Adobe Announces Availability of Adobe Media Server 5.0.1
Adobe released the renamed and rebranded Adobe Media Server on June 21, 2012, with limited features, and yesterday evening it announced an update to catch some of what was missing. In a blog post, senior product manager for Adobe Media Server Kevin Towes announced the release of AMS 5.0.1. One of the major features is the inclusion of closed captioning that meets FCC requirements. This version also works with Windows Server, something that version 5.0.0 lacked, and supports multi-language tracks.
Adobe Media Server, formerly known as Flash Media Server, includes three installed versions -- AMS 5 Standard ($995), AMS 5 Professional ($4,500), and AMS 5 Professional (call for pricing), as well a version that runs on Amazon Web Services (by subscription). The Amazon Web Services version currently runs version 5.0.0 only. Adobe offers education discounts and a free trial.
The main reason Adobe rushed out AMS 5.0.0, Towes said, was to answer customer requests for a simplified workflow and to support Apple iOS. AMS offers a single workflow for content streaming, and includes built-in content protection. The included protection works in real-time, lets broadcasters avoid having content licensed with a separate DRM infrastructure, and is robust enough for anything except premium paid content. It's designed to reduce complexity and cost. AMS supports external DRM for robust needs.
"There's a lot of innovation in this release. It's one of the only technologies that supports DRM-strength protection without the complexities of a DRM workflow," says Towes.
Effective yesterday, Flash Media Server 4.5 is no longer offered by Adobe. This release concludes a rebranding of the product that takes the emphasis off Flash. Flash Media Development server is now called Adobe Media Server 5 Starter; Flash Media Streaming Server is now Adobe Media Server 5 Standard; Flash Media Interactive Server is now Adobe Media Serer 5 Professional; and Flash Media Enterprise Server is now Adobe Media Server 5 Extended.
For more on the release, watch this video created by Towes.
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