Wowza shows an improved version of its media server platform at NAB 2012

Media server software developer Wowza Media Systems is introducing Media Server 3.1 at NAB, the next generation of its software platform for streaming live and on-demand audio or video simultaneously to multiple clients and devices.

Wowza Media Systems está exhibiendo una serie de mejoras en el Wowza Media Server 3 durante el salón NAB 2012. La última versión de la plataforma de software Wowza Media Server 3.1 incluye mejoras en el Network DVR (nDVR) AddOn, una opción de sólo audio para el Wowza Transcoder AddOn, y la superposición de Transcoder dinámica.

Dan Aronson, CEO of Fandor.com, explained: "The Fandor experience is built on the ability to watch great movies at any time, and Wowza Media Server never lets us down. For our social media outreach, we can serve scenes and trailers to audiences without having to encode them separately, saving us time and money. Wowza's software allows us to serve multiple formats from the same video sources. We are very excited about the new improvements in 3.1 that will make the Fandor experience even better.”

Capture the audience

The Wowza nDVR AddOn, now out of beta, is an innovative live feed cache that stores content in a standardized format accessible to Wowza Media Server 3 for playback on any screen. With it, Wowza licensees can deliver live linear feeds as modified-time services to any screen – capabilities proven to increase both viewer engagement and revenue.

The Wowza nDVR also supports playback features such as live pause, rewind and resume, and enables content publishers and service providers to develop the type of premium TV capture services that enhance and individualize the viewer experience.

Sandy Thailing, director of media technology at Hillcrest Covenant Church, said: "With the nDVR functionality of the Wowza Media Server, we are able to increase both audience engagement and viewer experiences. The Wowza nDVR AddOn is critical to our ability to deliver both real-time church services and streaming feeds on any screen. We are really impressed with the full production version of the Wowza nDVR."

Signals without video

The Wowza Transcoder AddOn audio-only option offers users the ability to pay a significantly lower “audio-only” price when using the Wowza Transcoder AddOn with signals that do not contain video. Using basic hardware, the Audio Only option transforms input live audio signals from encoders, IP cameras, IPTV headends, and other live sources into sets of multi-bitrate H.264 signals for adaptive bitrate delivery. Additionally, the Wowza Transcoder's audio-only option can be used for non-adaptive streaming with any transport protocol supported by Wowza Media Server 3.

Dynamic Transcoder Overlays allow customers to use compositing to instantly overlay text, images, motion graphics, and secondary video sources onto signals passing through the Wowza Transcoder AddOn. The feature can be used in many cases, including dynamic advertising insertion, titling, sporting event scores, and picture-in-picture video. It also allows a single display to show broadcast and multi-camera surveillance signals on any screen. Dynamic Transcoder overlays can be manually configured or pre-programmed based on external events, making it a powerful new tool for adding premium TV-like experiences at entry-level prices.

Dave Stubenvoll, CEO and co-founder of Wowza Media Systems, said: "Wowza continues to focus multimedia delivery by reducing the complexity and expense of a multitude of client-specific platforms, adaptive bitrate technologies, and proprietary media players. Wowza Media Server 3.1 is our latest contribution to that effort. We've made hundreds of software improvements to address customer needs, making it easier and more affordable for our customers to provide a rich user experience, whether are on streaming television or live audio capture services.”