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Tag: hd-video

  • Vidyo First to Achieve 100 HD Rate Matching Ports on a Virtualized Machine

    Vidyo announced it has virtualized the first video conferencing infrastructure and delivered an HD video conference on over 100 concurrent lines. To date, virtualization in the video conferencing market has been limited to call control. Vidyo has now virtualized media processing, enabling service providers to offer unlimited multipoint scalability and low latency rate matching capability on demand to accelerate the adoption of high quality, universal video conferencing on any endpoint.

    "Vidyo's virtualization of the media plane is as significant to the video conferencing industry as VMware's virtualization of the compute plane was to the data center," said Ofer Shapiro, co-founder and CEO of Vidyo.  "Vidyo has already enabled service providers to offer telepresence calls at pennies instead of dollars per minute. Today's technology announcement marks a new era of virtualized video conferencing with unprecedented scalability, flexibility and affordability by providing media processing when and where it is required. Hardware-based solutions are not scalable and have limited capacity for multipoint video conferencing, requiring costly MCU devices that have to be pre-provisioned in data centers instead of providing availability on-demand."

    "Virtualization has affected almost every aspect of IT, and network infrastructure is the last untapped bastion," said Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst, ZK Research. "Vidyo is the first company to demonstrate the impact of virtualized video conferencing in terms of scalability and economics on the most expensive part of the network infrastructure. There is no longer a reason for video conferencing to be a hardware investment; customers need to select a software-based architecture today that can address tomorrow's future growth needs."

    Multipoint media processing mixes multiple video streams, a function traditionally performed by a transcoding multipoint control unit (MCU) which is not scalable.  Expanding video conferencing services from hundreds of thousands of rooms to hundreds of millions of mobile and desktop endpoints requires a new approach for multipoint scalability. Leveraging virtual machines allows service providers and enterprise companies to scale video conferencing capacity on demand by creating a virtual machine and running a VidyoRouterTM, with no incremental hardware required.  Companies still get all the benefits of Vidyo's patented Adaptive Video LayeringTM technology, which provides the most efficient bandwidth utilization, local error correction, and real time video optimization for unprecedented video quality over the Internet. 

    The Vidyo Difference

    The Vidyo communication and collaboration platform is software-based, highly flexible and can be easily customized for individual enterprise and vertical market video conferencing needs. The patented VidyoRouterTM architecture introduces Adaptive Video LayeringTM, which dynamically optimizes the video for each endpoint leveraging H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC)-based compression technology and Vidyo's IP. Adaptive Video Layering eliminates the MCU and offers unprecedented error resiliency and low latency rate matching thus enabling natural, affordable, high-quality video to work over the Internet, LTE, 3G and 4G networks. The platform allows users to quickly leverage the latest hardware innovations and new consumer devices, making it uniquely attractive to partners. Vidyo has been active driving H.264 SVC and SIP videoconferencing interoperability in various standards bodies since 2005.

  • Black Diamond Video Launches the Sapphire-QHD1 Conferencing Solution

    Black Diamond Video launched its comprehensive high definition conferencing solution, Sapphire-QHD1, a four-faceted package that offers bi-directional HD video and audio conferencing, unidirectional HD video and audio streaming, HD video recording, and HD image capture.

    Black Diamond Video’s HIPAA compliant Sapphire-QHD1 can be incorporated into BDV’s popular Integrated Digital Surgical Suite (IDSS) for medical applications or stand alone as a commercial, business, or military conferencing system.

    Sapphire-QHD1’s conferencing element provides bi-directional HD video and audio conferencing functionality. VoIP support allows phone calls into and out of the conference room, command center, or OR with no external, third party conferencing codec required. BDV’s Sapphire-QHD1 is compatible with all major conferencing systems that can support SIP and H.323 protocols, including Polycom, Tandberg, Codian, and Sony.

    Sapphire-QHD1 is also equipped with HD video streaming capability. A close relative to Sapphire-QHD1’s bidirectional HD conferencing feature, HD streaming facilitates unidirectional communication via H.264. According to the company, any HD video source can be combined with a superior quality audio feed and streamed to up to 80 remote clients. By utilizing BDV’s proprietary streaming algorithms, such a massive number of clients can be served without degradation of video or audio quality. When streaming, the remote user’s credentials and access rights are controlled by the local user’s Active Directory/LDAP servers and can be fine tuned to accommodate the customer’s requirements.

