Choose Elemental as the Best Hardware Encoding Solution by Oct. 8

Submitted by admin on September 29, 2010 - 09:34

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

Great news! Elemental’s video compression products are in the running for a 2010 Streaming Media Readers’ Choice Award in the Hardware Encoder (HD) category. Have you had a great experience using solutions from Elemental or heard good things from a colleague? Don’t miss the chance to express your support! Every voter is automatically entered to win an Apple iPad courtesy of Streaming Media.

Casting your vote is quick and easy, just click here. After making selections in other categories, be sure to scroll down to the Hardware Encoder (HD) category to vote for an Elemental system.

Voting is open until next Friday (Oct. 8). Streaming Media plans to announce the top three contestants for each category on Oct. 18 and to announce the winners at the 2010 Streaming Media West Exhibition in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 2. Elemental will exhibit at the show in booth 28.

If you are attending Streaming Media West this year, please schedule a meeting with Elemental or plan to stop by our booth and see our solutions in action. If you would like to attend the show but haven’t yet registered, please attend as our guest. Click here to register and receive a $200 discount on regularly priced conference passes using Elemental’s priority code VIPELE.

Thank you for your help and support. Stay tuned for the results!

 

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Joining Fellow Innovators at the GPU Technology Conference

Submitted by Whitney on September 21, 2010 - 10:29

GPU TEchnology Conference LogoPioneering companies from around the world are attending NVIDIA’s annual GPU Technology Conference to showcase cutting-edge technologies designed around graphics processing units (GPUs). The event kicks off today and Sam Blackman, Elemental’s CEO, will participate in the Emerging Companies Summit as a CEO on Stage speaker, discussing Elemental’s rapid expansion and taking questions from conference attendees.

Elemental stays in-step with GPU technology advancements in order to provide the best video processing solutions available. Coincident with the GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California, Elemental today announced support for the latest generation of GPUs from NVIDIA, based on NVIDIA Fermi architecture. Fermi is the most advanced GPU computing platform NVIDIA has developed to date; its massively parallel architecture enables Elemental to process and deliver more video to more screens, better and faster than ever before. Elemental’s upcoming software releases, Elemental Server 1.4 and Elemental Live 1.1, both offer support for Fermi to significantly improve video conversion tasks and boost performance for broadcast and multi-screen adaptive video delivery applications.

Elemental’s software, paired with a robust GPU architecture, creates powerful solutions that are setting industry standards for performance. Our goal is to provide our customers with efficient, cost-effective solutions and the GPU assists us in getting that job done. We look forward to discussing our GPU-based technology with other industry leaders today in San Jose. For more information about the GPU Technology Conference and schedule of events, visit www.nvidia.com/gtc.

Reporting Live from IBC: Creating a Live 3D Experience with Microsoft Smooth Streaming

Submitted by Lisa on September 10, 2010 - 13:32

Media Multiplied IBC SamAt IBC 2010, Elemental is showing Elemental Live in a Microsoft Smooth Streaming 3D workflow. This is the world’s first demonstration of live 3D Smooth Streaming over the Internet at broadcast quality 1080p. Not only can the demo be viewed on the show floor in the Elemental and Microsoft stands, it can be accessed worldwide from this online Microsoft Silverlight 3D Player.

Live streaming 3D content originating from TVN Group in Hamburg, Germany can be viewed through the Silverlight player available on the site. Requirements for 3D viewing include Internet Explorer and an NVIDIA 3D Vision Kit. Without these items, remote viewers can still see live streaming content in a side-by-side view through a web browser on a variety of display devices.

In this workflow, the Elemental Live system deinterlaces a live 3D television source at 1080i/50Hz via a single HD/SDI input. Seven outputs are converted and streamed in real time over a 30 Mbps uplink to a Microsoft IIS server and over the Level 3 content delivery network. Outputs include 1080p, 960p, 720p, 540p and 480p streams, providing a broad range of resolutions and bit rates for Silverlight client devices. All streams are encoded simultaneously using a single Elemental Live system. By delivering streams via Microsoft Smooth Streaming, automatic adpative bit rate stream switching delivers a seamless viewing experience to the audience regardless of network and bandwidth conditions.

Read more about this demonstration on the Microsoft Silverlight Blog.

Microsoft Workflow

Elemental Streams First True High Definition 3D Video Live Over the Internet at IBC

Submitted by Whitney on September 8, 2010 - 23:01

T3D Dino Imagehe International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) kicks off today and 3D is already the talk of the show. Elemental is adding to the 3D buzz by unveiling a world’s first: live 3D streaming video in 1080p. Elemental is proud to collaborate with Microsoft, Level 3 and TVN Group to deliver high definition 3D content streaming live over the Internet using Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Smooth Streaming.

The demonstration features a real-world, end-to-end 3D workflow in which Elemental Live performs the heavy-duty encoding required to stream live HD 3D video over the Internet. In the demonstration, a single system directly accepts a 3D TV signal from TVN and simultaneously encodes seven independent output streams for multi-screen delivery via Level 3’s content distribution network. Content is formatted for Microsoft Smooth Streaming, an adaptive bit rate protocol that enables a compelling, uninterrupted online viewing experience.

