MediaKind, a global change leader in media technology and services, announces the launch of the CE1, heralding a new era for professional contribution video processing. The CE1 is a next-generation media contribution encoder based on cloud-ready software, coupled with hardware acceleration. It enables exceptional time-to-market for new video offerings while facilitating highly immersive and compelling experiences.

Avolites have released a new software application for media previewing and encoding called PRISM PLAYER. This release is the first application under the PRISM product range and can work as an auxiliary tool to the Avolites Ai video software platform.

Hiltron Communications, a globally active satellite system integrator, manufacturer and distributor, announces a new addition to its management team with the appointment of Jean-Luc George van Eeckhoutte as Sales Manager for the EMEA region. He brings nearly 20 years of experience to the role and joins from RF technology company Spinner GmbH.

Magewell -- the award-winning developer of innovative video interface and IP workflow solutions -- is heading to Beijing for one of the professional AV industry's first in-person trade shows in many months. Exhibiting in booth FD2-01 at InfoComm China from September 28 to 30, the company will showcase both new and established offerings that address the hottest trends in today's dramatically evolving AV landscape.

With COVID-19 in the mix, this year’s Democratic National Convention brought a variety of new transmission and production challenges. To help deliver this historic event to viewers across the country, PSSI Global Services leveraged multiple modes of transmission to deliver hours of live remote content in and out of the production hub in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Starfish Technologies, a pioneer in transport stream processing and advertising insertion, has been granted European and US patents that cover a range of techniques employed within its TS splicer product. The TS Splicer is a software-based solution for clean switching of encoded transport streams and is used for media switching and content replacement for advertising insertion and slating.

MediaKind, a global media technology leader, has today launched Aquila On-Demand, a video on demand solution for the processing and delivery of video files over any network (cable, IPTV and OTT) to any device. Aquila On-Demand supports the latest technologies such as HEVC, 8K and CMAF whilst addressing the challenge in delivering high-end, premium-quality user experiences to multiple streaming devices by transforming file based content for on demand delivery. This new offering within the MediaKind Universe of solutions empowers global TV operators to enable the most unique and immersive ways to consume video content to their subscribers and viewers, offering reduced operational complexity, optimized server footprint and rapid time to market for valuable content assets.

We are pleased to share that Tyrell has partnered with Brightcove, a leading provider of cloud playout, live and on-demand video.

Brightcove services will help our customers reduce the online complexity of broadcast-quality video, increase the profitability on streams and to reach new audiences across devices. Tyrell customers can also benefit from Brightcove’s industry-leading services for encoding, transcoding and server-side ad insertion. With Tyrell and Brightcove it has never been easier to reach your audience across connected TVs, game consoles and mobiles.

Magewell has released a new upgrade for its award-winning Ultra Stream family of live streaming encoder hardware that further enhances the devices' exceptional ease of use and versatility. Available in all new units and as a free firmware update for existing customers, version 1.3 adds flexible new recording modes alongside expanded streaming protocol support and various minor refinements.

Magewell's Ultra Stream encoders make live streaming remarkably simple even for non-professional users, enabling them to record or stream high-quality video with one click using on-device buttons, a browser-based web interface or an intuitive smartphone app. Designed for users who want to stream but may have minimal technical knowledge, the compact devices are ideal for addressing the increased need for live streaming created by today's stay-at-home and social distancing restrictions.

Deep-tech company iSIZE Technologies has today announced the closure of its first seed funding round, raising a total of £740k from figures including Patrick Pichette, partner at Inovia Capital and ex- Google CFO; TD Veen AS, a notable Norwegian family office; and a number of other CDL investors. This round brings iSize total funding to date to over £1.3m.

The round was led by some of the leading tech investors of the inaugural Creative Destruction Lab programme at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. iSIZE graduates the accelerator programme this month alongside only nine others, from over 250 applications, after an intensive nine-month programme.

iSIZE specialises in deep learning for video delivery and has developed a deep perceptual 'precoder' - a software solution that uses AI-trained to optimise visual quality in order to save video bitrate during encoding. Its flagship product, BitSave, available both as a SaaS platform at bitsave.tech and for on-premise use, reduces encoding bitrates by up to 40%, while at the same time enhancing video perceptual quality. This results in substantial data, energy and cost savings for both the company hosting the video and the end consumer.

