Akamai HD Network

The Akamai HD Network coincides with the next evolution in online video delivery. Delivering on the promise of the Internet, the Akamai HD Network offers the largest video distribution capacity ready for market use today. That means content producers – including large-scale broadcasters and film distributors – can now deliver live and on-demand HD media to online viewers using Flash, Silverlight, and the iPhone.

The platform is designed and optimized to help broadcasters and film distributors increase audience engagement and expand revenues by complementing traditional mediums such as TV and DVD with the Internet.

Akamai HD Network combines our patented HD EdgePlatform, adaptive bitrate streaming, digital video recorder (DVR) technology, and media analytics to offer unmatched scale, quality and a highly interactive viewer experience that matches today's HDTV. Plus we provide actionable intelligence on content usage and audience engagement.
 
Akamai HD Network Demo
   
Delivering HDTV quality video for Flash, Silverlight and iPhone at broadcast audience scale with in-depth media analytics.
 
   
 
Delivers an Online Experience that Matches HDTV
Attempting to deliver high bitrate HD files can create long buffering delays, slow start-up times, and frequent interruptions. Because the Akamai HD Network chooses the optimal bitrate for delivery – it is faster and more consistent than any other network. With fully integrated DVR capabilities for live video across Flash, Silverlight, and the iPhone, the Akamai HD Network enables a personalized and interactive experience that matches HDTV.

Supports Broadcast Scale Audiences
Akamai HD Network is uniquely able to scale for successful delivery of HD video to broadcast audiences. HD quality video streams to users worldwide. By delivering video from HTTP servers located closest to end users, Akamai HD Network minimizes packet loss and maximizes streaming throughput to end users all around the world.

Provides Insight into Content Usage and Audience Engagement
Akamai's HD Media Analytics includes real-time and historic traffic reports, as well as premium analytics that give granular intelligence on content usage, audience engagement, and client side quality-of-service metrics.

Powered by the world's largest delivery network, Akamai HD Network is uniquely able to scale for successful delivery of HD video to broadcast audiences and to users worldwide.


The Challenges of HD Delivery

While online video presents vast opportunities, it also comes with its share of challenges.

When implemented poorly, online video frustrates end users with long start-up times, poor picture quality, and frequent interruptions for buffering. And the ramifications are huge. According to Jupiter Research, 60% of regular online video users are less likely to return to a site for video content if the viewing experience is poor.

Why is it so difficult to deliver an optimal end-user experience? Simply put, it's challenging to reliably deliver high-throughput data streams across the Web – especially to large audiences.

The fundamental challenges of online video delivery lie within the Internet itself. Given that the Internet is made up of over 13,000 competing networks, it works surprisingly well. But its many bottlenecks and capacity limitations are unpredictable and difficult to manage - lying outside the control of any single entity or group. While these problems affect the delivery of all types of Internet content, they are particularly challenging for video, which requires the transfer of large data volumes at very high rates.
Key features of the Akamai HD
Network include:
   
EdgePlatform
Highly distributed and high-capacity network that puts content closer to the consumer to support broadcast audience scale at HD bitrates.
HD Adaptive Bitrate Streaming:
Unique network and player streaming process means fast video start-up times and uninterrupted playback at HD bitrates.
   
HD DVR
Interactive and personalized experience with true DVR capabilities that match HDTV.
HD Media Analytics
HD content and audience intelligence for multiple playback environments in one unified solution for content usage and audience intelligence reporting.
   
HD Player
Open-source standard-based video player available through the Open Video Player Framework with support for adaptive bitrate streaming and DVR. Simplifies player development so content producers can develop their own player, freeing them from third-party development cycles and upgrades.
HD Authentication
Streaming authentication for Flash, Silverlight, and the iPhone ensures only authorized players access content.