/graphics/site/page_header/pressrelease_header.png)
Akamai, Cyberstar and Sonic Foundry Demonstrate Live Web Broadband Streaming Media Delivered at 1 Megabit Per Second
This first-of-its-kind broadcast using a hybrid delivery network demonstrated the superior technologies of all three companies involved. Broadcast from Santa Monica Beach, California, and delivered over satellite and terrestrial Internet connections, the live streams seen in Akamai's booth at NAB in Las Vegas demonstrate the unparalleled quality, reliability and performance of Akamai's hybrid delivery infrastructure.
This live streaming from Santa Monica showed for the first time that video streams can be delivered seamlessly from satellite to terrestrial networks with real-time decision and performance monitoring. Using Akamai's FreeFlowSM Streaming service, the 1 Megabit/second streams were delivered with unmatched quality across Akamai's globally distributed network.
Each stream was captured and encoded by Sonic Foundry Media Services and then sent to an entry point in Akamai's network. Once at an entry point, Akamai's proprietary SteadyStreamSM technology split the signal into multiple streams and sent them across the Akamai network by dynamically determining the optimal route using any combination of both (or either) the terrestrial Internet and the CyberStar satellites. Akamai's advanced algorithms calculate the optimal route as often as necessary to deliver the cleanest stream possible. Akamai's SteadyStream technology can enable any number of satellites to be used simultaneously.
The streams are recombined into their original high-quality format at an Akamai server at the edge of the Internet. Akamai's EdgeAdvantageTM technology then maps each Web viewer to the optimal server for that broadcast content.
Akamai intends to use this world-class streaming technology to support all major formats. Akamai has previously announced support for Apple QuickTime, Microsoft Windows Media Technologies, and RealNetworks RealSystem G2. Akamai's hybrid satellite and terrestrial Internet delivery network also supports other multimedia applications such as software downloads.
CyberStar, a Loral company, played a crucial role in the demonstration by providing the satellites that transported the streams. CyberStar's global IP multicast network uses the latest Frame Relay Asynchronous Transfer mode (ATM) and Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) technologies to provide traditional network and Internet applications and support IP multicast communications services. The network spans the earth, with strategically positioned gateway teleports on both coasts of the United States and in Europe, and access through them to Loral Global Alliance and other satellites reaching the Americas, Europe and Asia. CyberStar's services and technologies facilitate the distribution of streaming media content to its global ISP customer base located on four continents and in 34 countries, enables TV-quality video streaming to be sent directly to desktops, and enhances performance by bypassing congested points on the Internet.
Sonic Foundry, Inc., a leading developer and marketer of digital media and Internet software tools, services, and systems provided the encoding. Sonic Foundry Media Services positioned a manned camera at the event location, captured the media and encoded and optimized it for Internet delivery. The content was directed via CyberStar's satellite network where it was picked up by Akamai technologies and streamed across Akamai's network for display at NAB.
"The only technology that allows for true broadband streaming, at 1 Megabit/second or higher, is a hybrid implementation of terrestrial and satellite delivery," said Dan Fraisl, vice president and general manager of streaming at Akamai. "Any delivery infrastructure that relies solely on satellites or solely on terrestrial connectivity will fall short. Our work with best-of-breed companies like CyberStar and Sonic Foundry has enabled Akamai to pioneer this form of streaming media delivery."
"Sonic Foundry Media Services is very excited to utilize their state-of-the-art technologies to capture and encode this first time webcasting broadcast," stated Jeff Conover, vice president of marketing for Sonic Foundry. "Together with Akamai, we are moving forward in providing the highest quality in live event broadcasting over the Internet."
This live delivery of dynamic broadband content can be viewed throughout NAB, and can be seen at Akamai's booth # M8976.
About Akamai
Akamai Technologies is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has offices in San Mateo and Cupertino, California, and Europe. Akamai is a leading provider of distributed content, streaming media, and applications delivery services, serving over 550 of the Web's most popular properties including over 125 leading e-commerce companies. Akamai has deployed the broadest global network for content, streaming media, and applications delivery with more than 2,750 servers in over 45 countries directly connected to more than 150 different telecommunications networks. Akamai (pronounced AH kuh my) is Hawaiian for intelligent, clever and cool.