    While conferencing or streaming, the local user can route a video source to any destination or permit far-end camera control (FECC) or far-end video source selection (FEVSS). Once a conference or stream is initiated or accepted via the Sapphire-QHD1’s intuitive touch panel controls, the incoming video stream can be routed to any destination, including surgical and wall displays. By utilizing the embedded dual-tri-quad view windowing functionality, users can simultaneously see their own video sources side by side with far end video feeds.

    Describing the versatility of the system, Ed Priest, Founder and CEO of Black Diamond Video, commented, “Our Sapphire-QHD1 is an extensive solution that reaches beyond medical market applications. HD audio and video conferences can be initiated and accepted with the push of a few buttons from a business conference room. Military personnel can easily and securely conference with remote forces to discuss plans of action while panning and zooming surveillance cameras to view activity from thousands of miles away, all with the greatest detail possible thanks to our high definition video feed.”

    First deployment of the Sapphire-QHD1 conferencing solution will occur at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Connecticut, with updates of existing IDSS systems at other leading medical institutions to follow shortly thereafter.

  • LifeSize Video Center Introduces Mobile HD Video Streaming

    LifeSize, a division of Logitech, has just announced HD video content streaming on mobile devices using LifeSize Video Center. According to the company, now organizations can benefit from "greater communication reach and flexibility" by using HD video streaming, recording and auto-publishing to make video content available to teams working remotely on mobile devices, such as iPads and iPhones.

    Today, mobile devices are everywhere. According to Frost & Sullivan, 2010 enterprise-level shipments for tablets worldwide was 600,000 units and is expected to go up to 49.1 million in 2015. LifeSize claims that the latest version of itsVideo Center helps organizations address the need for workers to have mobile access to live and on-demand video content such as executive updates, business presentations, sales meetings, training sessions, lectures and data.

    New features of LifeSize Video Center include:

    · Mobile Streaming: Users can access live and on-demand HD video content not only on a PC, but on a variety of devices, including an iPod, iPhone or iPad connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network. Videos are accessed through the native Web browser, which requires no additional software installation.

    · Automatic Adaptive Streaming: LifeSize Video Center now features automatic adaptive streaming so that a single HD recording from a LifeSize 220TM Series endpoint can be streamed at up to four different bitrates, which means users will always experience optimal video quality especially when working from home, on mobile devices, or in locations with slow bandwidth.

    · Network Storage: Organizations looking to leverage existing storage can now serve on-demand videos from NAS and store a virtually unlimited amount of footage without additional fees, giving IT administrators infinite scalability to meet enterprise needs. Administrators can also control the backup of videos in case of an emergency.

    · API: Using LifeSize Video Center’s API enables easier automation and integration of LifeSize Video Center into third-party systems and tools, such as the company intranet and Learning Management Systems (LMS), so that resellers and organizations can easily customize the video streaming solution for their unique environment.

    "Based on our research, the demand for HD video on-the-go will play a big role in accelerating the adoption of video conferencing technologies in 2011," said Roopam Jain, industry director, conferencing & collaboration at Frost & Sullivan.

    "Tools like LifeSize Video Center present use cases that extend beyond the typical green story and cross-office collaboration. They bring value closer to home by giving professionals access to video content no matter where they need to be and enabling those working the field to leverage video as a visual touch point to their teammates at home base," he concluded.

  • GIPS Enables HD Voice and One-Way Video Chat to the iPad

    Global IP Solutions announced the availability of high-definition and Super-wideband Voice as well as one-way Video Conferencing/Chat capabilities for iPad developers, powered by GIPS VideoEngine Mobile.

    According to GIPS, its VideoEngine Mobile supplies iPad developers with “a simple to integrate, high-level software API that contains the complex video conferencing/video chat capabilities into applications running on Apple’s iPad operating system.”

    As video access becomes available from Apple, GIPS VideoEngine will support two-way video chat/conferencing.

    “With over 600,000 unit sales of the iPad to date, demand for this device is clearly continuing to grow,” said GIPS’ Chief Marketing Officer Joyce Kim.

    “With the unique experience that a device like the iPad can deliver, it is imperative that the overall quality exceed all expectations and GIPS is proud to offer HD and Super HD voice and video for the iPad and other mobile devices.”

