30
X-PLATFORM
August 2016
Providing an engine to publish videos
directly to Facebook Live
Wowza Media Systems, a software
and cloud-based services provider,
has upgraded its flagship Wowza
Streaming Engine software.
The Wowza Streaming Engine is
a customisable and scalable server
software that powers video and
audio streaming to any device, and
can be deployed on-premises or in
the cloud.
With version 4.5, the Wowza
Streaming Engine integrates
directly with Facebook Live, allowing companies to quickly distribute
live content to one of the world’s
most popular social media platforms.
Wowza is also making it simple for brands to broaden their
horizons and engage with new
audiences in new ways through
immersive formats such as live
streaming and 360° videos. The
simple stream-to-Facebook-Live
capability is now also available
in Wowza Streaming Cloud, the
end-to-end streaming service from
Wowza.
Wowza Streaming Engine now
includes an option for a general
Apple HLS or HTTP live stream
push. This feature extends the
level of control for developers and
customers, allowing them to write
their own code using the Wowza
API to automate workflows, sending live streams to not only the
content delivery network (CDN)
of their choice, but also any storage target for modification and
management.
Simple Network Management
Protocols (SNMP) for streamlined
IT monitoring and operation is
also now supported by Wowza
Streaming Engine. With support for
this standard, Wowza is attempting
to bridge the gap between developers and IT operations, making it
easier for IT operations managers
to monitor Wowza servers in the
way they are accustomed to handling the rest of their infrastructure
with tools such as Nagios and
SolarWinds.
For developers who want to
programmatically delve into auto-
A new upgrade to the Wowza Streaming Engine allows content owners to publish
videos directly to Facebook Live.
mated management and analysis
of video streams, Wowza’s Java
and REST APIs provide stable and
standardised interfaces for development of custom stream health
monitoring applications.
David Stubenvoll, CEO and cofounder of Wowza Media Systems,
said: “Video sits at the epicentre
of some of the decade’s hottest
trends, from 360° video and virtual reality to live streaming and
second-screen viewing.
“Our customers know that
video infrastructure can make
or break a company’s ability to
capitalise on these trends, which
is why they rely on Wowza to
continuously shape the streaming
landscape.”
IPTV presents ‘great opportunities’ for network operators
IPTV presents “great opportunities” for network operators; at the
same time, it is also important to
find the right partners, attendees
to a breakfast event held on the
sideline of ANGA COM 2016
were told.
The panel discussion featured
Thomas Bichlmeir, TV product
management/head of IPTV of
German telco M-net; Oliver
Soellner, a boardmember of settop box (STB) platform provider
ABOX42; and Gernot Jaeger, chief
officer of B2B TV solutions IPTV,
Zattoo.
At the event, M-net presented
its own multi-screen IPTV solution, which is a a white label
service fully hosted by Zattoo.
German telco M-net presented its multi-screen IPTV solution at a breakfast event
held on the sideline of ANGA COM 2016, which took place in Germany from June
7-9.
Bichlmeir explained: “We tackled
this project together with Zattoo
because the Zattoo platform makes
it possible to offer the TV service
under our own brand, without
having to invest in complex and
expensive IPTV technologies.”
In Europe, there is a growing
trend towards hosted TV services,
especially for regional and national
network operators, according to
Jaeger. “The more devices a TV
service must cover, the narrower
linear and non-linear content is
interlinked,” he added.
“Development cycles get shorter, and it is harder for regional
and national network operators to
handle this development. Large,
mandate-enabled TV platforms
are the only alternative. That way,
the network operator is still in the
foreground with his brand and he
continues to hold the customer
relationship, but purchases the
actual TV product from us as a
turnkey solution.”
The STB for M-net’s TV service
is provided by ABOX42, which
also supplies the inte rfaces for
the integration of the Zattoo
TV application. A modern and
comprehensive multi-screen IPTV
product with innovative features
is essential for national and
regional network operators to
survive alongside multinational
competitors, stressed Sollener.
“With the combination of
modern STB hardware, a comprehensive STB middleware, an
integrated lifecycle management
concept for hardware and software, as well as the compatability
to over-the-top (OTT) services —
such as HbbTV and on-demand
services — we provide a complete
first screen product,” said Sollener.