Harmonic releases new transcoder

Technology company Harmonic has launched a new file-based transcoder platform as part of its ProMedia family of products.

The ProMedia Xpress transcoder is designed to improve video workflows for content owners and service providers, delivering content for multiscreen VOD delivery to mobile devices, PCs, and connected TVs, according to Harmonic. The appliance uses Harmonic’s new MicroGrid parallel-computing technology to achieve what the company describes as a dramatic improvement in transcoding performance.

When combined with the ProMedia Package stream packager, ProMedia Xpress allows multirate H.264 assets to be encapsulated for ecosystems including Apple HTTP Live Streaming, Microsoft Smooth Streaming, Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming, and MPEG-DASH. Harmonic says that because ProMedia Xpress and Package separate the transcoding and packaging processes, users can transcode an asset once and package it multiple times, thereby reducing repetitive processor-intensive tasks and easing the need to accommodate changing delivery standards and protocols.