Limelight Video Offers Live Streaming and Real-time Analytics
It's only been eight months since the Seattle-based online video platform Delve was acquired by content delivery network Limelight, and already the Limelight Video Platform (as Delve is now known) has released a major update. Having a major CDN under the same umbrella seems to be paying off.
The biggest news is that the Limelight Video Platform can now stream live events. Live video works with Web-based players and with Apple iOS devises. According to Alex Castro, vice president and general manager of the Limelight Video Platform (and once the CEO of Delve), Limelight tested out its live abilities by streaming from South by Southwest this year, as well as from NFL events, and knows it has a strong product.
Adding live streaming means customers can now set up a live broadcast in minutes and can manage both their live and on-demand content from the same workflow. While other platforms are focused on delivering to Apple devices, Castro notes, the Limelight Video Platform made sure to support Android devices, as well, seeing the huge potential they offer. Limelight also supports BlackBerry and generic 3GPP devices.
Reaching all those devices is now easier, as the platform offers a universal embed code. This means content owners can put one piece of code in their pages and know that it will do the hard work of serving the right stream to each platform.
New real-time analytics let content owners instantly see how many people are watching their content—and when those people turn away.
The final major feature is that the Limelight Video Platform now offers customizable metadata properties. Content owners can create custom search fields to better organize their content, then bring those fields to their video player to better surface their videos.
Other improvements include player edge scaling (useful for serving video in peak traffic times), a clipping tool for creating a new clip from a video in their library, and Media RSS support.
The platform will continue to offer customers regular updates, says Castro, when the team has new features ready.
The Limelight Video Platform works with both smaller and larger organizations (especially in the finance, healthcare, and media verticals) with plans starting at a few hundred dollars per month. The company offers a free trial for prospective customers. Visit limelightvideoplatform.com for more information.
"The key thing is since we were acquired by Limelight we've had a lot of growth in our customer base and we've continued to invest in the product. We think we have a product in the marketplace that's really compelling and we're having success," says Castro.
Troy Dreier's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net