    Roopam Jain, Frost & Sullivan analyst said, “GIPS technology is becoming increasingly significant with the growth in IP traffic as it offers HD voice and video communication capabilities that adjusts dynamically to available bandwidth on Wi-Fi or cellular networks,” said.

    He added that the introduction of devices like the iPad will greatly increase wide scale voice and video communications beyond corporate boundaries.

    GIPS mobile technology is already available on the iPad, Android, iPhone, Symbian and Windows Mobile operating systems.

    Related articles
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    MWC 2010: Interview with John Hermansen of Global IP Solutions
    The Apple iPad is Here

  • Global IP Solutions Brings Video Chat to Android Mobiles

    Global IP Solutions, a provider of HD voice and video processing solutions, announced yesterday another first-to-market with GIPS VideoEngine for Android, which provides mobile developers the vital building blocks for integrating video conferencing/video chat into applications running Google’s Android mobile operating system.

    Mobile video application revenue is expected to double worldwide over the next four years to $2.42 billion, with much of the growth taking place this year, according to U.K.-based research firm Screen Digest.

    According to Joyce Kim, GIPS’ Chief Marketing Officer, mobile applications are becoming more and more sophisticated and by providing HD voice and video capabilities inside their applications, GIPS customers continually differentiate themselves to lead the mobile application market.

    “GIPS continues to innovate for mobile application developers by offering the ability to incorporate high-quality voice and video communications without having to worry about the complex challenges of wireless networks,” he said.

    Now with GIPS VideoEngine Mobile, developers can integrate the real-time video technology overcoming the multiple issues intrinsic to IP networks and devices. “By dealing with obstacles such as delay, packet loss, bandwidth limitations and echo; GIPS VideoEngine Mobile ensures video conversations dynamically adjust with Wi-Fi or 3G cellular network conditions maintaining great caliber video,” the company claims.

    “GIPS VideoEngine is capable of running on a wide variety of smartphone devices globally,” said Ronald Gruia, Frost & Sullivan’s Principal Analyst of Emerging Telecom.

    “Android is becoming the fastest growing operating system and with the addition of Android video support from GIPS, application developers can utilize established real-time video expertise without the need for heavy R&D investment to offer real time voice and video capabilities.”

    GIPS VideoEngine Mobile is available on Android, iPhone and Windows Mobile OS platforms.

  • Amimon Raises $10 Million on Back of Strong WHDI Performance


    Wireless HD chipmaker Amimon has raised USD $10 million in its latest round of funding.

    The Israeli company’s announcement as demand for HDTVs capable of wirelessly transferring HD video from one device in the home continues to grow.

    Led by Stata Venture Partners the funding round also includes previous backers Argonaut Private Equity, Cedar Fund, Evergreen Venture Partners, Walden Israel and Motorola Ventures.

    The company said it has developed six different chips to date with its prior funding, including a new chip based on the WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface) standard.

    Its first-generation product is performing well, both in consumer electronics devices and in medical imaging equipment.

    Customers include Sony, Sharp, Mitsubishi, Gefen, Belkin, Stryker (medical devices), IDX (Pro AV video cameras), Philips, and Hinsense.

    The second-generation WHDI chip set improves on the first in that it can transfer full HD video – defined as video in the 1080p format running at 60 frames per second.

    The previous chip set could only do 1080i video at slower speeds.

    The new chip set is compliant with the Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI) industry standard and is expected to ship in customer products in 2010.

    Rival SiBEAM uses a different technology, based on the 60-gigahertz band of the radio spectrum, with higher speeds but shorter ranges.

    Yoav Nissan-Cohen, chairman and CEO of AMIMON, said the company is experiencing "strong acceptance" of the newly introduced 1080p/60Hz chipset.

    "The additional funding will allow Amimon to seize this opportunity to solidify our leadership position," he said.

    "We will use this round of funding to enhance production and expand our worldwide operations to meet growing global demand for our technology in the consumer electronics market as well as the medical and professional video markets."

  • SanDisk 32GB Flash Card Handles HD Video


    SanDisk is offering a new Extreme SDHC card which it claims is the world’s fastest 32GB card – with both the capacity and I/O speed to handle HD video clips.

