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ViewCast
Announces the new
Niagara 5200 Streaming Server
High-powered Rack-Mount Server Handles
Your Most Bandwidth Intensive Streams!
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ViewCast
is very pleased to announce our new dual Xeon™
processor streaming video servers, the Niagara 5200
Streaming Server series.
The
Niagara 5200 Streaming Servers allow you to stream Real
or Windows Media content to users across the Internet
or corporate intranet using industry standard protocols.
Couple the Niagara Streaming Server with a Niagara streaming
encoder and you have an complete turnkey solution for
delivering digital media content.
 These
dedicated 2U rack mount servers are fully-optimized
for streaming audio and video. Powerful dual Intel®
Xeon™ processors plus dual 10/100/1000 Ethernet
make these plug-and-stream servers ready to handle even
the heaviest bandwidth streaming.
Niagara
5200 is pre-configured with either Real Networks Helix
Universal Basic Server or Microsoft Windows Media Server.
The result is a fully-optimized and high-powered streaming
server in a turnkey plug and play system.
These
streaming solutions are ideal for virtually any streaming,
archiving, or video production application. Additionally,
a variety of hardware options are available.
Niagara 5200 Streaming Server feature:
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Pre-configured
'ready-to-use' rack-mount platforms
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Dual
Intel® Xeon™ processors
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High
capacity SCSI hot-swap hard drives
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SCSI
RAID option supports RAID 0, 1, or 5
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Holds
up to 6 SCSI hard drives
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Dual
10/100/1000 Ethernet (LAN1/LAN2)
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Optimized
and pre-configured with either:
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Microsoft
Windows Media Server
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Real
Networks Helix Universal Basic Server
Niagara
5200 Streaming Servers start at only $9,995.00.
Custom configurations are also available!
   
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Free
Trial Software
Niagara SCX Encoder Control Software
Remote Control and Monitoring Software
for Osprey-based Streaming Encoders!
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Are
you ready to take full control of your own encoding and
streaming video production studio? Then ViewCast has the
solution for you!
ViewCast
is offering a free trial version of our popular Niagara
SCX software for you to download and test for 30 days.
This package is fully functional with no disabled features!
IMPORTANT:
Niagara SCX requires that you have streaming encoder software
installed in your system such as Windows Media Encoder,
Helix Producer, or other streaming encoding engines.
To
access all features of Niagara SCX, an Osprey streaming
capture card is recommended.
| Niagara
SCX supports Real, Windows Media, plus other streaming
formats! |
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No
more switching from one encoding application to
the other. Now you can create all of your streams
from a single user interface!
You
can also view all of your encoding processes for
all of your streaming systems at the same time from
any where!
Niagara
SCX provides full control of all encoding modes!
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With
Niagara SCX, you can capture live for webcasting
or capture to file just like using your favorite
encoding applications. You can even perform file
conversion and transcoding!
AVI
files can be quickly and easily converted to streaming
formats. Plus the Niagara Statistics View
allows you to see:
- Current
encode bit rate and frame rate
- Current
CPU load
- Current
audio level
- Preview
of input video
- Preview
of encoded video
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Niagara
SCX Input Settings allows any connect authorized
user to remotely:
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Select
and control a capture card or designate an input
file to streaming
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Select
video and audio inputs on each encoding card
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Set
the input protocol (NTSC/PAL)
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Adjust
the video and audio capture attributes (brightness/contrast,
audio gain)
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Plus,
video and audio attributes can be adjusted on-the-fly
during encoding
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Niagara
SCX Output Settings allows any connect authorized
user to remotely:
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Test
and control your video quality using professional
video tuning tools!
Niagara
SCX also provide professional tuning capabilities
to enhance your video quality. These tools give
you the ability to ensure video color accuracy for
all of your streams or video files.
The
Niagara SCX Tuning Utility allows you to:
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- Test
video input in vectorscope display
- Test
video input in waveform monitor display
- Adjust
the video attributes for end-to-end color accuracy
Niagara
SCX also allows you to post-view and monitor your
video from any remote location as well. See what your
audience is seeing. |
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Now
you're in full control of your video encoding process!
If
you want full control of multiple streaming encoders
over your network or use a single interface to run
multiple encoding sessions using multiple streaming
cards in a single PC, Niagara SCX is the
absolute solution for you!
Before
you download your copy of Niagara SCX, please review
the following hardware and software to enable remote
control capabilities for your encoding production
studio.
