Envivio (http:www.envivio.com), a provider of compression solutions
for Three Screens video convergence, has introduced Elite
Compression, an enhancement for its 4Caster C4 and M2 mobile TV
encoders. This new compression tier is tuned to optimize the media
playback experience on today’s most popular mobile devices, according
to Boris Felts, vice president of Product Marketing at Envivio.
Elite Compression will debut at CTIA Wireless 2009 in Las Vegas from
April 1-3. It will be available to participants in Envivio’s Mobile
Streaming trade up program, which offers discounts up to 35 percent
to operators who replace their existing software encoders with the
Envivio 4Caster C4 before May 31.
Elite Compression bridges the performance gap that currently exists
in the mobile streaming market by targeting the many mass market
mobile devices which use their central processor to decode media
content, says Felts. While H.263 and MPEG-4 Simple Profile
compression are well matched to the capabilities of older or entry
level mobile devices, they underutilize the performance of modern
mid-range handsets using processors such as the ARM11, he adds.
Elite Compression enables mainstream mid-range devices, which
comprise the majority of handsets in use, to deliver their optimum
video and audio playback experience. Elite Compression is based on
the H.264 standard, making it compatible with the standard media
players provided by companies such as PV, NXP and RealNetworks.
The addition of Elite Compression takes place entirely at the
headend, making it easy for operators to deploy, says Felts. Since
Elite Compression is based on the H.264 open standard, it doesn’t
require special handset players or any handset upgrades.
Envivio’s flexible compression architecture will allow operators
currently using the 4Caster C4 and M2 encoders to add the new Elite
Compression capability simply by upgrading their software code. New
software code can be uploaded to C4 and M2 encoders individually
using the built-in web server management interface or in groups using
Envivio’s 4Manager NMS.