Appear launches new hybrid hardware-software processing platform

Technology outfit Appear has launched the NEO Series, a line of server-based products that it says combines the advantages of server-based compression solutions with software transcoding.

The NEO 10, the first available solution in the NEO Series, is designed to meet the needs of the live distribution market, where software-based compression is growing in popularity thanks to its low cost and flexibility.

Thomas Bostrøm Jørgensen

While software-based transcoding has expanded beyond predominantly OTT applications to facilitate more live content applications, Appear makes the case that integrating, deploying and operating software on general hardware is a complicated and time-consuming process for most operators, especially if clusters of individual servers supporting different functions are required.

The company says its NEO 10 line provides software encoding installed on dedicated high-performance hardware from Appear, simplifying typical operational models that combine clusters of servers with different roles, into a stand-alone product with management, transcoding and streaming functions fully integrated.

The Norwegian government contributed funding for the project through Innovation Norge, a programme to support Norway’s most innovative enterprises and industry.

NEO 10 will later be joined by the higher capacity NEO 20. Both products are targeted at live distribution environments where OTT and/or IPTV AVC transcoding is desired. NEO 10 and NEO 20 support IP UDP/RTP, SRT input and IP UDP/RTP, HTTP packaged output.

Thomas Bostrøm Jørgensen, CEO of Appear said: “In an increasingly ‘hybrid’ world, the NEO Series combines our extensive experience in designing hardware solutions with the best that the world of software transcoding has to offer. As software-based compression grows in popularity, this expansion of our product portfolio helps address specific customer needs. The NEO Series ensures customers can benefit from the flexibility and low cost of software compression with the simplicity and performance of our dedicated hardware.”