Liberty University Enhances Its Haivision Furnace IP Video Delivery System With Barracuda H.264 Encoder Technology
Low-Bandwidth Encoding Adds Even Greater Efficiency to Cost-Effective Model for Live Video Distribution
MONTREAL and CHICAGO — July 28, 2010 — Haivision Network Video today announced that Liberty University, the largest and fastest growing Christian university in the world, has upgraded its Furnace™ end-to-end IP video delivery system at its Lynchburg, Va., campus with the addition of Haivision's Barracuda™ H.264 encoder technology. The Haivision Furnace system leverages the university's installed wireless IT infrastructure and the highly-efficient H.264 encoding of the new Barracuda to ensure high-quality, low-bandwidth delivery of broadcast, university, and special event channels — as well as a "visitor" video-on-demand channel — to computers and television displays across campus.
"We chose the Furnace system in particular because of its ease of use, uniquely low maintenance requirements, and flexibility in providing multicast services," said Bruce Braun, executive director for Liberty University New Media Communications. "Haivision's advanced H.264 encoders provide a strong foundation for a migration to cost-effective, high-quality HD video delivery as we continue to grow, refine, and extend our IPTV service."
The Furnace system has allowed Liberty University to meet student demand for live TV in dorm rooms and in public spaces, and the new Barracuda adds high-efficiency H.264 encoding, supporting both forward error correction and encryption to ensure the quality and security of each stream. Based on the H.264 compression standard, the Barracuda encoder saves more than 50 percent of the bandwidth and disk space required by MPEG-2 IP video deployments. The Barracuda encoder also supports a wide variety of IP streaming standards and can deliver multiple streams at different resolutions and bitrates to multiple destinations.
Haivision's patented "zero-footprint" InStream™ player, a platform-independent desktop viewing technology within the Furnace system, makes IP video available on network-connected student computers and laptops. Because the player is client/server-based, IT staff don't have to spend time installing or maintaining software on student computers. Liberty University also uses the Furnace system to deliver live television to 20 displays in public areas, where students and staff can tune in via Haivision Stingray™ set-top boxes.
The Haivision installation at Liberty University supports a first-of-its-kind wireless multicast IPTV system that provides students with convenient "anywhere, anytime" access to multichannel video from any point on campus. The university has built out wireless distribution of the multi-channel IPTV service over an Aruba® Networks high-speed 802.11n wireless LAN with more than 750 access points.
"The Furnace IP video delivery system, equipped with our Barracuda H.264 encoder, not only allows Liberty University to minimize its reliance on costly coaxial and Ethernet cabling plants, but also enables the university to realize flexible distribution of high-quality live video now and as it migrates into the realm of HD in the future," said Peter Maag, senior vice president at Haivision.
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