Akamai launches network for widescale HD, iPhone streaming
updated 04:55 pm EDT, Tue September 29, 2009
Akamai intros HD Network with online streaming
Akamai on Tuesday announced it will soon launch the Akamai HD Network that will be capable of delivering HD video to hundreds of thousands of people using Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight and, eventually, the iPhone. The Akamai HD Network will support both live and on-demand streaming. It will run on Adamai's global EdgePlatform network platform composed of over 50,000 servers, allowing content providers with a reach to some 70 countries.
The network will sport adaptive bitrate streaming, which will adjust to fluctuations in bandwidth speeds for uninterrupted playback at the best possible quality. Navigating the videos will also be possible, with pause, sub-second fast forward or rewind capability and seamless stream switching. The HD video player will be open standards-based for faster integration and release to the market. An authentication process will ensure only authorized video players can access the content.
Akamai has recently partnered with Apple and other parties to stream a video of a live concert to iPhone and iPod touch users. However, this was a one-time occurrence, and there is still no word on availability of the service or who would partner to provide HD content first. More details are expected very soon.
