KIT digital Uses Haivision's KulaByte™ Internet Encoder to Power Live Multiplatform Video Streaming for Nautilus Live

KulaByte Encoder Converts Live HD Feed From Exploration Vessel Nautilus to Multiformat Video Streams, Delivering Real-Time Educational Content to Broad Range of Viewers

Haivision Network Video has announced that its KulaByte live Internet encoder powers multiscreen video delivery for Nautilus Live, a cutting-edge live ocean exploration program. A part of a complete media system provided by KIT digital, the KulaByte H.264 encoder receives the raw HD video signal from the Nautilus vessel and converts it into multiple H.264 IP streams in the formats required for delivery to the Nautilus Live Roku channel, website, iPhones®, iPads®, and other mobile devices.

"Reaching the target audience across a wide array of platforms was critical to the educational mission of Nautilus Live, and KulaByte was an essential component in that effort," said Jesse Francis, solutions specialist, KIT digital, Inc. "This implementation was completed prior to the release of the KIT Video Platform, and so KIT digital worked with KulaByte to convert a single video stream to multiple high-quality formats with minimal latency. We were also impressed with its Internet streaming capabilities, which were able to detect outbound network congestion and automatically adjust the stream bit rates to deliver the best-quality output."

Currently docked in Yalikavak, Turkey, the research vessel Nautilus just completed a four-month field expedition in the Black and Mediterranean Seas and the Atlantic Ocean. Nautilus Live is a project of Dr. Robert D. Ballard, the renowned oceanographer and explorer, and his international team of scientists and engineers, who conducted a range of activities such as mapping the sea floor, studying underwater volcanoes, and investigating aquatic life forms. Throughout the expedition, students, educators, researchers, and general audiences ashore were able to participate through the 24/7 live video feeds that were delivered from the ship via KulaByte and the KIT digital solution. The video feeds are an important component of The JASON Project, a partnership between National Geographic Society and Sea Research Foundation that delivered programs to classrooms and after-school settings such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

During the expedition, the Nautilus transmitted via satellite video feeds originating from the ship as well as its companion remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) that were exploring the seafloor. The feeds were received at the Inner Space Center at the University of Rhode Island, where the KulaByte encoder converted them to the formats required for multiplatform delivery — including Dynamic Flash for the Nautilus Live website, and Adaptive HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) for mobile devices and tablet computers. In addition, KulaByte provided an HLS stream for Roku set-top streaming devices that were installed at Nautilus Live Exploration Command Centers (ECCs) at museums, aquariums, and schools around the country. The Nautilus Live Theater at Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Conn., has hosted more than 30,000 visitors since its opening as a featured ECC venue in 2010. The KIT digital solution employed Akamai's content delivery network to distribute the streams to all end-user devices.

"The Nautilus Live and JASON Project programs are truly groundbreaking in their efforts to give viewers the experience of being aboard the Nautilus ship, sharing discoveries in real time as they watched live ocean exploration and shipboard activities. And, thanks to KulaByte, they could participate using the platform or device of their choice," said Peter Forman, vice president, Internet media division at Haivision Network Video. "Nautilus Live is precisely the type of use case for which KulaByte was designed: a far-reaching program that relied on live HD video streamed over the Internet to provide a valuable learning experience for many types of viewers."

More information about Nautilus Live is available by visiting www.nautiluslive.org.

FuzeBox, Inc., has announced the next generation of Fuze Meeting, which turns iPads into full-featured telepresence devices. Available as a download through Apple's App Store, the new Fuze Meeting — available in nine languages and in over 124 countries — allows businesses to seamlessly communicate and collaborate without the limitations of distance, location, device or platform compatibility.

FuzeBox also announced that its Fuze Telepresence Connect technology is now available as a cloud-based hosted solution for iPad, Macs, PCs and other mobile devices which allows Fuze sessions to connect with Polycom, Tandberg, LifeSize, Teliris and other leading telepresence systems — without installing any on-site equipment.

The newly designed Fuze Meeting for iPads offers:

    The ability to start and host telepresence-compatible meetings with one click, allowing iPads to connect with telepresence systems and each other for secure, multi-party video conferencing and collaboration;
    Meeting recording, premium audio quality and dynamic camera control;
    Gesture-based touch-screen annotation of shared documents;
    A redesigned user interface that enables easier, more intuitive meeting management and content sharing.

With tablets poised to become the device of choice for business users and enterprises, and with Forrester Research estimating that Apple will sell $10 billion worth of iPads to businesses in 2012, FuzeBox sees tablets as a primary focus for its new app.

"Businesses are adopting iPads at an unparalleled rate, and are becoming an ideal platform for mobile video conferencing, collaboration and extending the capabilities of dedicated telepresence systems," said FuzeBox CEO Jeff Cavins. "Our new version of Fuze Meeting is monumental for enterprises that rely on telepresence and real-time collaboration to drive their businesses forward."

Additional features, including unlimited meetings, toll-free numbers and varying amounts of storage and participants are available through monthly subscriptions.

Fuze Meeting's unique multi-platform interoperability and ability to connect with a wide range of telepresence systems has helped it to become one of the most popular videoconferencing and collaboration tools globally — available in Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish — with 2.5 million registered users and more than 70,000 online meetings per day.
Fuze Hosted Telepresence Connect

Like previous FuzeBox telepresence products, the new cloud-based Fuze Hosted Telepresence Connect frees users from the boardroom and dedicated telepresence suites by allowing them to participate in multi-party, HD video conferencing on any network, from virtually any location or device.

But now, FuzeBox also offers a cloud-based service option that accomplishes all the video routing remotely over the Internet, delivering a high-definition video conferencing and content collaboration experience over a simple web-based interface, using low-cost, general-purpose IP networks. Fuze Hosted Telepresence Connect drives down costs and eliminates the headaches associated with the incompatibilities of traditional telepresence systems, making huge savings possible.

"Our new hosted cloud-based deployment is reshaping telepresence, moving it outside the enterprise walls and into the mainstream where today's workforce resides," said Cavins. "With no added upfront expense and no IT support required, our solution allows telepresence users to leverage all their existing equipment, including their investments in computers and mobile devices."

To accommodate all enterprise requirements, Fuze Telepresence Connect is still available as an on-premise service with a simple appliance installed on the customer's network.