New Features and Functionality in Wowza Streaming Engine 4.5.0
Wowza Streaming Engine™, formerly Wowza Media Server™, is robust, customizable, and scalable server software that powers reliable streaming of high-quality video and audio to any device, anywhere.
Wowza Streaming Engine REST API 1.0
Wowza Streaming Engine 4.5.0 software enables full access to the Wowza Streaming Engine REST API with your Wowza Streaming Engine software license key. You can use the REST API to configure, manage, and monitor the media server through HTTP requests. Be sure to take a look at our cURL Examples that demonstrate how to to query the Wowza REST Service to manage the Wowza Streaming Engine software.
APIs for Live to VOD Clip Extraction
This release of the Wowza Streaming software has new APIs that enable you to extract clips–based on a start-time and duration that you specify–from both single-bitrate DVR streams and from DVR streams in an adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming group in the Wowza nDVR store. For instructions on how to use the Java-based APIs, see the Wowza Streaming Engine Server-Side API. For instructions on how to use the REST API endpoints, see our REST API cURL Examples.
Stream Target Option to Deliver Transcoded Output to Wowza Streaming Cloud
The Stream Targets feature in Wowza Streaming Engine 4.5.0 software has a new option that enables you to deliver transcoded live streaming output renditions from Wowza Streaming Engine to Wowza Streaming Cloud™ as a group for delivery to viewers. This option enables you to shift the transcoding workload from Wowza Streaming Cloud to Wowza Streaming Engine, for media server configurations that have high available bandwidth and sufficient CPU resources. For more information, see How to stream to Wowza Streaming Cloud.
Integrated RTMP Output from JVC Camcorders
Wowza Streaming Engine 4.5.0 software can stream RTMP output from supported JVC camcorders that have firmware updates that support the RTMP protocol. RTMP support enables additional JVC camcorders to connect to a Wowza Streaming Engine server automatically. For more information, see How to connect JVC ProHD camcorders to Wowza Streaming Engine.
Note: Support for streaming from JVC camcorders to Wowza Streaming Engine over RTSP/RTP has been removed due to incompatibility with recent JVC camcorder firmware versions.
MPEG-DASH Example Player Updates
The MPEG-DASH example players in Wowza Streaming Engine 4.5.0 software and the Test Players in Wowza Streaming Engine Manager are now based on the open source Shaka Player project. Google Shaka Player is more compatible with the MPEG-DASH implementation in Wowza Streaming Engine software. The example players can be used for DASH streaming playback of single and adaptive bitrate live and on demand (VOD) MP4 streams. For more information, see How to play video with the example MPEG-DASH players (DASH).
To build and host your own Shaka Player to play live and VOD streams from Wowza Streaming Engine, see How to use Google Shaka Player with Wowza Streaming Engine (MPEG-DASH).
Media Cache Enhancements
Wowza Streaming Engine 4.5.0 software has new Java API methods that you can use to instruct your Wowza media server to purge on demand assets from the cache when using the Media Cache feature. You can purge an asset from the cache if it’s not being referenced or played by clients. New in this media server software release is the ability to purge assets that are still in use. For more information, see How to purge an item from the cache (MediaCache).
HEVC/H.265 Video over Apple HLS (Preview)
Wowza Streaming Engine 4.5.0 software adds playback support for the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also called H.265, video format over Apple HLS as an early preview of software that may be updated in a later Wowza Streaming Engine software release. You can configure a template in Wowza Transcoder to transcode live video streams to HEVC/H.265 output renditions that are suitable for devices that can play HEVC-encoded video over Apple HLS. For more information, see How to stream using HEVC/H.265 transcoding.
Features:
- Maximum Connections: Unlimited
- Maximum Incoming Streams: Unlimited
- Transcoder Streams Available: Unlimited (NVEC and Intel Quick Sync)
- Transcoder Watermark: No
- nDVR Available: Yes
- DRM Available: Yes
- HTTP Origin Available: Yes
- Push Publish Available: Yes
