Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/668752
B r o a d c a s t e r s S h o w D a i l y 9 W e d n e s d a y , A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 6 IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS BRINGS END-TO-END VIDEO CAPABILITIES TO THE CLOUD Imagine Communications, empowering the media and entertainment industry through transformative innovation, announced that its market-leading play- out, live encoding and dynamic ad inser- tion solutions are now available on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. In addi- tion to providing new monetization opportunities for broadcasters, video service providers and other media com- panies, this suite of solutions offers the potential to dramatically improve the speed, efficiency and flexibility of media workflow operations by enabling secure, scalable and on-demand access via Azure. This collaboration between leaders in the media and technology industries represents the most ambitious action to date to provide broadcast-quality video origination and distribution capabilities in the public cloud. Thousands of media companies from around the world can now have instant access to market-lead- ing playout, encoding and dynamic ad insertion technology from an efficient, centralized and virtualized workflow environment made available through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. "With more video content being managed and distributed over IP, media companies gain the benefit of network agility, flexibility and elasticity that cloud-based video capabilities offer," said Charlie Vogt, Chief Executive Officer, Imagine Communications. "Imagine has been investing in hybrid IP, software-defined and cloud-enabled solutions to future-proof today's buying decision and ensure our clients are pre- pared for the network of the future. Our collaboration with Microsoft advances the industry by providing incremental optionality for deploying our market- leading production, playout and distribu- tion solutions in Azure." The following Imagine Communications solutions are Microsoft Azure Certified and available through the Azure Marketplace. Microsoft Azure Certified solutions have passed stringent testing and compatibility requirements to operate seamlessly in Azure. Versio: The 100 percent-software, cloud-enabled Versio solution, now available in the virtualized Azure envi- ronment, offers market-leading integrat- ed channel playout capabilities, includ- ing graphics, automation and master control. This award-winning solution simplifies the creation and management of channels and enables media compa- nies to extend their brands and content with more freedom, visibility and con- trol than ever before. Versio enables channels to be developed and deployed in the cloud, with options for OTT distri- bution through the cloud and for tradi- tional distribution, including OTA, cable, satellite and IPTV. Media compa- nies can now use the combined flexibili- ty of Versio and Azure for a variety of revenue-enhancing and cost-reducing applications. SelenioFlex Live provides high- quality live encoding for high-value applications, from cloud DVR to live- event streaming to over-the-top (OTT) delivery of linear channels. With multi- format output flexibility and rich adap- tive bitrate (ABR) streaming support, SelenioFlex Live enables operators to reach audiences with superior-quality, live viewing experiences across the broadest range of devices. SelenioFlex Live in the Azure cloud provides media companies with affordable scale to match their rapidly evolving business needs, while avoiding the expense of purchasing premises-based, underuti- lized encoding and transcoding systems. xG AIM supports advanced ABR streaming to deliver hyper-targeted ads to smartphones, PCs, tablets, connected TVs and virtually any other device that receives live or on-demand video pro- gramming. The software-based xG AIM provides relevant ads in real time across various stream types, including live, VOD and cDVR, and on subscribers' preferred viewing devices. With xG AIM now available on Azure, media compa- nies can further monetize their media content globally with higher-value advertising. These solutions are the latest in an ongoing collaboration between Imagine Communications and Microsoft to bring end-to-end processing and distribution capabilities to Azure by offering Imagine Communications' software-based ad management, playout and networking and distribution products as cloud-ready, Azure Certified solutions. By moving operations to a cloud environment, media companies can real- ize an array of cost, service and perform- ance advantages: no upfront hardware investment; simple provisioning and decommissioning of resources; virtual- ization of operations; no additional data- center footprint investment; ability to use elastic capacity to support new launches or peak events; a geographical- ly dispersed platform with built-in secu- rity and reliability; media companies now have a choice of on-premises, pri- vate or public cloud or hybrid deploy- ment models for video processing and distribution. "Microsoft and Imagine Communications