Concurrent is releasing new software for the MediaHawk 4500 video-on-demand server.
The upgraded release increases output for the MH4500 to 2,300 streams of standard definition content at 3.75 Mbps, a 40 percent increase in output from the server’s initial release in January 2007, while supporting additional next generation on-demand (NGOD) requirements.
“In a rapidly expanding VOD environment, there is constant pressure to increase streaming density,” stated Michael Pasquinilli, Concurrent vice president of on-demand engineering.
The MediaHawk 4500 is ISA and RTSP compliant, he said, and it has been commercially deployed in both NGOD-based and ISA-based VOD configurations supporting advanced on-demand applications, such as the time-shifted TV service “Start Over.”
Even with the increase in streaming capabilities, the MediaHawk 4500 still requires only a 2RU enclosure, enabling on-demand complexes scaling up to hundreds of thousands of streams with minimized footprint and power consumption. A multi-level memory cache approach and economical commercial hardware design allow service providers to employ scalable, pay-as-you-grow deployment models.
Pasquinilli said that reliability is enhanced with Concurrent’s Gatling Resilient Streaming Technology, which automatically detects failures and instantly routes stream demands to alternate resources in order to prevent any loss of VOD sessions. When combined with the MediaCache1000, Concurrent’s flash SSD (solid state drives) storage product, the MediaHawk 4500 provides an additional level of reliability while lowering maintenance costs.
Concurrent plans to begin immediate shipment of the MediaHawk 4500 with the new software.