While the 3D market is still nascent, viewers’ appetites for a richer viewing experience continue to accelerate.  The number of households with HDTV doubled between 2007 and 2009 and eventually the adoption curve of 3D will follow that of HD as costs come down, content becomes more available, and implementation increases.  

According to a recent Nielsen survey, 12% of people surveyed owned a 3D-enabled TV or they had a definite interest in purchasing one this year. The library of 3D content is growing – sports, concerts, feature films, music videos and games are all rapidly contributing to the 3D experience. As viewers are exposed to compelling 3D content, they will look for ways to integrate that experience into their homes. Someday, more personal video devices including laptops and mobile phones may even eliminate the need for 3D glasses.

If you are attending IBC, you can see the demo at Elemental’s stand 13.C25 and in the Microsoft venue in the Topaz Lounge. In addition to the joint demonstration with Microsoft, Level 3 and TVN Group at IBC, Elemental Live is integrated within the 3D workflow in NVIDIA’s stand 7.J38 and a multi-screen workflow in HP stand 3.C10. Elemental’s multi-screen transcoding product line is featured in Elemental’s stand 13.C25.

If you're not attending IBC this year, you can still follow us on twitter (@elementaltech) for updates from the show or subscribe to our blog for Elemental's perspective and news.

It’s True: Elemental is Giving Away an Apple iPad at IBC

Submitted by Whitney on September 8, 2010 - 15:20

Interested in winning a free Apple iPad? You may get the chance this year at IBC. Elemental Technologies is giving away an iPad, valued at $499 USD, to one lucky IBC 2010 attendee.

At IBC, Elemental will demonstrate a live 2D/3D multi-screen experience and a real-world broadcast workflow in our stand. Elemental partners Nvidia and Hewlett-Packard will also feature Elemental’s award-winning video processing solutions in each of their stands.

Eligibility to win is simple. Just visit all three Elemental locations on the IBC show floor, grab an entry form, and have it stamped at each demonstration location. Once you have seen all of Elemental’s powerful video processing solutions in action, submit your completed form to an Elemental representative for your chance to win.

Elemental IBC Demo Location Map

Click the image for an interactive map of the IBC show floor

  • Elemental in stand 13.C25 – Featuring 3D and Four Screen Demos
  • PNY/Nvidia in stand 7.J38 – Featuring Elemental Live in 3D
  • Hewlett-Packard in stand 3.C10 – Featuring Elemental Live on Four Screens

The contest begins at the opening of the exhibition at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 10, 2010. All entries must be submitted by 10:00 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2010.

Stay tuned! Elemental will announce the lucky winner via Twitter at 11:00 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2010 – the last day of the exhibition, so make sure to follow Elemental on Twitter @elementaltech. The contest winner will also be contacted directly to arrange receipt of the iPad.

Who says nothing in life is free?

Elemental Presents Media Multiplied Vision at IBC

Submitted by Whitney on September 1, 2010 - 19:29

Just over a week from now, Elemental will descend on the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC), one of the broadcast industry’s key events. Held in Amsterdam from September 10-14, thousands of companies, media and broadcast professionals from all over the world attend the convention.  They come to see new technologies and discuss and debate industry trends at the show.

This year at IBC, it may seem as though Elemental is everywhere at once:

  • Elemental will exhibit 2D and 3D video processing solutions in its booth (hall 13, stand 13.C25).
  • At PNY/NVIDIA’s stand (7.J38), Elemental™ Live plays a key role in the Quadro Digital Video Pipeline, an end-to-end 3D solution for GPU-accelerated acquisition, processing and delivery of broadcast video.
  • At HP’s stand (3.C10), Elemental Live will accept HD/SDI input directly from a live camera and encode multiple live streams with Dynamic Streaming for Flash and Apple HTTP Adaptive for the iPad and iPhone.

Visitors to all three Elemental locations at IBC are eligible to win an Apple iPad. In addition, visitors are sure to get a sense of the excitement about the future of video, including 3D video, mobile video and video on tablet devices – all representing the core Elemental vision of “Media Multiplied.”

Media MultipliedWithout a doubt, mobile video will be the subject of many conversations on the show floor. Consumers are beginning to demand more mobile content and new mobile devices are supporting higher quality video. Jupiter Research predicts that by the end of 2013, the global user base for mobile broadcast TV service is likely to exceed 330 million. YouTube has already crossed the 100 million mark for mobile video plays per day. This is nearly equivalent to total web video volume in 2006.

What is driving this adoption, and what do companies need to do to be ready for mobile video and TV content? From operators to content owners, various stakeholders have an interest in the process:

  • Mobile video providers need to adopt advanced streaming techniques like adaptive bit rate protocols in order to provide the video quality that consumers expect.
  • Operators need to increase network and bandwidth capacity to accommodate HD streaming video to mobile devices over wireless networks.
  • Content owners need to migrate content libraries to formats compatible with mobile devices and wireless networks.

With mobile video’s potential to reach viewers anywhere and at any time, the stakes are high. Broadcasters and content owners that do not prepare to respond to this opportunity will be left in the dust as eyeballs move to mobile video, including broadcast TV content.

We fully expect some fascinating discussions on this topic at IBC.

If you're not attending IBC this year, you can still follow us on twitter (@elementaltech) for a live feed of updates from the show or subscribe to our blog for Elemental's perspective and news.