TokBox Upgrades to Wowza to Reduce Costs and Scale To Meet Growing Demand for its Video Chat Conferencing Services
Wowza Media Server 2 Enables Deployment of TokBox’s Proprietary Echo Suppressing Audio Technology
Evergreen, CO(27 May 2010)
Wowza Media Systems, the media server company, announced today that the popular web-based video chat and video messaging service, TokBox has deployed Wowza Media Server 2 infrastructure to power its free and premium video conferencing services that are used by thousands of people each day.
Wowza Media Server 2 supports TokBox services, including the new TokBox Broadcast video chat that allows for up to 200 audience members in a single video conference, as well as the standard TokBox service that gives people the ability to have a video chat session with up to 20 friends.
Because of Wowza's flexible server-side APIs, TokBox was able to deploy its proprietary audio technology. The technology, still in private beta, is a first for any web-based video chat service. It suppresses echo, enabling users to enjoy superior audio quality without the need to wear headphones. Additionally, the upgrade from Adobe® Flash® Media Interactive Servers to the Wowza Media Server 2 gave TokBox higher levels of scalability and flexibility while helping to reduce operational costs during a time of expansion for the company.
"With Wowza, TokBox now has a media server infrastructure that we can rely on to confidently grow and build new services," said Yang Cao, vice president of engineering, TokBox. "Not only was the transition to Wowza easy, we have already seen rock-solid performance improvements, which has led to an immediate reduction in our operating costs."
Since being deployed, the Wowza Media Server helped the company meet and exceed a scalability and performance challenge when TokBox offered its TokBox Broadcast video chat service for free during the air travel disruption caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland. This service offer, which normally costs $12.99 - $18.99 per session, brought a significant influx of new users to TokBox.
"With the rise of demand for live telepresence, conferencing and chat, Wowza is being sought out to help companies differentiate their services and meet their growth objectives," said David Stubenvoll, CEO and co-founder, Wowza Media Systems. "Because of our focus on unifying video delivery, Wowza is working with companies like TokBox to ensure they have a flexible infrastructure that allows for the creation and delivery of unrivaled interactive experiences for their audiences."
Wowza Media Server 2 is the first in the industry to offer a single software platform capable of simultaneously delivering video from a single encoded source to multiple clients and devices, including Adobe' Flash® player, Apple's iPhone® and iPad®, Microsoft's Silverlight® and others. First to democratize media streaming, Wowza Media Server is recognized as the Streaming Media Readers' Choice for Best Innovation of 2009.
About TokBox
TokBox offers the simplest online video chat and video messaging service on the web. Video chatting with up to 20 people is free, there is nothing to download or configure, and TokBox intuitive technology works on a Mac or a PC. With TokBox video chat, people have deeper, richer conversations. It is easy to see and speak with one friend or a whole community. TokBox also offers video messaging, if you do not catch someone live, just record and send a personal video message. TokBox is privately held with headquarters in San Francisco, CA. For more information and to enrich your everyday conversations, please visit www.tokbox.com.
About Wowza Media Systems
Wowza Media Systems is the media server software company that provides an industrial strength infrastructure for live video, video-on-demand, live recording and video chat. Wowza has a singular focus on delivering high performance media server software to service providers, media properties, enterprises, and other organizations serious about delivering video to any digital screen - computer, mobile phone, home TV. Wowza's media server software has been deployed by more than 45,000 global licensees in entertainment, social media, advertising, enterprise, education, government, and Internet commerce. Wowza Media Systems is privately-held with headquarters in Evergreen, Colorado. For more information, visit www.wowzamedia.com.