FreeCast Standardizes on Zixi's SDVP for Live, Broadcast-Quality OTT Delivery
SelectTV Service Leverages Zixi for Reliable Distribution and Monitoring of Live Video to Multi-Dwelling Units
Waltham, MA(03 Mar 2021)
Zixi, the industry leader for enabling dependable, live broadcast-quality video over any-IP, and award-winning architect of the Software-Defined Video Platform (SDVP), today announced that FreeCast, a leading content discovery and management engine for streaming content, has entered into an agreement to leverage the SDVP for B2B distribution of live linear channels over IP networks for its SelectTV service.
FreeCast operates the world’s largest freely available Video-On-Demand (VOD) and pay-per-view (PPV) library online. Their SmartGuide technology aggregates both linear and on-demand television from subscription-based, free/ad-supported, and pay-per-view sources. This innovative technology powers the company’s flagship SelectTV service, a co-branded service for bandwidth distributors and device manufacturers. Owners of MDUs (Multi-Dwelling Units) such as apartments, condominiums, campus living, or hotels, use FreeCast to cost-effectively and efficiently delivery streaming entertainment to residents. With the SelectTV service, owners of MDUs can deliver streaming entertainment to residents’ personal media-enabled devices with a low-cost structure delivering massive savings annually per door with zero infrastructure costs for video, eliminating upfront expense, no requirement for video equipment, with world-class 24/7 customer support.
For live streaming delivery to MDUs that leverage its SelectTV service, FreeCast relies on key elements of the SDVP to transport broadcast-quality live video over any IP network. Used for live video delivery, the Zixi protocol is a resilient congestion and network-aware protocol that adjusts to varying network conditions and employs patented, dynamic Forward Error Correction techniques for error-free video transport over IP with 99.9999% uptime at minimal latency. It provides best-in-class security with DTLS and AES encryption, allows for protected multicast transport as well as providing extraordinary bandwidth efficiency.
To orchestrate, monitor, and manage their live video streaming ecosystem across 500+ MDUs, FreeCast leverages Zixi’s ZEN Master control plane. With ZEN Master, FreeCast can now efficiently manage and monitor complex streaming deployments at scale, and configure and orchestrate live broadcast channels across protocols and the Zixi Enabled Network. It also allows for control of the edge, network, and cloud with full telemetry visualization of network streams.
“For over a decade, Zixi has proven its ability to provide unparalleled streaming of live broadcast-quality content with the highest quality of service, allowing us to offer our customers the highest quality of experience in their streaming entertainment,” said William Mobley, CEO FreeCast. “The SDVP allows us to deliver high bitrate, high resolution feeds at ultra-low latency to any location using cost-effective public IP networks, and a flexible, software-based delivery infrastructure."
“Zixi is very proud to help FreeCast leverage IP infrastructure to cost-effectively distribute its live linear channels in broadcast-quality to MDUs across the US,” said Paul Parente, Senior Director of Sales at Zixi. “SelectTV’s next-gen solution for a la carte TV allows its customers to provide a quality viewing experience of thousands of live channels easily accessible via end-users’ personal devices, for a convenient entertainment offering that’s easy to implement wherever wi-fi is available.”