Complete Coverage:IBC 2012
At the start of IBC, Rovi Corporation announced new products
and deals, including the launch of a new MainConcept codec SDK for the
soon-to-be ratified High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC) compression standard and
a multiyear agreement with Microsoft, which will use Rovi's MainConcept H.264
video codec and SDK for its Windows Azure Media Services.
The H.265/HEVC compression system is expected to be 100%
more efficient than its predecessor H.264/AVC, which will significantly reduce
file size and the bandwidth required for streaming or downloading video to
tablets, smartphones, set-top boxes and consumer electronics devices.
The improved compression will also play a role in the
development of 4K technologies, which offer much higher resolution than the
current HD standard.
"Consumers expect content to be in its best format on every
device that has a quality display," explained Matt Milne, executive VP of
product, sales and marketing for Rovi, in a statement. "The addition of a new
encoder for HEVC builds upon Rovi's longstanding tradition of providing
leading-edge codec technology to our customers through the MainConcept product
line. The new MainConcept SDK is an extension of Rovi's continued development
[of] solutions, such as Rovi Entertainment Store, DivX Plus Streaming, Rovi
Content Production tools and others, that promote high quality entertainment
consumption."
Separately, with the Microsoft deal, Windows Azure Media
Services is using the MainConcept SDK to enable fast, high-quality H.264
encoding.
"Windows Azure Media Services provides a rich set of
capabilities for creating, managing, and distributing media in the cloud," said
Sudheer Sirivara, director, Windows Azure Media Services, Microsoft. "Rovi's
expertise in video encoding brings the quality and performance of the
MainConcept H.264 codec to the encoding service offering on Windows Azure Media
Services."
Finally, Rovi Corporation also announced an agreement with
Belkin, which will use Rovi Video for a program guide and a variety of other
features on @TV. This media streaming box enables users to access content from
their home theater on their personal and mobile devices.
"We want to give our customers the complete TV
experience with @TV," noted Jamie Elgie, senior director of product management
at Belkin in a statement. "This starts with the ability to discover content on
an integrated channel guide, We've extended this experience to include
advanced, eye-catching imagery and information to reflect the highly visual and
engaging environment of today's media world."