    With a sustained write speed – up to 30 megabits-per-second – the company said it is fast enough to capture a storehouse of up to 160 minutes of full HD (1920×1080) video at a 24Mb/s data transfer rate.

    According to SanDisk, the card also is compliant to the SD Association’s new Class 10 specification, which exceeds requirements for today’s high-definition (AVCHD) video recording.

    Susan Park, SanDisk director of Retail Product Marketing, said a memory card’s write speed plays a crucial role in the overall system of the camera when taking pictures in rapid succession.

    "If a card cannot process data quickly enough, then the burst-mode shooting may pause unexpectedly as the card catches up to the camera," she said.

    Burst-mode bottlenecks can lead to missing an important shot, especially at sporting or other fast-motion events, according to Park.

    "The market for entry to mid-level DSLR cameras is growing," she said. "This card’s 32GB of storage and fast read/write speeds enable DSLR users to shoot without worrying about storage or speed limitations."

    The SanDisk Extreme SDHC 32GB cards will begin shipping worldwide to major retailers in August.

  • New HDMI Cable Adds Internet Data to Video and Audio


    A new version of the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable has been announced by the industry alliance responsible for licensing the specification.

    HDMI Licensing said the upgraded 1.4 version of HDMI will make it easier to connect Internet-connected HD video devices to TVs and other appliances.

    The new cable will be able to transfer Internet data as well as video and audio data – something that the existing version isn’t able to do.

    It will mean users can get rid of the Ethernet cables connecting every web-connected device. It transfers data at up to 100 megabits per second.

    According to market research firm In-Stat, over 394 million HDMI-enabled devices are expected to ship in 2009, with an installed base of 1 billion devices.

    By the end of 2009 100 per cent of digital televisions are expected to have at least one HDMI input.

    Among the other improvements offered by the new HDMI version are networking capabilities with Ethernet connectivity and an Audio Return Channel to enable upstream audio connections via the HDMI cable.

    Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, said the the 1.4 specification will support some of the most exciting and powerful near-term innovations, such as Ethernet connectivity and 3D formats.

    "Additionally, we are going to broaden our solution by providing a smaller connector for portable devices and a connection system specified for automobiles, as we see both more and different devices adopting the HDMI technology," he said.

    Venuti said consumers will also see new HDMI cables introduced to the market.

    In order to take advantage of the HDMI Ethernet Channel, consumers will need to purchase either a Standard HDMI cable with Ethernet, or a High Speed HDMI cable with Ethernet.

    Consumers connecting an external device to an in-vehicle HDMI-enabled HD system will need the new Automotive HDMI cable.

    Functions offered by the HDMI 1.4 specification include:

    • HDMI Ethernet Channel: The HDMI 1.4 specification will add a data channel to the HDMI cable and will enable high-speed bi-directional communication. Connected devices that include this feature will be able to send and receive data via 100 Mb/sec Ethernet, making them instantly ready for any IP-based application.
    • The HDMI Ethernet Channel will allow an Internet-enabled HDMI device to share its Internet connection with other HDMI devices without the need for a separate Ethernet cable. The new feature will also provide the connection platform to allow HDMI-enabled devices to share content between devices.
    • Audio Return Channel: The new specification will add an Audio Return Channel that will reduce the number of cables required to deliver audio upstream for processing and playback. In cases where HDTVs are directly receiving audio and video content, this new Audio Return Channel allows the HDTV to send the audio stream to the A/V receiver over the HDMI cable, eliminating the need for an extra cable.
    • 3D Over HDMI: The 1.4 version of the specification will define common 3D formats and resolutions for HDMI-enabled devices. The specification will standardize the input/output portion of the home 3D system and will specify up to dual-stream 1080p resolution.
    • 4K x 2K Resolution Support: The new specification will enable HDMI devices to support high-definition (HD) resolutions four times beyond the resolution of 1080p. Support for 4K x 2K will allow the HDMI interface to transmit content at the same resolution as many digital theaters. Formats supported include:  3840×2160 24Hz/25Hz/30Hz and 4096×2160 24Hz
    • Expanded Support For Color Spaces: HDMI technology now supports color spaces designed specifically for digital still cameras. By supporting sYCC601, Adobe RGB and AdobeYCC601, HDMI-enabled display devices will be capable of reproducing more accurate life-like colors when connected to a digital still camera.
    • Micro HDMI Connector: The Micro HDMI Connector is a significantly smaller 19-pin connector that supports up to 1080p resolutions for portable devices. This new connector is approximately 50 per cent smaller than the size of the existing HDMI Mini Connector.
    • Automotive Connection System: The Automotive Connection System is a cabling specification designed to be used as the basis for in-vehicle HD content distribution. The HDMI 1.4 specification will provide a solution designed to meet the rigors and environmental issues commonly found in automobiles, such as heat, vibration and noise. Using the Automotive Connection System, automobile manufactures will now have a viable solution for distributing HD content within the car

    The HDMI specification 1.4 will be available for download no later than June 30, 2009.

