EdgeCast Announces Full IIS Smooth Streaming Support
HTTP Adaptive Bit Rate Technology Now Available for Live or On-Demand Streaming
Santa Monica, CA(12 Oct 2010)
EdgeCast Networks, the world's fastest and most reliable content delivery network (CDN), today announced comprehensive support for Microsoft Silverlight and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Smooth Streaming adaptive bit rate technology on the company’s live and on-demand worldwide streaming platforms. EdgeCast’s support for IIS Smooth Streaming, an extension of IIS for Windows Server, enhances the user experience because it senses changing bandwidth and computer conditions and adjusts delivery and video quality accordingly. While the company has quietly supported on-demand IIS Smooth Streaming for several months, today’s announcement completes the offering and includes full support for live streaming and EdgeCast-hosted ingest.
“This move is another example of our commitment to offer a wide variety of industry-leading streaming technologies,” said James Segil, co-founder and president of EdgeCast Networks. “Intelligent adaptation is at the core of our network, and it’s also what makes IIS Smooth Streaming such a compelling technology. This combination improves the user experience and raises the bar for global streaming.”
At the core of the EdgeCast network is intelligent global load balancing that automatically routes users to the streaming server fastest for them. IIS Smooth Streaming adapts video streams in real-time based upon the consumer’s changing bandwidth and CPU conditions. The combination of the two means publishers can deliver a high-definition experience that loads quickly while minimizing interruptions relating to network congestion and limited computer resources.
“This move by EdgeCast makes HD quality and richer media experiences available to an even wider audience than before and we’re excited about the opportunity this creates for customers,” said David Sayed, senior product manager for Silverlight at Microsoft Corp. “IIS Smooth Streaming delivered over the EdgeCast network helps enhance the user experience in a cost-effective, scalable way.”
Companies can take advantage of IIS Smooth Streaming features to boost advertising and subscription revenues by offering true high-definition (HD) video (up to 1080p) with uninterrupted delivery to extend viewing times. IIS Smooth Streaming takes advantage of the Web’s massive existing HTTP infrastructure and brings superior performance and scalability to media experiences delivered using HTTP.
With adaptive streaming, the video quality of a live feed that a player receives is dynamically detected and seamlessly switched in real time to match local bandwidth and CPU conditions. Without stopping to re-buffer, it delivers each viewer the best quality the bandwidth and CPU allow at any given time. Viewers with high bandwidth connections get high definition (HD) quality streaming, while those with lower speeds receive the best possible stream for their bandwidth, ensuring uninterrupted viewing for all consumers. Silverlight and IIS Smooth Streaming are based on HTTP delivery and therefore take full advantage of the existing HTTP infrastructure.
IIS Smooth Streaming is available to EdgeCast customers immediately for streaming both live and on-demand content. To learn more, see the EdgeCast Smooth Streaming page at: http://www.edgecast.com/services/streaming/smooth/.
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About EdgeCast Networks
Delivering any data, anywhere, anytime, EdgeCast is the world's fastest and most reliable content delivery network. To learn more, visit www.edgecast.com.