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Akamai Streaming
The Need
Akamai offers world-class streaming media services that enable Internet content providers and enterprises to succeed in today's Web-centric marketplace. They deliver live event Webcasts (complete with video production, encoding, and signal acquisition services), streaming media on demand, 24/7 Webcasts and a variety of streaming application services based upon their EdgeAdvantageTM. Akamai's FreeFlow Streaming has been delivering streaming content to viewers worldwide using global delivery network. Whether it is a film festival, a live sports series, movie clips and trailers, or news and radio broadcasts, FreeFlow Streaming ensures that the streams delivered are flawless.
Today Akamai’s premiere streaming media application is Akamai Netpodium, a service that enables businesses to produce live and interactive Web broadcasts for corporate communications, training, product launches, and type of real-time information sharing. Interactive broadcasting with Netpodium lets you gather feedback from and build relationships with audiences around the globe-all in real time, from the comfort of your desktop.
The Technology
How It Works
On-demand Media
Akamaizing an on-demand stream is as easy as modifying the file's URL. Akamai provides a simple utility that transforms URLs into ARLs (Akamai Resource Locators) when the file is requested by the end user. The media file is pulled into the Akamai network and servers at the edge of the Internet, nearer to the end user. Using intelligent routing technology that analyzes network conditions, server capacity, content location and user location, the ARL of the file automatically routes the stream to the user from the optimal Akamai media server. The resulting stream is delivered from the server to the user in its original high-quality format.
Webcast Media
To stream broadcast content over Akamai network, a content creator directs an encoded stream from any live source via a terrestrial line or satellite to Akamai Entry Points, that are located globally on separate carriers' networks. Akamai SteadyStream technology then splits the signal into multiple streams that are sent across the Akamai network where they are recombined at the edges of the Internet to recreate the streams in their original high-quality format.
The Benefits
Unequaled Performance
Today's Internet users demand exciting, dynamic content with superior performance. Streaming media can enhance a Web site experience or it can slow it down. Webcasts often degrade as a result of Internet congestion, inconsistent servers and interrupted streams. The challenge is to ensure consistency and reliability, so Web site visitors enjoy a compelling streaming experience.
SteadyStreamTM Ensures Quality
SteadyStream is Akamai's technology to ensure that only the highest quality streams reach the audience. For live broadcasts, SteadyStream uses sophisticated error correcting to send multiple copies of streams to the edges of the network where they are recombined into their original quality format. For on-demand files, SteadyStream locates the original files at the edges of the Internet so that the last mile is all that limits the delivery of a perfect stream.
Unparalleled Benefits
Akamai supports all leading formats to deliver the most important benefits to content owners including:
- Broadcast quality and performance
- Global reach
- Largest audience capacity
Status
Today Akamai premiere streaming media application is Akamai Netpodium, a service that enables businesses to produce live and interactive Web broadcasts for corporate communications, training, product launches-any type of real-time information sharing. Interactive broadcasting with Netpodium lets you gather feedback from and build relationships with audiences around the globe-all in real time, from the comfort of your desktop.
Barriers
- Bandwidth
- Proper time modem
Points of Contact
- Akamai Technologies, Inc. 500 Technology Square, Cambridge MA 02139 USA. Tel: 617-250-3000 U.S. Toll Free: 877-4-AKAMAI (877-425-2624). Fax: 617-250-3001
- http://www.akamai.com/html/support/index.html
Refrences
Disclaimer Statement
Neither the Construction Industry Institute nor Purdue University in any way endorses this technology or represents that the information presented can be relied upon without further investigation.