Wowza Streaming Partner Uvault Custom-Builds Application for Wowza Media Server Enabling Broadcaster

By | April 11, 2012

EVERGREEN, Colo. — April 11, 2012 — Wowza Media Systems, LLC, the “Any Screen Done Right™” media server software company, today announced that Uvault®, a Wowza® Streaming Partner, and CPC, a leading closed captioning solution provider, have joined forces to create the first multiscreen real-time closed caption capture-and-delivery solution. The custom application was built specifically for Wowza technology, and Uvault will distribute the service through its cloud-based content delivery network (CDN), which is powered by Wowza Media Server® software. The technology will give broadcasters a simple, affordable, out-of-the-box solution for complying with the FCC closed captioning mandate well ahead of the January 2013 deadline.

“We've taken our cloud-streaming CDN to the next level. With only a minor investment, broadcasters can now comply with the FCC mandate and easily add closed captions to their Internet broadcasts,” said Eyal Menin, president of Uvault Hosting. “Our partnership with Wowza allows us to deliver video to any screen. We're very grateful for their support in helping Uvault bring this innovative solution to market quickly.”

Uvault's closed captioning service is the industry's first solution that can tap into a broadcaster's live video system, extract closed caption data from line 21, and deliver it in sync to video players on computers, Apple® and Android™ tablets, and smartphones. The service includes everything broadcasters need to stream closed captions to RTMP/HLS devices, including a closed caption data retrieval device, CPC software, and Uvault CDN services for fast expansion over the Amazon EC2® cloud network. The service integrates easily with most existing broadcast workflows, enabling broadcasters to output data to a Web media encoder and integrate seamlessly with Uvault CDN, delivering closed captions to end users on any device.

“The FCC's mandate, coupled with the growing number of playback devices, means publishers must be able to deliver closed captioning to multiple screens,” said Dave Stubenvoll, Wowza Media Systems CEO and cofounder. “Wowza Media Server software — with its integrated live adaptive bitrate (ABR) transcoding and other content-anywhere features — will enable Uvault to deliver those captions to any device smoothly and synchronously.”

Wowza Media Server® 3 is the industrial-strength, high-performance software that simultaneously streams live and on-demand media to any screen — Adobe® Flash® and Microsoft® Silverlight®-enabled computers and devices; iPhone®/iPad®, Android and other smartphones and tablets; smart TVs; as well as IPTV/OTT set-top endpoints. The software provides a single extensible platform for a variety of high-value features, including live transcoding for adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming, any-screen, time-shifted playback, and premium content delivery with multiplatform digital rights management (DRM).

Uvault began testing the new solution in April 2012 and plans to release the Flash-supported service in mid-May. Support for Apple devices will follow in June, and Android and Blackberry support will be available by August.

About Uvault

Uvault provides custom media hosting solutions for playout on desktops, tablets, televisions, mobile phones, and any other Web-enabled device. With data centers in Asia, North America, and Europe, Uvault offers practical workflow automation for media creation and publishing that targets governments and businesses worldwide. Services include a Web-based content management console for live video and media on demand, file protection for more secure streaming, and detailed audience reporting.

About Wowza Media Systems

Wowza Media Systems, LLC (www.wowza.com) is the “Any Screen Done Right™” media server software company delivering an industrial-strength infrastructure for streaming live video, video-on-demand, live recording, and video chat. Wowza® has a singular focus on delivering high-performance media server software to service providers, media properties, enterprises, and other organizations serious about delivering video to any digital screen — computer, mobile phone, or home TV. More than 100,000 global licensees in entertainment, social media, advertising, enterprise, education, government, and Internet commerce have deployed Wowza Media Server software to date. Wowza is privately held with headquarters in Evergreen, Colo.

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