Zencoder Unveils Cloud-based Batch Video Encoding Feature
Content providers can now slash costs of video transcoding into HTML 5-friendly WebM
San Francisco, CA(10 May 2011)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — May 10, 2011 — Zencoder, the performance leader in cloud-based video encoding, today announced the immediate availability of cloud-based batch video encoding. Batch encoding makes it easy for content providers to encode entire libraries of content to all of the popular video formats, and to new video sizes, in order to accommodate distribution to a growing number of Internet-connected devices.
To underscore the new batch encoding feature, and to support content providers who want to use HTML5 video players, Zencoder is offering promotional pricing for encoding to Google’s royalty-free, open source WebM video codec. Through June 5th, all video encoding jobs that transcode video into WebM using Zencoder will be discounted 50%.1
“More and more publishers want to support HTML5 video, and WebM is an integral part of HTML5,” said Jon Dahl, Zencoder CEO and co-founder. “But adding support for new formats can be difficult, especially for content providers that have large backlogs of legacy content. Our batch encoder makes it easy for content providers to adopt new video technologies, whether that is WebM, adaptive bitrate streaming, or HD.
Cloud-based video encoding is uniquely suited to processing large libraries of video content and offers a cost effective way to encode large video libraries into multiple formats. Content providers that have new distribution goals, such as mobile devices or standardizing their browser-based experiences on HTML5, can leverage the scale of the cloud to transcode thousands of files in parallel, without having to invest in expensive infrastructure.
Zencoder customer Whiskey Media used batch functionality to great effect to re-encode a library of videos at higher resolution and bitrate. "Zencoder's batch processing makes supporting a new format or video size a breeze,” said Whiskey Media co-founder Andy McCurdy. “In under two hours Zencoder encoded more than two terabytes of our back catalog in beautiful 720p high definition."
Zencoder is widely regarded as a technology leader in cloud-based video encoding performance, platform scalability and reliability, delivering a 99.9% encoding success rate. Zencoder encodes most video in less time than the actual length of the video, even traditionally time-intensive HD video. The service employs an easy to use REST API, enabling Zencoder’s customers to easily access enterprise-quality encoding technology without requiring any upfront hardware investments or continuing maintenance costs. Zencoder works with hundreds of customers worldwide, including PBS Television, TwitVid, Posterous and College Humor.
HTML is the markup language that makes up every page on the web. The newest version, HTML5 includes specifications for a video tag that is meant to allow website developers to add a video to a page the same way they would add an image. This allows standardized video playback across web browsers and devices.
Google-sponsored WebM is an open source project for royalty-free video codecs, which supports playback in HTML5 video players, such as Zencoder’s VideoJS. VideoJS works on all major HTML5 platforms - both web and mobile - and automatically reverts to Flash if HTML5 video is not supported. The VideoJS HTML5 video player is the most widely deployed open source HTML5 player available.
To sign up for a free Zencoder account, visit: http://zencoder.com/pricing.
The open source VideoJS player is available for free download at http://videojs.com/.
The WebM project is available here: http://www.webmproject.org/
1 Offering is subject to some conditions. Please contact Zencoder to learn more.
About Zencoder
Zencoder is the performance leader in reliable, fast, high-quality cloud-based video transcoding. Founded in 2010, its products enable content providers to quickly deploy Internet video to consumers on virtually any Internet connected device. The founder’s technology vision dates back to 2008 when the team pioneered cloud-based encoding as a service with On2 Technologies (now Google). Zencoder was founded by Jon Dahl, Brandon Arbini, and Steve Heffernan, a team of engineers intent on removing the complexities of putting video online and committed to making scalable, high-performance video encoding available to developers and businesses everywhere.
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