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System
OS & Hardware Requirements:
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- Windows
2000 Pro or Server
- P3
500 MHz processor or better
- Minimum
128MB memory
- Streaming
Capture Card (Osprey Recommended)
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| Encoder
System SW Requirements: |
- Windows
2000 Service Pack 2
- Microsoft
Data Access Components 2.7
- .NET
Framework
- Microsoft
DirectX 8.0 or higher
- Streaming
Media Encoder & Player (Windows Media and/or
RealNetworks)
- Niagara
SCX Manager Software
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Systems SW Requirements: |
- Microsoft
DirectX 8.0 or higher
- Streaming
Media Player (Windows Media and/or RealNetworks)
- Niagara
SCX Explorer Software
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For
your convenience, all required software listed above -
excluding third-party encoding engines - are available
from the Niagara SCX download area. Click the "Download
Trial" button below to register and obtain access.
This
is a large download of several files!
Don't
have time or bandwidth to download? No problem.
ViewCast
is also offering a FREE Niagara SCX Trial Software CD!
Just
send a request for a trial CD to [email protected].
Be sure to include your name, company name, mailing address,
daytime phone number and tell us that you would like to
receive the Niagara SCX Trial Software CD. Niagara
SCX Trial software CD will be sent via US Postal Service.
Ready
to purchase unlimited use of Niagara SCX?
Click
the "Buy Now" button below to add Niagara
SCX to your shopping or contact your local authorized
ViewCast reseller.
The
fully-enabled version of Niagara SCX is only $499.00!
This
includes unlimited client license so you can access, control,
enhance and manage your entire encoding process!
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White
Paper:
Understanding the Interactive Video Distribution
Network - Part 1
Introduction
to Interactive Video Distribution
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The
following article is part 1 in a series that will be
published in three concurrent issues of the Streaming
Media Newsletter. These articles are a work in progress
and will be available as a single download from the
ViewCast
downloads web page once they are completed. If you
would like to be notified when it is available, please
send your request to [email protected].
Business
video is not new, nevertheless, the systems used to
source, manage, and deliver the variety of video used
in business are still marketed and implemented separately,
with separate infrastructures, separate user interfaces,
and little or no integration.
However,
the video network must bring virtually every application
for video together in a streamlined solution capable
of satisfying the sophisticated video needs of complex
institutions. Plus users need easy, intuitive and
appropriate user interfaces for the wide variety of
video applications found in today's business environment
and supported by the video network
The
"appropriateness" of the user interface
is as important as its ease and simplicity. To illustrate,
let's define the ideal video network user experience
for a doctor at a major health care campus.
From
the convenience of his or her office, the doctor may
elect to
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View
stored video from a digital educational video library
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View
live video from selected operatories in the facility
or other similarly equipped facilities anywhere
in the world
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View
live educational video and participate in scheduled
video meetings from any of several sources such
as Primedia Business channels for example
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Share
live video with others in a collaborative environment
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Place
and receive personal and group video calls to colleagues
Ideally,
a single user interface should control and manage
any of these video events and the control set should
offer:
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a
directory of all live and stored video content
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a
directory of individual on-network users
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a
directory of off-network users equipped with standards-based
equipment such as videoconferencing systems
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a
convenient set of controls to start, stop, and manage
the video connection and to manage user participation
Other
desktop users may need a subset or a superset of the
features and controls available to the doctor, while
other types of users may need a completely different
set of controls with entirely different features.
An administrator who selectively "pushes"
video channels to various distributed TV displays
around the facility needs a very different set of
controls than a desktop user. Similarly, a teacher
in a classroom needs a different set of controls to
both source video for sharing with others, to receive
educational video for display in the classroom, and
to control and manage in-room devices such as document
cameras.
The
Interactive Video Network Solution
By
transforming local and global video networks into
a dynamic video communications platform, ViewCast
integrates previously separate video systems into
a single video switching and delivery environment.
To bring these widely diverse technologies and interfaces
together, ViewCast developed video management software
that provides appropriate controls to each class of
video user while completely removing the user from
any awareness of the technologies that source and
deliver video.
The
Viewpoint VBX allows any institution to integrate
all of its video applications into a single video
switching and delivery network. Network components
are a combination of ViewCast technologies and equipment
as well as systems from leading names in the audiovisual,
IP networking, and automation systems industries.
