Enterprise-level Live Encoding Management for the New Era of Broadcast

IP-based streaming content delivery is redefining broadcast. Bridging the worlds of traditional video and IT networks, your media encoding and streaming platforms are key points along the critical path between you and your viewers. Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager provides management and remote control of multiple Digital Rapids StreamZ Live, StreamZ or StreamZHD live encoding servers, handling node management, scheduling, status updates, failover, maintenance modes and alerts. Whether you have two encoders for fault tolerance of mission-critical applications or two hundred encoders for enterprise-level installations such as IPTV, the scalable Broadcast Manager software bolsters reliability while reducing operational cost and complexity.

Failover and "Self-Healing" Reinforce Reliability

Maintaining a loyal, engaged audience requires a consistent, reliable viewing experience. The Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager software provides automated failover and “self-healing” recovery to automatically respond to failures in a timely fashion with minimal disruption. Broadcast Manager monitors the encoding and streaming process on all active systems. If a failure is detected, Broadcast Manager automatically transfers operation to a backup system, with minimal interruption to your customers’ viewing experience. Broadcast Manager’s “self-healing” functions attempt to resolve problems directly on failed systems – particularly significant when backup encoders are unavailable. Broadcast Manager will attempt to restart the encoding process on the system and, if the node is configured to permit it, remotely reboot the system if necessary.

Centralization and Scheduling Bring Simplicity

Broadcast Manager can centrally control and monitor the streaming process on each encoder and offers individual or group-based node management, significantly simplifying operation. Setup is streamlined through automatic detection of encoders on the network using discovery protocols, enabling seamless scalability and expansion. Encoding and streaming parameters are easily assigned to encoders within the Broadcast Manager software through reusable project files.

Broadcast Manager features flexible scheduling capabilities for easy automation. Encoders can be started, stopped, or taken offline (such as for maintenance or upgrades) at scheduled times, with the flexibility of using of a different set of encoding parameters (including different compression formats) for each scheduled task if desired. A graphical scheduling interface provides an at-a-glance visual representation of scheduled tasks and enables easy identification of scheduling gaps and conflicts.

Broadcast Manager provides features for both attended and unattended status monitoring. A high-level network overview lets you quickly scan your encoding systems for problems and drill down if any issues arise, while an integrated database keeps track of all activities and events. Broadcast Manager can also alert engineering and operations staff to events such as failures and scheduled task completions through configurable alert notifications. Developers can integrate Broadcast Manager into their own custom applications and existing enterprise management systems through an easy-to-use Web Services API.