September 29, 2009

Akamai HD Network brings HDTV to the internet

Akamai Technologies, a company that provides much of the underlying infrastructure powering dynamic video content and enterprise applications online, is looking to bring true HDTV to the internet.

Announced today, the Akamai HD Network is the company's "next generation video delivery offering and the first platform to deliver HD video online to customers using Adobe Flash technology, Microsoft Silverlight, and to the iPhone, at broadcast-level audience scale," according to a press release issued.

The system leverages Akamai's global EdgePlatform of more than 50, 000 servers, and according to Akamai, "enables content providers to deliver more HD content than previously possible--due to its wide-scale distribution in 70 countries and increased throughputs in more than 900 networks.

So what online video delivery features does the Akamai HD Network include and improve upon?

Adaptive bitrate streaming--video streaming process automatically adjusts to the fluctuations in bandwidth, enabling uninterrupted playback at HD bitrate.

Instant response--viewer interactions with the video player including play, rewind, and pause are immediately responded to.

HD video player--open standards-based player enables faster time to market.

HD player authentication--authenticates player for all 3 playback platforms ensuring only authorized viewers can access video content.

When it comes right down to the nitty-gritty, the purpose of Akamai's HD Network is to allow content producers to reach TV-scale audiences online while still providing an HD-quality experience--something thus far lacking on the web. As more television channels and film producers begin to leverage the internet in evermore bandwidth-sucking ways in order to augment their traditional video distribution strategies, an HD platform like this is a big plus.

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