LAS VEGAS, April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai
Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the world's largest and most
trusted cloud delivery platform, is bringing the consistency and
reliability of broadcast television to the Internet. The next
generation of its Media Services Live system for delivering 24/7
live/linear online video capabilities is designed to support
over-the-top (OTT) video service providers, broadcasters and telcos
that are operating or launching full-time television channels
online.
Media Services Live includes four new components, together known
as liveOrigin™, that operate in concert to support the
same level of quality for linear video streaming that is expected
of traditional broadcast television:
Broadcast-Quality
Ingestion: The transfer of video from its origination point to
the delivery network is a crucial step in linear streaming. Akamai
has built a highly distributed ingestion network using the
Company's proven mapping technology to match encoders to the most
optimal entry point, creating a system that can automatically route
content to different entry points with no viewer impact if the
connection is interrupted. Those capabilities are complemented with
ingest acceleration, based on Akamai's Media Acceleration
technology, to support throughput of higher bit rates and also
mitigate and circumvent poor network connectivity.
Low Latency: Akamai is
introducing 10-second latency as part of Media Services Live,
addressing the need for online and broadcast content to play back
for viewers near-simultaneously. Particularly important for
broadcasters and live sports and news providers, the feature
dramatically reduces what has traditionally been a
30-second-or-more delay between broadcast signals and online
streams.
Self-Healing Network:
Akamai has incorporated multiple layers of redundancy into Media
Services Live in which content is replicated to multiple locations
across the network. The design allows for immediate failover if
performance is in any way degraded.
Monitoring & Reporting:
Akamai's new Media Services Live includes near real-time reporting
that affords customers critical insights into content and ingest
performance. The capabilities replace the minutiae and time
inherent to pouring over log files with at-a-glance visualizations
of critical, stream-level metrics such as average bitrate, latency,
packet loss and error rate among others. Users can set custom
thresholds for key metrics that activate alerts when exceeded.
"Most broadcast video distribution solutions neglect the first
critical link of the video chain, content ingestion. Packet drops
or outages cause drops in quality or total loss of the feed. This
crisis leaves operations teams scrambling to get the content back
online as customers look for alternative sources for critical live
matches or first-broadcast linear content," said Sam Rosen, Vice President at ABI Research.
"Akamai's latest addition to Media Services Live – liveOrigin –
uses multiple technologies and operational capabilities to bring
broadcast-quality reliability and redundancy to OTT services."
"Akamai Media Services Live is designed from the ground up
explicitly to span the chasm between live streaming and broadcast
television. Media Services Live is a solution that's dedicated and
optimized to support the unique and rigorous demands of delivering
live and linear 24/7 channels online with features and performance
capabilities that simply are not available from commodity storage
and delivery services," said Michael
Fay, Vice President, Media Products and Operations, Akamai.
"As OTT operators and broadcasters build their online businesses
and expand their programming, linear channels and the related
viewing experience is playing a key role in the ability to
differentiate services. Having a platform that is able to support
the quality of experience necessary to attract and keep customers
will be critical as broadcast TV continues its shift online."
Media Services Live and its new liveOrigin capabilities are
available immediately and will be demonstrated during the 2017 NAB
Show in Las Vegas, April 24th – 27th at
Akamai's booth SL3324. The Company will also show its complete
range of cloud-based solutions designed to help content owners
deliver the best possible online video experiences to each
individual viewer.
About Akamai
As the world's largest and most trusted
cloud delivery platform, Akamai makes it easier for its customers
to provide the best and most secure digital experiences on any
device, anytime, anywhere. Akamai's massively distributed platform
is unparalleled in scale with over 200,000 servers across 130
countries, giving customers superior performance and threat
protection. Akamai's portfolio of web and mobile performance,
cloud security, enterprise access, and video delivery solutions are
supported by exceptional customer service and 24/7 monitoring. To
learn why the top financial institutions, e-commerce leaders, media
& entertainment providers, and government organizations trust
Akamai please visit www.akamai.com, blogs.akamai.com, or @Akamai on
Twitter.
Contacts:
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Chris
Nicholson
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Tom Barth
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Media
Relations
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Investor Relations
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617-444-2987
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617-274-7130
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cnichols@akamai.com
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tbarth@akamai.com
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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.