Streaming Services We offer a wide range of services specific to the streaming media industry, from end-to-end solution packages, to consulting and advice on streaming media strategy or technology. Our services are separated into two divisions: consulting services and streaming services. Internet Streaming Services Our Internet streaming services deal with both the live streaming as well as the on-demand streaming markets. Live Streaming Service Making a broadcast available live over the Internet requires a certain amount of infrastructure and expertise to make it effective. We have done many live link ups and have all the equipment necessary to take a video or audio signal from almost anywhere in the country and put it on to any ISP's network, anywhere in the world. When doing a live Internet broadcast, all the components required to make it successful need to be organised ahead of time. We will ensure that all the necessary equipment is arrange (encoders, dial-up infrastructure or satellite bandwidth, network access etc.), and will do a thorough test before hand to ensure the system is 100% functional before going live. On-demand streaming service Our on-demand service works in a similar format to the live service except that it is for a format that has been recorded, encoded and then available for viewing via the Internet. The contents can vary from recorded versions of live events to specially recorded events like training videos or news clips. We often offer these services in combination where we will broadcast an event live and have the event available afterwards as an on-demand service. These services integrate very well with our rights management services. Rights Managment Service Streaming media has reached a point where companies are starting to make content specifically for the Internet. While the majority of this content is free, some content has value and can be sold to end users who will view the content over the Internet. Once content is deemed sellable, it needs to be copy protected to ensure revenue for the client. The Antfarm has the full end-to-end functionality to deliver an online media sale system. We will encode the content into streaming media format, encrypt the media files, manage the rights management for valid users and implement a credit card payment gateway. This allows you to create the content and we will do the rest. The payment gateway can be made effective across all delivery platforms, whether you want to stream your content live over the net, make CD's for distribution, or have files for users to download, our system will work with all of these implementations. Encoding and Format Conversions The different streaming media formats that are available at the moment each have distinct advantages and disadvantages (cost, userbase, configurability etc) and there will be situations where one format is preferable to another format. We have expertise in most media formats and media format conversion. We can also convert almost any form of media (VHS video, Betacam, Digi-beta, CD, DAT, Minidisc etc) into a useable streaming format. If you wish to change your entire streaming system from one format to another, we can manage the whole migration process. Project Managment The antfarm also has a project team with PM's that have a lot of experience in the streaming industry. We can undertake small project as well as long-term project like exploring the business viability of integrating streaming media into a company's business strategy. Our PM skills are also particularly useful if companies have a lot of the equipment in-house to do a live presentation but need someone to do the risk management as well as make sure that all the pieces fit together.