Softron to Demo MovieStreamer HLS at NAB 2012

Softron Media Services® will demonstrate the latest addition to its suite of ingest products at its booth (SL9007) during NAB 2012 in Las Vegas, NV, USA on April 16, 2012. MovieStreamer HLS is an audio/video streaming application designed for Mac users looking to stream professional grade audio and video to the Net. MovieStreamer HLS accepts video from input devices that support Apple's AV Foundation. Currently AV Foundation supported devices include professional video cards and Thunderbolt video devices from Blackmagic Design.

With over a thousand different users of Softron's ingest products, Softron MovieRecorder applications have become a staple of television stations, post production facilities, research labs, sports facilities, security systems and time shifting applications. MovieStreamer HLS  expands the functionality of the MovieRecorder franchise to incorporate "web ingesting" - capturing high quality video for simultaneous web distribution. The user selects the audio and the video device, the video format, a network destination and an output format - and streams the input to the specified destination. Since MovieStreamer HLS uses Apple's AV Foundation and HTTP Live Streaming technology, there are default formats automatically available. Users wanting to change the defaults can create and save custom profiles by adjusting a number of parameters. MovieStreamer HLS supports multiple streams and adaptive streaming output.

While MovieStreamer HLS was primarily designed for professional broadcasters who use Softron's OnTheAir Video suite of professional playout products, its ease of use and its price point make it possible for anyone wanting to stream video from their Mac to the Net to do so.

“There are different applications that support streaming on the Mac,” said Pierre Chevalier, Softron's Technical Director. “Unfortunately many of them are either not easy to use or the quality of their output is poor. Professional users want their Internet based television programming to look as good as their regular programming. So rather than rely on third parties to support the great quality one would expect for a Mac application, we decided to build the appropriate application ourselves. Our AV Foundation support guarantees that not only will we be compatible with Apple in the future, but that any enhancements Apple makes to their technology will be immediately reflected in our streaming product.”

Softron chose HTTP Live Streaming for a number of reasons:

1. Infrastructure. HTTP Live Streaming does not require any specific servers; a simple Apache HTTP server will suffice. Although bandwidth requirements are the same as for other formats, there is no need to buy a Flash or RTSP server.

2. Openness. HTTP Live Streaming makes it possible to include multiple audio tracks in different languages and also multiple resolutions that the user can switch to transparently and automatically. Viewing can start at a lower resolution and then switch to a better resolution bandwidth permitting. The format is also documented and based on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream encapsulation which is still in use today in most set top boxes and cable receivers.

3. Ease-of-Use. Every web developer can build a website integrating HTTP Live Streaming, building on existing web technologies without having to use external resources or SDKs.

4. Cost Effective. No licenses or royalties are required other than what would be paid for the actual content.

5. Platform suppot. Most platforms already support HTTP Live Streaming. Examples are Android, iOS (iPhone, iPad), MacOS X (Safari).

MovieStreamer HLS will ship during the third quarter 2012 and will have a price of USD 995, EUR 695.