By Stevie Smith Sep 7, 2007, 15:58 GMT
Network communications giant Cisco Systems has this week revealed that Adobe Flash streaming capabilities are to be natively supported by its Content Delivery System (CDS) alongside more traditional progressive delivery – marking the very first system of its type in integrate Flash streaming.
Subsequently, following the CDS embracement of Flash streaming, Cisco has outlined that "service providers and organizations" of all types connected to CDS will be able to bring Adobe Flash Player compatible video to personal computers and televisions, pushing Cisco’s drive to deliver "any stream to any screen" via its CDS system.
"The Cisco CDS combination of traditional content delivery and Adobe streaming technologies in a single high-performance solution provides a compelling infrastructure for reliably delivering high-quality content to our customers," trumpeted Sam Schwartz, executive VP of Comcast Interactive Media. "CDS represents an important milestone in the evolution toward a consistent content delivery architecture for both highly secure and advertising-enabled media across Internet, mobile and traditional platforms."
A part of Cisco’s Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) CDS is seen as a "highly extensible platform" for running and delivering intensive Web service streams, video on demand, time shifted television, video advertisement insertion, and next-gen Content Delivery Network (CDN).
San Jose-based Cisco is keen to point out that the integration of Adobe Flash Media Server 3 will deliver the "full benefits of Adobe Flash technology" in order to provide enhanced performance for "faster user response and increased streaming protection."
Furthermore, CDS also opens additional benefits for the hosting and distribution of Flash Player-compatible video content and services including "routing, dynamic hierarchical caching, load balancing, failover protection, IP multicast extensions, unified management tools, and end-to-end quality-of-service (QoS) support."
"Cisco and Adobe share a common vision of delivering any content, anywhere, anytime, to any device," said Paul Bosco, VP of video and broadband initiatives for Cisco. "Support for Adobe Flash Media Server 3 streaming on the CDS platform will greatly enhance our customers' ability to deliver any stream to any of the wired, wireless and mobile devices in our connected lives – including an increasingly consistent user experience. The Cisco CDS platform provides an ideal foundation on which to build and scale the distribution and delivery of Adobe Flash Media Server 3 applications and streaming services."
The Cisco Content Delivery System is available now. Support for Adobe Flash Player compatible video streaming is expected to come into effect during the fourth quarter of 2007.
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