 The
VBX video network seamlessly integrates technologies
that source, switch, distribute, and manage live and
stored video assets in a variety of applications including
video conferencing, premise video distribution, distance
learning, video resource sharing, and personal video
communication.
At
the center of this environment is a network of ViewCast
VBX video sourcing, switching, and distribution servers
configured as an integrated, highly flexible and customizable
network. Under the control of users, administrators,
and schedulers or other automation processes, the
network delivers audio and video in one-to-one, one-to-many,
and many-to-many applications to a variety of audiovisual
endpoints.
On
the perimeter of the network are "on-net"
clients. These clients can be interactive users at
desktops, conference rooms, etc. They can also be
static clients that originate and/or receive video
under the control of network administrators or automatically
via scheduling software. Video information displays
and DSS satellite receivers are examples of static
on-net clients.
The
core servers and endpoints are arranged as fully networked
workgroups interconnected by video trunks when needed.
Workgroups can be co-located or geographically dispersed;
to on-net users the combination appears as a single
homogeneous network.
Off-net
users equipped with standards-based videoconferencing
systems can access VBX video network resources via
VBX gateway and bridging features. Off-net users can
also receive streamed network video via ViewCast Niagara®
Streaming Servers and interact with classroom instructors
using collaboration software such as the Accordent
PresenterPRO bundle option for Niagara Streaming Servers.
Video
destination endpoints can be any combination of the
following devices:
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Video
monitors including conventional television sets
and plasma or LCD flat panel displays
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The
PC screen on desktop or laptop PC workstations
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Conventional
analog RGB video projectors and LCD or Digital Light
Processor (DLP) projectors
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Digital
video recorders for long term archive or video on
demand applications
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Streaming
video encoders (Windows Media, Real Networks media,
etc) for streaming video live to Internet viewers
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Video
surveillance and security systems
Video
sources can include any combination of
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Studio-quality
video cameras and associated video production consoles
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Wall-mounted
pan/tilt/zoom cameras in classrooms and conference
rooms
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Digital
video playback decoders
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Video
feeds from video security/surveillance systems
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VHS
tape and DVD playback decks
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Video
from existing videoconference systems
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Video
from
surveillance and security systems
FREE
Shipping for Online Orders of Niagara Streaming Systems!
 For
a limited time, ViewCast is offering FREE shipping when
you purchase a Niagara streaming system online from
our web site. However you must select Federal Express
Ground delivery to a location in the lower US 48 States.
The ViewCast Online Store can only ship to US, Canada
and Mexico locations. FREE shipping is available on
Niagara Streaming Systems until March 31st, 2003.
The
ViewCast online store provides several payment methods.
(Major credit cards, check, money order or purchase
order is accepted.*)
Be
sure to select your Niagara system and get shipping
FREE until March 31st, 2003.
Click
here for more information about Niagara Streaming Systems!
Click
here for a pre-configured system comparison chart!
Custom
configurations are also available! Send
your request to [email protected].
*To
place an online order using a company purchase order,
you will need to apply for a credit account.
To apply for a credit account:
- Open a shopping cart by selecting a product to purchase.
- Click the "Purchase On Account" button.
- Then click the "Open Account" button and
complete the electronic credit application form.
Credit
applicants will be notified within five business days
regarding approval.
Osprey-500
DV Pro
Gets AV Input Connector Updates
New hardware
version of Osprey-500 DV Pro incorporates back plate
changes.
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ViewCast
has announced updates and modifications to the audio &
video input connections on the back plate of the Osprey-500
DV Pro.
These
modifications are:
- DV
connector has changed from a 6-pin connector to a 4-pin
connector. This modification will not result in any performance
or function degradation.
(These 2 "extra" pins which
are part of the 6-pin connector are sometimes used for
power by various video hardware products however these
pins are not used by ViewCast.)
- The
Optical Digital audio connector (TOS) has been removed.
This connector type was not commonly used and its removal
allowed for needed additional space on the back plate.
- The
SDI BNC connector was repositioned on the back plate to
allow for easier card installation into some PC chassis's.
Some users reported difficulty physically inserting the
Osprey-500 DV Pro into their PC due to the position of
the SDI BNC connector.
If
you have any questions regarding these new modifications,
please contact [email protected]
or your
local authorized ViewCast reseller.
Return
to Table of Contents
Copyright
© 2003, ViewCast Corporation. This information is accurate
at time of publishing and is subject to change without notice.
Product names mention herein are used for identification
purposes only and may be registered trademarks. All trademarks
are property of their respective holders.
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