  • 802.11n Wi-Fi Will Dominate Wireless HD Video


    802.11n Wi-fi technology will see off competitors in the wireless HD video market, at least for the next several years, according to In-Stat .

    Three other technologies are competing in this space – Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI), WirelessHD, and Ultrawideband (UWB).

    However, Brian O’Rourke, In-Stat analyst, said the ubiquity of Wi-Fi technology is proving unstoppable.

    He said 802.11n is the next generation of the immensely popular Wi-Fi family.

    "It promises data rates above 100Mbps and is backwards compatible," he said.

    "The installed base of Wi-Fi is immense, and effectively includes all mobile PCs, many mobile phones and a wide variety of CE devices.

    O’Rourke said the primary drawback to 802.11n is expense, since it requires codec technology on both ends to transmit HD video.

    Neither of its primary competitors, WHDI and WirelessHD, requires codecs.

    Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

    • UWB will not be a major factor in the consumer electronics market. Many chip companies are leaving the market in late 2008 and 2009.
    • Nearly 24 million digital TVs will ship with some type of Wireless HD video technology in 2013.
    • WHDI and WirelessHD are being promoted by startups, but they are new, expensive, and power-hungry, which is generally not a recipe for quick market success.
    • WHDI and WirelessHD will see a slow start, with fewer than eight million devices with those technologies shipped in 2013.

  • Enciris Launches Low-cost HD Compression Solution


    Enciris Technologies has unveiled HD video compression technology aimed at solving problems with reducing bandwidth and storage requirements.

    The LT-100 is a Windows Media Video/ VC-1 HD video acquisition and compression board.

    France-based Enciris says it has been designed to meet the needs of demanding real time true HD acquisition and compression.

    A company statement said that the proliferation of HD video in all market segments has created a significant need for this type of compression technology.

    It adds that specialized, high performance dedicated hardware for real time compression is the only solution due to the massive computational requirements.

    "The low cost of the LT-100 now allows high quality HD compression to be used in product/ projects that previously would have been prohibitive," said the statement.

    "It is a perfect solution for the demanding needs of medical, surveillance, internet, broadcasting, videoconferencing, and video gaming applications."

    Enciris said the LT-100 captures video from both analog and digital HD and SD video sources including DVI, RGB, component, S-video and composite.

    An HD/SD-SDI option is also available.

    Additionally, the LT-100 can function as a HD compression coprocessor for video supplied by the host via PCI or USB.

    The LT-100 will compress HD Windows Media Video (WMV/ VC-1) up to advanced profile level 3 with resolutions from 176×144 to 2048×2048 pixels.

    The maximum compression frame rate is 240 frames per second at lower resolutions. At 1080p the LT-100 can compress 30 frames per second.

    All standard HDTV resolution are supported including the acquisition of 1080p60. The LT-100 can simultaneously acquire uncompressed video for preview purposes or occasional snapshots.

    Designed for low latency applications, the LT-100 outputs compressed video within only a few milliseconds of acquisition.

    Drivers for WindowsXP/Vista and Linux are included. Under Windows, DirectShow is fully supported.

    A cross platform SDK is also available for Windows and Linux application development.

    Mac OS X support will be available soon. Available as a combination PCI/USB board, the LT-100-VC1 can be either placed in a PCI slot or be connected via USB 2.0.

    It is ideally suited for OEMs and system integrators. The LT-100-SDI is an optional HD/SD-SDI daughter card. A USB only module, the LT-100-VC1U, is also available which includes a 140x100x40mm enclosure.

    The LT-100-VC1US is the USB module with the HD/SD-SDI option. A hardware decompression feature will be offered Q3/2009 free of charge via firmware upgrade.