Magewell has been named to the second annual Streaming Media Producer 25 list of the leading technology companies driving advances in live streaming media production. The Streaming Media Producer 25 recognizes innovative companies that enable, enhance and streamline the workflows of live video producers – particularly those who need the mobility, agility, and versatility to deliver great work, regardless of the venue or production conditions.

“The Streaming Media Producer 25 highlights companies who develop and manufacture gear that not only demonstrates promise or prowess in one or more stages of the live production and streaming process, but also fits well as part of a kit that makes the overall workflow successful,” said Steve Nathans-Kelly, editor of Streaming Media Producer.

The 2020 edition marks the second time that Magewell has been named to the Streaming Media Producer 25. Since its selection to the inaugural list last year, the company has continued to introduce new products and expanded features that help a diverse range of content producers create, deliver and display high-quality streams easily, efficiently and cost-effectively. Magewell has also made the transition to IP-based production workflows affordable and practical with new models in its Pro Convert family of NDI^® encoders and decoders.

Magewell today announced a new upgrade of its free Capture Express recording application that expands the software's streaming capabilities. Version 3.2 adds new support for multiple streaming technologies including the Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) protocol developed and open-sourced by Haivision.

While Magewell capture devices feature extensive compatibility with popular third-party software for streaming, live production, web conferencing, lecture capture and more, the Capture Express software offers Magewell users a lightweight, dedicated tool for recording, previewing or streaming input sources. Originally designed to help users easily verify their input signals and capture devices, Capture Express has evolved into a simple yet full-fledged capture application supporting video up to 4K at 60 frames per second.

Version 3.0 of Capture Express initially offered easy recording and previewing functionality, and the subsequent version 3.1 added the ability to stream H.264-encoded video using the RTMP protocol. Now, version 3.2 further expands the software's streaming flexibility with support for the SRT protocol as well as MPEG-TS over UDP or RTP. Enabling secure, reliable, low-latency video delivery over unpredictable networks, SRT ensures high-quality streaming experiences even over the public internet. Magewell is a member of the SRT Alliance.

Hiltron Communications announces the completion of a custom-designed turnkey TVRO satellite platform for Nilesat, one of the largest Middle East telecommunication networks. The new installation is a fully L-band-over-fibre integrated downlink which covers all mediator satellites in the range from 30° west to 100° east, operating in C and Ku bands simultaneously.

"Located at our ground station in Giza, the new downlink gives us the reliability and flexibility we needed for backing up our existing fixed TVRO antennas," says Nilesat Head of Ground Segment Engineer Osama Tantawy. "Incoming signals from all antennas on the new platform, 32 feeds in total, are connected to the master control room via fibre-optic links. Hiltron has produced and integrated a complete solution including its HMCS monitoring and control software. The company worked closely with us from initial design right through to factory acceptance test, onsite installation, commissioning and training. The project was completed successfully and on time thanks to the experience and teamwork of everyone involved."

Bitmovin, a world leader in innovative cloud-based video streaming solutions, has announced its ‘Bitmovin Live: NAB Edition’ will take place between 13th - 24th April. The fully-fledged virtual experience will bring the action of NAB Show from Las Vegas to the cloud in the form of lab sessions, partner pop-ups and webinars. Attendees will also see live demos of Bitmovin’s innovative portfolio of solutions including Encoding, Player, and Analytics and learn how they are delivering cutting-edge online entertainment experiences to audiences around the world.

Switch Media, a world leader in online video technology, has partnered with SpringServe, a leading US-based independent ad platform provider whose technology is purpose-built for video and OTT. Switch Media’s server-side ad insertion (SSAI) technology has been fully integrated with SpringServe’s ad platform to provide value-added services to OTT providers.

OTT companies that require dynamic ad insertion (DAI) also need an ad server. DAI enriches the current ad inventory – creating more addressable non-cookie-based advertising opportunities. SpringServe’s advertising platform integrated with Switch Media’s SSAI capability helps content owners to monetize their inventory effectively. Using the combined solution means that no additional time is required to test and validate integration. Users have the flexibility to add new data and features to drive targeting and additional platforms can easily be added using a centralized solution.