Wowza to Launch Wowza Media Server 3 at IBC2011

AMSTERDAM—Wowza, an Evergreen, Colo.-based media server software company, will introduce the third generation of its streaming solution, Wowza Media Server 3 at IBC 2011, Sept. 9-13 in Amsterdam.

Wowza Media Server 3 is a single extensible foundation for “any screen done right” media delivery of the best possible viewing experience where and when it’s wanted. With Wowza Media Server 3, formerly hard-to-implement features such as adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming, time-shifted playback, and integrated rights management are made simple and cost-effective. Complementing the platform are three initial value-added components, Wowza Transcoder AddOn, Wowza Network DVR (nDVR) AddOn, and Wowza DRM AddOn. The Wowza Media Server 3 media platform targets revenue-generating services for an ever-growing number of destinations, including Flash- and Silverlight-capable computers, tablets, phones, set-top boxes, media players, and game consoles; Apple iPhone/iPad and other HLS-capable devices such as Apple TV with AirPlay, Android devices, Roku media players, and Internet-connected TVs including Samsung Smart TV and Google TV-powered sets.

General availability of Wowza Media Server 3 and the new value-added components is expected in Q3 2011, at which time all current Wowza Media Server 2 licensees will be eligible for a free upgrade to the new platform.

The company’s Wowza Transcoder AddOn for Wowza Media Server 3 uses commodity hardware to transform incoming live streams from encoders, IP cameras, IPTV headends, and other live sources into multiple stream sets “done right” for H.264-everywhere adaptive bitrate delivery using Flash RTMP and HTTP Dynamic Streaming, Apple HLS, and Silverlight Smooth Streaming. Wowza Transcoder can also be used for non-adaptive streaming using any transport protocol supported by Wowza Media Server 3, including RTMP, RTSP/RTP, MPEG-TS, and HTTP.

The Wowza Network DVR (nDVR) AddOn is an innovative live-stream cache that enables Wowza licensees to increase revenues and viewer engagement by delivering live linear streams as time-shifted services to any screen. Supported features, including live-stream pause, rewind, and resume, enable content publishers and service providers to develop premium catch-up TV services to individualize the viewer experience. Wowza nDVR works by storing content for any-screen playout in a normalized format accessible to Wowza Media Server 3.

Wowza DRM AddOn offers third-party Digital Rights Management (DRM) Key Management System (KMS) integration such as support for Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS) for Internet TV and Microsoft PlayReady key management systems. Equipped with the Wowza DRM software AddOn, Wowza Media Server 3 provides secure key exchange and encrypts individual video segments on the fly for streaming of premium content to viewers on a wide range of devices including PC/tablets, set-top boxes, connected TVs, and mobile devices. Wowza plans to announce integration with additional DRM platforms in the future.

Wowza will exhibit in Stand 13.121