Digital Rapids — the leading provider of tools and solutions for bringing television, film and Web content to wider audiences — today announced that the company will incorporate direct support for the upcoming HTTP Dynamic Streaming technology from Adobe(r) within Digital Rapids’ comprehensive range of studio encoding, transcoding and live streaming systems.

HTTP Dynamic Streaming is a new delivery method, enabling on-demand and live adaptive bit rate streaming of standards-based MP4 media over HTTP to Adobe(r) Flash(r) Player and Adobe AIR(r) applications. This capability gives content creators, developers and publishers more choice in high quality media delivery while maintaining the reach of the Flash platform. While RTMP, the Adobe Flash Media Server protocol for streaming video, remains the protocol of choice for lowest latency, fastest start, dynamic buffering and stream encryption, HTTP Dynamic Streaming leverages existing HTTP Web infrastructure and cache technologies to help increase capacity and reduce delivery costs for large scale publishers. HTTP Dynamic Streaming’s adaptive bit rate capabilities will automatically switch between multiple streams at varying bit rates to provide consistent, uninterrupted viewing experiences up to HD quality even under dramatically changing network connectivity and playback conditions.

“Digital Rapids has a strong history with video on the Flash platform, and we’re excited to have their support for HTTP Dynamic Streaming,” said Scott Wellwood, Director of Business Development for Dynamic Media at Adobe. “Digital Rapids’ extensive range of solutions for live and on-demand content creation and transformation are used by some of the world’s top media organizations and service providers, and we look forward to working with Digital Rapids to bring HTTP Dynamic Streaming to their customers.”

In addition to compatibility with Adobe’s HTTP Dynamic Streaming tools, support for the creation of on-demand media for HTTP Dynamic Streaming delivery will be integrated directly into Digital Rapids’ award-winning StreamZ and StreamZHD encoding systems, and the Digital Rapids Transcode Manager enterprise-class, distributed transcoding software. Live HTTP Dynamic Streaming will be supported in StreamZ, StreamZHD and select models in the StreamZ Live family of dedicated live encoders, including the recently-announced StreamZHD Live ABR adaptive bit rate streaming system. (Please see our March 8 press release for more details about StreamZHD Live ABR).

“HTTP Dynamic Streaming will provide a robust new delivery option for content providers streaming to viewing experiences built on Adobe Flash technologies, and we’re pleased to be working with Adobe to support it,” said Darren Gallipeau, Product Manager at Digital Rapids. “The addition of HTTP Dynamic Streaming support alongside our existing RTMP-based capabilities for Adobe Flash technology will let our customers choose their preferred, optimal delivery method while leveraging the industry-leading quality, performance and flexibility of our solutions.”

For more information about Digital Rapids, please visit www.digital-rapids.com.

About Digital Rapids Corporation — Digital Rapids provides the leading hardware and software solutions for transforming and delivering media, enabling the multi-platform experiences that are changing how audiences view content. Scaling from standalone appliances to global workflows, Digital Rapids solutions enable media professionals to maximize their productivity, quality, and the value of their content. Recipient of a coveted IBC Innovation Award and four prestigious Frost & Sullivan honors for encoding and transcoding leadership, Digital Rapids combines innovative technology with proven expertise to help our customers to expand their audiences, increase their media revenues and reduce their costs. Digital Rapids Corporation (www.digital-rapids.com) is headquartered in Ontario, Canada with offices in the United States, the UK, Australia, Argentina and Hong Kong.