FastForward and RealNetworks Announce Strategic Agreement to Enhance the Delivery of Media over the Internet
Broadband Broadcasters, in particular, will Realize Meaningful Improvements in Media Networking Reliability and Bandwidth Management Capabilities Ensuring Superior Quality of Service
SEATTLE and SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 2000-- RealNetworks(r), Inc. (NASDAQ:RNWK - news), the recognized leader in Internet media delivery, and FastForward(tm) Networks, a startup company that offers solutions to expand the potential of Internet broadcast, today unveiled a multi-faceted, strategic relationship that extends RealSystem(r) G2 to provide increased network reliability, scalability, control and quality of service for Content Delivery Networks. Leveraging the open and highly extensible architecture of RealSystem G2, FastForward has integrated its Broadcast Overlay Architecture(tm) (BOA) to provide enhanced live stream management and distribution by allocating bandwidth through intelligent routing, which increases reliability through complex broadcast networks. RealNetworks Real Broadcast Network(TM) has begun immediate commercial distribution of live content utilizing the intelligent routing of the FastForward products in conjunction with RealSystem G2.
``RealNetworks has been working closely with FastForward to optimize the Broadcast Overlay Architecture for RealSystem G2 to build a broadcast distribution and management solution that addresses the expanding needs of broadcasters,' said Martin Plaehn, senior vice president, media systems, RealNetworks. ``The combination of RealNetworks' expertise in building the most extensible, cross-platform, standards based Internet media delivery system architecture and FastForward's expertise in media network routing and management provides broadcasters with an unmatched solution for delivering streaming media to over 95 million unique registered RealPlayer(r) users.'
Content Delivery Network customers using RealServer(tm) 7.0 with the FastForward BOA will realize immediate benefits in scalability, reliability, management and customer satisfaction. Broadband broadcasters, in particular, will realize meaningful improvements in bandwidth management capabilities, consequently enabling completely new business models. For example, it will now be possible to charge for guaranteed levels of network service quality for RealSystem G2 broadcasts over the Internet.
``RealNetworks has consistently led Internet media delivery through a rich, extensible architecture enabling FastForward to integrate its breakthrough Broadcast Overlay Architecture (BOA),' said Abhay Parekh, co-founder, president, and CEO of FastForward. ``We're excited to be working with RealNetworks to improve live broadcast delivery. Through FastForward's media networking platform broadcasters can expand the scalability of their media distribution networks, control the quality of stream delivery and circumvent common flaws in the Internet, such as congestion or network failure.'
Also announced today, RealNetworks will engage in worldwide marketing, sales and distribution of FastForward's product suite for use with RealSystem G2.
FastForward Network Products for Use with RealSystem G2
The Broadcast Overlay Architecture (BOA) consists of the FastForward product suite, which includes three core components: MediaBridge, MediaBridge Adapters and the Broadcast Manager. The MediaBridge is a software-based application-level streaming media router that is deployed throughout the Content Distribution Network, forming an overlay broadcast mesh. The MediaBridge Adapter uses the RealServer 7.0 extensible architecture to communicate between the RealServer and the MediaBridge. Broadcast Manager is a suite of network monitoring and management software that enable service providers and content distributors to efficiently control, view and monitor broadcasts at the stream level.
About RealSystem G2
Released in late 1999, RealServer 7.0, RealProducer(r) 7.0, and RealPlayer 7 are powerful components of RealSystem G2, offering the streaming media and digital delivery industry with an entirely new standard for scalable, reliable Internet multimedia experiences. The patent-pending advancements in RealServer 7.0 deliver up to a 250% improvement in server capacity, improved client connections, and reliability ensuring rigorous scalability and unattended operation to meet the increasing demands of delivering high-quality media content over the Internet to a worldwide audience. RealProducer 7.0 delivers the quality of MPEG-1 video at half the data rate and delivers true VHS video experiences at 800 Kbps. The unparalleled and remarkable image clarity and sharpness delivered by RealSystem G2 has been realized through powerful DVD-derived encoding techniques incorporated for the first time in a popular Web video media system. RealPlayer 7 includes dramatic improvements in start-up time, a new user interface with enhanced media navigation features, and delivers higher quality media experiences. The total integration of these powerful authoring, serving and playback products has been recognized as the most scalable and reliable cross-platform media delivery system available. RealSystem G2 provides established business models such as subscription, pay per view and Advertising. The RealSystem G2 open, extensible architecture is supported by over 160 developers creating a wide range of complimentary solutions for Internet broadcasters and media delivery.
About Real Broadcast Network
Real Broadcast Network (RBN), RealNetworks' Internet broadcast service, is a leader in internet media hosting services, and serves more than 250 radio stations, 30 television stations and cable networks on a daily basis including numerous live and celebrity events. Quarterly, RBN broadcasts more than 3,500 separate events for media as well as corporate customers. RBN's broadcasting services utilize the first distributed, multi-tier Internet broadcast architecture based on RealSystem G2. In partnership with leading infrastructure and backbone providers, RBN's distributed network bypasses congestion points on the Internet, enabling higher quality end-user experiences. RBN's infrastructure and backbone providers include @Home, Sprint, AT&T, GTE, Teleglobe, Enron Communications, Cable & Wireless, AGIS, Madge Networks, Concentric Network, EarthLink, IDT, MindSpring, SNET Internet and Verio.
About RealNetworks
RealNetworks, Inc., based in Seattle, is the recognized leader in media delivery on the Internet. It develops and markets software products and services designed to enable users of personal computers and other consumer electronic devices to send and receive audio, video and other multimedia services using the Web. Consumers can access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks consumer software on the Internet at real.com. RealNetworks' systems and corporate information is located on the Internet at realnetworks.com.
About FastForward Networks
Founded in 1998 and based in San Francisco, FastForward Networks delivers a media network platform that will bring additional scale, quality and profitability to Internet broadcasting. Company founders Steven McCanne and Abhay Parekh are internationally recognized innovators in the areas of network design and multimedia networking in the Internet. FastForward is backed by Accel Partners; Andrew Ludwick, founder of SynOptics Communications and former CEO of Bay Networks; Deborah Estrin, IETF luminary and author of the RSVP and BGP specifications; Robert Gallager, inventor of the high-speed modem and IEEE Medal of Honor Recipient; Randy Katz, inventor of RAID and former Chair of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department at the University of California at Berkeley. For more information, please visit FastForward's Web site at ffnet.com.
RealNetworks, RealPlayer, RealSystem, RealServer, Real Broadcast Network, RealMedia and RealProducer are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc.. All other companies or products listed herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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Contact:
Erika Shaffer
RealNetworks
(206) 892-6191, eshaffer@real.com
or
Kim Kapustka
FastForward Networks
(415) 430-2554, kim@ffnet.com |
