Edgeware Announces New Video Consolidation Platform

AMSTERDAM – Edgeware, a provider of video delivery solutions, announced its new Video Consolidation Platform (VCP) to dramatically reduce the high infrastructure costs associated with the delivery of next-generation TV and video services.

Consumers expect to view programming live and on-demand on any screen, but service providers are struggling to contain the costs of the headends and delivery networks required to meet these needs. With today's solutions, they are forced to duplicate their infrastructures to enable origination and delivery of content to existing set-top boxes (STBs) and newer multiscreen devices. There is even duplication in the equipment needed for live and on-demand services. The Edgeware VCP provides a single, highly consolidated solution for all device types and services.

Edgeware's new VCP builds on its Distributed Video Delivery Network (D-VDN) product which already provides best-in-class caching and streaming to any device type from fully unified servers and control software. This product is incorporated into the new platform as the VCP Edge. The new platform also extends the solution to include state-of-the-art origin servers, called the VCP Origin.

Existing origin servers cannot scale cost-effectively to meet the forecast increase in channels, content and subscribers coupled with the recording and mobility expectations of consumers. They will also not be able to cope with anticipated traffic volumes generated by cache misses in the content delivery networks (CDNs) as content libraries grow.

Accelerating Storage, Streaming and Recording Functions
By applying Edgeware's proven recording, caching and delivery technology to the headend, the VCP Origin overcomes these hurdles. It accelerates the storage, streaming and recording functions traditionally associated with origin delivery and supplements them with advanced repackaging, load balancing, delivery to any CDN and massive playout performance via the un-matched power of Edgeware's Orbit servers. Condensing these functions into a single, consolidated solution reduces origin complexity, saves substantial initial investment costs and offers a scalability that is unrivalled.

"The Edgeware VCP Origin forces a change in thought as to how headend infrastructures are designed, deployed and managed," said Matt Parker, director of business development at Edgeware. "By collapsing multiple origin functions in the headend, we guarantee service providers have the play out performance and efficiency that meets not only their network needs, but their customers' demands and expectations."

"Our customers are already enjoying the consolidation benefits that the Edgeware D-VDN provided in the CDN layer," said Joachim Roos, CEO and founder at Edgeware. "Consolidation of infrastructure in both the edge and origin is a vital step in progressing next-generation TV initiatives. Edgeware's VCP is placed right at the very heart of this market-driven mandate."