Starbak offers Windows Media encoder appliance

Starbak Communications is adding another piece to its infrastructure for creating, managing and delivering streaming media with this week’s introduction of Create CEA, a content-encoding appliance that converts video input into Windows Media format.

Create CEA, a rack-mountable server, accepts video input from cameras, VCRs, DVDs and other devices as well as MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and AVI files, and encodes the feed into Windows Media version 7, 8 or 9 format at multiple bit rates. It also contains a built-in Windows Media Server for delivering content to a small number of users. For larger audiences, customers can use Starbak’s OSA streaming server or a standard Windows 2000 or greater server running Windows Media Services.

Why buy a $12,000 appliance when Microsoft offers encoder software that runs on any Windows PC for free? “You can manage [the Create CEA] encoder as an appliance on the network via a Web interface, meaning you don’t have to be in the same room to start and stop [the encoding process],” says Dan Acquafredda, senior vice president of worldwide sales for Waltham, Mass.-based Starbak.

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Starbak Communications is adding another piece to its infrastructure for creating, managing and delivering streaming media with this week’s introduction of Create CEA, a content-encoding appliance that converts video input into Windows Media format.

Create CEA, a rack-mountable server, accepts video input from cameras, VCRs, DVDs and other devices as well as MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and AVI files, and encodes the feed into Windows Media version 7, 8 or 9 format at multiple bit rates. It also contains a built-in Windows Media Server for delivering content to a small number of users. For larger audiences, customers can use Starbak’s OSA streaming server or a standard Windows 2000 or greater server running Windows Media Services.

Why buy a $12,000 appliance when Microsoft offers encoder software that runs on any Windows PC for free? “You can manage [the Create CEA] encoder as an appliance on the network via a Web interface, meaning you don’t have to be in the same room to start and stop [the encoding process],” says Dan Acquafredda, senior vice president of worldwide sales for Waltham, Mass.-based Starbak.

All of Starbak’s products can be managed via the company’s Visual Service Manager (VSM), which can be accessed from any PC on the network. VSM can be used to set the encoders and move the resulting output to Starbak’s library server, where it then can be accessed from a central content portal. Although designed to work in concert with Starbak’s other products, Create CEA will work as a standalone device.

Create CEA is expected to ship in November.

Also this week, Starbak announced a partnership with Kassena that will allow Kassena’s MediaBase products to serve on-demand video encoded in Windows Media format. Previously, Kassena only supported the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats.