Digital Rapids recently unveiled new real-time, high-definition encoding capabilities for the Digital Rapids Studio AVC Encoder software. Combining the real-time performance previously available only in hardware encoders with the feature and format flexibility of a software-centric solution, the Studio AVC Encoder will support H.264 ingest, encoding, transcoding and streaming in high-definition formats including 720p, 1080p and 1080i. The enhanced HD H.264 capabilities will also be available in upcoming models of the StreamZ Live family of live streaming encoders.

Digital Rapids Studio AVC Encoder is an optional module for Digital Rapids' StreamZ and StreamZHD media encoding servers and the Digital Rapids Transcode Manager enterprise-class transcoding software, providing premium-quality video encoding in the H.264 (AVC or MPEG-4 Part 10) compression format for distribution across multiple viewing platforms. StreamZ Live encoders bring the same outstanding output quality and reliability to a dedicated live streaming platform.

"Until now, users of the H.264 compression format have been forced to choose between the flexibility and feature-richness of software-based encoding solutions and the real-time performance of hardware-based encoders," explains Brian Stevenson, director of product management at Digital Rapids. "Our new HD H.264 enhancements offer the best of both worlds while continuing our tradition of offering outstanding visual quality."

When used with StreamZ and StreamZHD, the Studio AVC Encoder leverages those systems' hardware-based pre-processing to optimize output quality and bandwidth efficiency in the compressed result. StreamZ and StreamZHD continue to raise the bar for multi-format encoding solutions, seamlessly supporting three-screen experiences with real-time encoding and streaming in multiple formats targeting a broad range of devices.