Edgeware and Avtrex announced a partnership at NAB aimed to provide full interoperability for video services delivered over the Internet, including ad insertion and trick play capabilities.
The combined Edgeware-Avtrex offering enables operators and content rights owners to quickly build a solution to deliver premium, on-demand video and TV over the open Internet where the highest Quality of Service (QoS) is necessary, according to the companies.
Edgeware and Avtrex’s combined solution provides a DVD-like experience with support for full interactivity including multi-speed fast-forward and rewind. Edgeware servers store only the file encoded at the normal speed to deliver trick play video ‘on-the-fly’ when requested by each Avtrex client. The partnership also enables advertising-funded business models via support for dynamic playlists. Ads personalized to individual consumers’ interests and needs can be inserted at appropriate places in the featured content. Pre-roll, post-roll and interstitial insertions are all supported with full trick-play functionality.
Through the partnership, broadcast content is recorded in the network by Edgeware servers and delivered using open Internet protocols to set top boxes and connected televisions running Avtrex client software. Even in congested networks where TCP re-transmission is required, each Edgeware server can deliver unique streams to over 32,000 Avtrex clients at the same time. The servers consume just 85W of power, 1U rack space and require virtually no maintenance. Operational costs are dramatically reduced enabling caching of premium content at the edge and avoiding expensive core network and backhaul upgrades for Web TV deployment.
The Avtrex client software, whether in a set-top box or installed directly in a network-connected television, provides sophisticated buffer management which ensures smooth operation over the Web despite varying network conditions. A development platform enables simple porting of services to new client devices and all major encryption systems for content rights protection are supported. Depending on the video rights available, delivery of content to multiple devices in a home network is also supported through the Avtrex Home Server functionality.