The release contains information about future expectations, plans and prospects of Akamai's management that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors including, but not limited to, the dependence on Akamai's Internet content delivery service, a failure of its network infrastructure, the complexity of its service and the networks on which the service is deployed, the failure to obtain access to transmission capacity and other factors that are discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents periodically filed with the SEC.
| Contacts: |
||
| Jeff Young Akamai Technologies 617-250-3913 jyoung@akamai.com |
--or-- | Caryn Converse Akamai Technologies 617-250-4661 converse@akamai.com |
| Bill Stern CyberStar 301-258-3341 bstern@cyberstar.com |
--or-- | Dawn Tappy Sonic Foundries 608-239-6693 dawnt@sonicfoundry.com |
Hybrid satellite and terrestrial Internet delivery network ensures highest performing streaming media for broadband content
NAB, LAS VEGAS - April 12, 2000 - Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) ), a leading provider of global, high performance services for the delivery of Internet content, streaming media, and applications; CyberStar, a Loral Company, a leading provider of satellite and broadband data services; and Sonic Foundry, a leading developer and marketer of digital media and Internet software tools, services, and systems, today announced that live broadcast-quality Internet streaming capabilities are being showcased this week at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Conference over a hybrid satellite and terrestrial network.This first-of-its-kind broadcast using a hybrid delivery network demonstrated the superior technologies of all three companies involved. Broadcast from Santa Monica Beach, California, and delivered over satellite and terrestrial Internet connections, the live streams seen in Akamai's booth at NAB in Las Vegas demonstrate the unparalleled quality, reliability and performance of Akamai's hybrid delivery infrastructure.
This live streaming from Santa Monica showed for the first time that video streams can be delivered seamlessly from satellite to terrestrial networks with real-time decision and performance monitoring. Using Akamai's FreeFlowSM Streaming service, the 1 Megabit/second streams were delivered with unmatched quality across Akamai's globally distributed network.
Each stream was captured and encoded by Sonic Foundry Media Services and then sent to an entry point in Akamai's network. Once at an entry point, Akamai's proprietary SteadyStreamSM technology split the signal into multiple streams and sent them across the Akamai network by dynamically determining the optimal route using any combination of both (or either) the terrestrial Internet and the CyberStar satellites. Akamai's advanced algorithms calculate the optimal route as often as necessary to deliver the cleanest stream possible. Akamai's SteadyStream technology can enable any number of satellites to be used simultaneously.
The streams are recombined into their original high-quality format at an Akamai server at the edge of the Internet. Akamai's EdgeAdvantageTM technology then maps each Web viewer to the optimal server for that broadcast content.
Akamai intends to use this world-class streaming technology to support all major formats. Akamai has previously announced support for Apple QuickTime, Microsoft Windows Media Technologies, and RealNetworks RealSystem G2. Akamai's hybrid satellite and terrestrial Internet delivery network also supports other multimedia applications such as software downloads.
CyberStar, a Loral company, played a crucial role in the demonstration by providing the satellites that transported the streams. CyberStar's global IP multicast network uses the latest Frame Relay Asynchronous Transfer mode (ATM) and Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) technologies to provide traditional network and Internet applications and support IP multicast communications services. The network spans the earth, with strategically positioned gateway teleports on both coasts of the United States and in Europe, and access through them to Loral Global Alliance and other satellites reaching the Americas, Europe and Asia. CyberStar's services and technologies facilitate the distribution of streaming media content to its global ISP customer base located on four continents and in 34 countries, enables TV-quality video streaming to be sent directly to desktops, and enhances performance by bypassing congested points on the Internet.
Sonic Foundry, Inc., a leading developer and marketer of digital media and Internet software tools, services, and systems provided the encoding. Sonic Foundry Media Services positioned a manned camera at the event location, captured the media and encoded and optimized it for Internet delivery. The content was directed via CyberStar's satellite network where it was picked up by Akamai technologies and streamed across Akamai's network for display at NAB.
"The only technology that allows for true broadband streaming, at 1 Megabit/second or higher, is a hybrid implementation of terrestrial and satellite delivery," said Dan Fraisl, vice president and general manager of streaming at Akamai. "Any delivery infrastructure that relies solely on satellites or solely on terrestrial connectivity will fall short. Our work with best-of-breed companies like CyberStar and Sonic Foundry has enabled Akamai to pioneer this form of streaming media delivery."
"Sonic Foundry Media Services is very excited to utilize their state-of-the-art technologies to capture and encode this first time webcasting broadcast," stated Jeff Conover, vice president of marketing for Sonic Foundry. "Together with Akamai, we are moving forward in providing the highest quality in live event broadcasting over the Internet."
This live delivery of dynamic broadband content can be viewed throughout NAB, and can be seen at Akamai's booth # M8976.
About Akamai
Akamai Technologies is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has offices in San Mateo and Cupertino, California, and Europe. Akamai is a leading provider of distributed content, streaming media, and applications delivery services, serving over 550 of the Web's most popular properties including over 125 leading e-commerce companies. Akamai has deployed the broadest global network for content, streaming media, and applications delivery with more than 2,750 servers in over 45 countries directly connected to more than 150 different telecommunications networks. Akamai (pronounced AH kuh my) is Hawaiian for intelligent, clever and cool.
# # #
The release contains information about future expectations, plans and prospects of Akamai's management that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors including, but not limited to, the dependence on Akamai's Internet content delivery service, a failure of its network infrastructure, the complexity of its service and the networks on which the service is deployed, the failure to obtain access to transmission capacity and other factors that are discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents periodically filed with the SEC.
