Key Components of the Akamai HD Network

• Akamai HD for the Adobe Flash Platform. Live and on-demand streaming to the ubiquitous Adobe Flash Platform runtime, enabling reach to a wide range of desktops and devices in Flash Player and on AIR.
• Akamai HD for iPhone and iPad. Live and on-demand streaming with HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) consumed by devices including the Apple iPhone®, iPad®, or iPod® Touch.
• Akamai HD for Microsoft Silverlight. Live and on-demand streaming to the Microsoft Silverlight runtime, using Smooth Streaming.
• Akamai SecureHD. Multi-layered security for live and on-demand streaming that can be used together or independently across each of the supported runtimes to protect against the most common threats to content.
• Akamai NetStorage for high availability, replicated storage of digital assets including media for HTTP download and on-demand streaming.

Akamai HD Network Key Features

“in the network” packaging & segmenting
Simplifying live and on-demand streaming to multiple devices and runtimes
Delivery to multiple connected devices and runtimes today requires management of multiple media formats with varying optimized encoding settings. The Akamai HD Network simplifies these workflows with a unique feature called "in the network" packaging and segmenting. For example, "in the network" packaging and segmenting enables the content publisher to leverage existing H.264/MPEG4 video workflows to packages on demand content "on the fly" to the MPEG-2.ts segmented format, which is required for playback on iOS devices. The same MPEG4 video file can also be repackaged "in the network" and output as HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS). In this instance a single MPEG4 video workflow file can be output in both HDS and HLS. "In the network" packaging and segmenting is designed to simplify video workflows so content publishers can efficiently deliver more content to the growing number of devices without added complexity to your existing workflow.

Adaptive bitrate streaming
Delivering an interactive TV-like experience that complements traditional TV
Smooth playback is the single most important attribute for a quality online viewing experience. Unfortunately, today most online video services are prone to rebuffering of video. This is caused by the unpredictable nature of the Internet and last mile bandwidth connectivity to the consumer device. The Akamai HD Network solves this problem with advanced adaptive bitrate streaming technology. Akamai's advanced adaptive bitrate streaming technology intelligently adjusts the bit rate of a video stream to ensure the optimum playback quality based on changing bandwidth conditions.

DVR for live streaming
DVR features have been available on television set top boxes for many years. With more and more consumers moving online to watch their favorite movies, TV shows and sporting events, the same interactivity is expected across all devices and platforms. The Akamai HD Network brings a whole new level of engagement and interactivity to the consumer online. Native DVR functionality allows the consumer the ability to pause, seek back, seek forward, and restart a live video stream at their discretion. This DVR function also provides the ability to instantly create clips and offer catch-up TV services; it also provides an authoritative archive of assets.

Akamai EdgePlatform
Raising the bar on scale, performance, and reliability
The Akamai HD Network leverages the tried and tested Akamai EdgePlatform. The Akamai EdgePlatform is a massive server infrastructure that boasts almost 100,000 HTTP servers deployed in almost 1,000 ISP networks, in over 70 countries worldwide. With this highly decentralized network deployed deep into regional and local ISP networks, video is always physically as close to consumers as possible to enable fast video start up times, high availability, and superior performance.