e-Learning |
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Video-on-Demand |
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Employee Training |
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Karaoke-on-Demand |
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Video eMail Solutions |
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Music-on-Demand |
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Rich Media Marketing |
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Electronic Program Guides |
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Web-based on-demand video |
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Kiosks |
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Content Collaboration |
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Virtual Jukeboxes
Video eMail Services
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Virtual Tours |
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Hosted Enterprise Services |
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