Archive notice: This article was originally published on November 6, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Since September, Akamai has not only offered the delivery of HD files, but now also enables the beneficiaries of this service to check the film quality themselves up close on the Internet: At http://www.thehdweb.com, samples from a wide variety of entertainment areas such as music, professional sport, games and news are available. On the proof-of-concept portal, one can, for example, watch an episode of the CBS cult series “CSI” or excerpts from the MTV series “The Hills” and “Run’s House” in HD quality.
By publishing premium content on the website, Akamai provides a view into the HD future of the Internet. Increasing demand for HD content from users will generate new sources of revenue for rights holders, network providers and video platform players. The decisive factor for a guaranteed high-quality delivery of HD content is the proximity of the end user to the server from which the file is sent. The greater this distance, the greater the risk of high latency or even packet loss during data transfer. The result is poor performance and thus a negative user experience. Through Akamai’s cooperation with leading broadband ISPs, in whose networks the company places its servers, content is always delivered from the closest server, quickly, reliably and with the best possible performance. The basis of Akamai’s solutions is a unique platform of 27,000 servers worldwide in a total of 900 networks in 70 countries.
Further links:
- The HD Web
Akamai
