On-Demand Video Servers

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On-Demand Video Servers, or ODVS, has proven the hottest digital media infrastructure topic over the past 18 months. Emerging content distribution architectures, such as network-based digital video recording and time-shifted TV, fuel significantly greater network demands and challenges in areas such as scalability, reliability, on demand functionality, advanced advertising methods and improved energy efficiency metrics. Burgeoning consumer and business demand for content delivered in high definition and on demand will continue to drive service provider requirements for managing the storage, streaming and operational costs attached to offering and scaling personalized content experiences on an “Any Content, Anytime, Anywhere” basis.

ARRIS XMS FLEX

Though the XMS FLEX is a threatening product to rival on-demand video server platforms, it remains to be seen how quickly ARRIS can convert the technical advantages of the product into deployments within its installed base and competitor replacements. (10/20/2011)

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Cisco Content Delivery Engine (CDE) 250

Cisco’s CDS platform, a key element of its Videoscape and content distribution propositions, continues to gain market momentum, leveraging the advanced capabilities of its CDE 250 to support concurrent streaming and ingest capabilities at scale. (11/30/2011)

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Concurrent MediaHawk VX

Concurrent’s on-demand video server roadmap leverages proven military-grade credentials, stream-density enhancements, and eFactor Transmux dynamic content repackaging. The company could still improve its support of scalable Flash-based storage. (11/30/2011)

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Edgeware Orbit-2X/Orbit 3020

Edgeware’s Orbit-2X/Orbit 3020 platform is designed for dense and reliable video delivery, with best-in-class streaming and storage density metrics, integrated fast channel change and retransmission, and a roadmap to unified HTTP/VoD streaming. (12/2/2011)

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Harmonic StreamLiner 3000

Although successful in early IPTV VoD accounts, Harmonic’s StreamLiner 3000 now lags rival platforms across multiple metrics. The company needs to demonstrate continued relevance in the evolving on-demand market. (10/17/2011)

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Motorola M-3

While the M-3 video server leverages Motorola’s vast experience in video networking technology to complement its market-proven B-1 server, it still lacks full multi-screen support and market traction evidence. (10/13/2011)

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Verivue OneVantage MDX 9200

Verivue’s OneVantage solution expands the company’s previously limited MDX platform into a complete offering to fulfill operator retail and wholesale CDN service requirements, but presents an about-face in terms of messaging and technical focus. (10/13/2011)

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Top

• Current Analysis Perspective
• Product Strengths & Weaknesses
• Product Point and Counterpoint
• Product Buying Criteria
• Product Metrics

On Demand Video Server Buying Criteria

• Scalability and Performance
  • Scalability is defined as the product’s total ingest, storage, and streaming capacity and concurrency for standard definition equivalent streams, defined as a single SD MPEG-2 stream at 3.75 Mbps; Performance is defined as how efficiently this scale is supported.
• Reliability and Supportability
  • Defined as the server and system level fault-tolerance and load-balancing for protecting data, resiliency for preserving stream sessions; Supportability is defined as overall management and upgrade facility.
• On Demand Functionality
  • Includes the product’s capability to support multi-screen delivery, (i.e., TVs, mobile handsets, and Internet connected devices), support of multiple on demand service options such as time-shifted TV, and network-DVR, as well as trick-play functionality and ad insertion capabilities.
• Green Design
  • Incorporates the product’s power consumption per stream/chassis in full configuration and design elements aimed at reducing total cost of ownership (TCO).
• Market Momentum and Vision
  • Incorporates elements such as vendor viability and support resources, vendor’s portfolio/platform leverage, as well as visible market traction in terms of partnerships, streams shipped, and customer footprint.

On Demand Video Server Product Metrics

• Maximum Stream Concurrency
• Streaming Capacity
• Content Storage
• Ingest Capacity
• Video Codecs Support
• Stream Control Protocols
• Streaming Interfaces Back Office Support
• Physical Dimensions
• Peak Power Consumption
• Regulatory Certifications
• General Availability