share the same vision of revitalizing media operations through the flexibility, scale and operational effi- ciency of cloud-based services," said Steven Guggenheimer, Corporate Vice President and Chief Evangelist, Microsoft Corporation. "Together, we are accelerating solutions for the media industry by providing broadcasters, con- tent distributors and others with the abil- ity to reduce time-to-market while mov- ing from a capital-intensive business to a pay-as-needed operational model." As part of the Azure Marketplace, Imagine Communications' software solutions are now available in 20 Azure datacenters, which serve businesses in 140 countries, including China. For more information about Versio, SelenioFlex Live, xG AIM and other solutions, visit www. imaginecommunications.com. T2 COMPUTING NAMED TOP TELE-STREAM RESELLER T2 Computing, Inc., an IT solutions com- pany that provides the latest in comput- ing, storage, networking and media hard- ware and software for the broadcast, post production, finance, retail, travel, pub- lishing, advertising and hospitality sec- tors, has been named the Top Reseller 2015 for the Americas by Telestream, the leading provider of digital video tools and workflow solutions today. This is the sec- ond year in a row that T2 Computing has been the winner of this high honor. The award is being officially presented to the company at a ceremony during the NAB Show. Telestream's Top Reseller 2015, Americas award aims to recognize com- pany resellers who have effectively repre- sented Telestream in North and South America. Awards are based on overall sales, customer engagement and coordi- nation and representation of Telestream at events throughout the year. "T2 Computing's focus on providing comprehensive media workflow solutions to its customers is the key to its success with our Vantage media processing plat- form," says Mark Wronski, Telestream Vice President of Americas Sales. "The T2 Computing enterprise sales and solu- tion architect team's consultative selling approach enables it to tightly match the vast capabilities of Vantage to its clients' complex workflow requirements. We look forward to another great year." "Being selected as Top Reseller two years in a row is quite an achievement," says Ian Ash, Vice President of Sales, T2 Computing, Inc. "The combination of our class-leading experience and superior client commitment is helping us to become a trusted resource for our clients and the brands we represent. Telestream is an important and strategic partner for T2 Computing and we look forward to continuing to grow our mutual business throughout 2016. We are honored to be recognized for our efforts by such an industry leader." About Telestream Telestream provides world-class live and on-demand digital video tools and work- flow solutions that allow consumers and businesses to transform video on the desktop and across the enterprise. Many of the world's most demanding media and entertainment companies as well as a growing number of users in a broad range of business environments, rely on Telestream products to streamline opera- tions, reach broader audiences and gener- ate more revenue from their media. Telestream products span the entire digi- tal media lifecycle, including video cap- ture and ingest, live and on- demand encodingand transcoding, cap- tioning, playback and inspection, deliv- ery and live streaming, as well as automation and orchestration of the entire workflow. Telestream corporate headquarters are located in Nevada City, California. The company is privately held. About T2 Computing T2 Computing is a unique IT solutions company that resolves a vast range of challenges leading companies face today. Through its highly experienced client team, the company provides the latest in computing, storage, networking and media hardware and software coupled with world-class professional services. It specifies, designs, deploys and supports solutions for the most complex work- flows. For more information, visit www.t2 computing.com or www.telestream.net. FRANKLY ANNOUNCES CUSTOMER LAUNCHES FOR SIX NEW BROADCAST GROUPS Frankly Inc., an integrated platform for brands and media companies to create, distribute, analyze and monetize their content across all of their digital experi- ences, announced that it has completed contracts with six stations that represent six separate broadcast groups. These con- tracts have led to recently launched sites for Lilly Broadcasting's KITV in Honolulu, Victoria Television's KAVU in South Texas, Rapid City Television's KNBN in Rapid City, Mobile Tape Production's KRGV in McAllen/Weslaco, Wheeler Broadcasting's WSIL in Paducah/Cape Girardeau/Carbondale, and Northwest Broadcasting's WICZ in Binghamton will be launching shortly. "We are excited to bring these new stations into the Frankly family," said Lou Schwartz, Chief Operating Officer of Frankly. "These new contracts are a testa- ment to the broadcast market's positive response to Frankly's acquisition of Worldnow and our continued missions to support local broadcasters with innovation that will grow their digital businesses." To learn more, please visit www. franklyinc.com.