Telestream Unveils Wirecast Pro and V4.0 Live Streaming Software at NAB Show

Industry's first live, full-production TV studio software solution available to the masses for any desktop - at under $1,000

Telestream®, a leading provider of digital media tools and workflow solutions, today announced a major release and a new product for its Wirecast® video streaming production software. Wirecast is live webcasting software that allows anyone to easily create real-time or on-demand video broadcasts for the web. The new version, Wirecast 4.0, features high-quality Main Concept H.264 encoding and a new intuitive user interface, making it even easier to use. Wirecast Pro, the new product, builds upon the advanced video production capabilities currently available in Wirecast, adding more graphic content, including virtual 3D foregrounds, backgrounds, and scoreboards. Wirecast Pro also adds improved audio controls, new format support for On2 VP6, and support for more input devices such as wireless IP cameras, providing greater flexibility in professional broadcast, entertainment and sports usage.

According to Dan Rayburn, principal analyst at Frost & Sullivan, "Over the past year we've seen a large increase in the number of large scale live events on the web. Viewers continue to consume more video content, more often, at higher-quality and for live events, for longer periods of time. With this new trend in the market, many content owners are finally starting to think about the importance of live broadcasting over the web when it comes to their online video monetization strategy."

This trend is supported by Steve Auer, president of Cadence, Inc., who adds, "We first used Wirecast for the Ford keynote at the CES show. We evaluated several products and selected Telestream Wirecast for its reliable, multi-format live streaming, ease of use, and excellent support. The software provides unprecedented production capabilities at a fraction of the cost of hardware solutions. Upon installation, everything worked flawlessly. This is definitely the way to go for live webcasting."

Wirecast is a live video production and streaming tool that can be loaded on a laptop to broadcast live events and create professional webcasts from any location with only a computer and an Internet connection. Users can stream multiple live cameras while dynamically mixing in other media such as prerecorded video, images and sounds. Advanced production capabilities include 3D graphics, transitions and built-in titles which merge seamlessly with Wirecast's layering system, allowing users to easily create live and on-demand broadcasts for the web. When ready to go live, broadcasts can be streamed directly to live broadcasting websites using Flash, QuickTime or Windows Media.

In addition to Wirecast 4.0 capabilities, Wirecast Pro offers deeper integration with professional video capture devices, improved audio controls, more encoding formats and more sophisticated production tools. Wirecast Pro supports video capture from Black Magic, Matrox and Telestream Pipeline, includes support for On2 VP6 format, plus new audio inspector and audio latency controls which simplify user audio management and mixing. Advanced production capabilities include virtual 3D foregrounds and backgrounds, scoreboards, a news ticker and more titles for lower-thirds. Wirecast Pro also adds support for HDV and wireless IP camera feeds and MPEG-2 transport stream input. These advanced webcasting capabilities enhance live field production, providing a professional software package for a fraction of the cost of traditional hardware solutions.

"With the Wirecast additions, Telestream provides the industry's first live, full-production TV studio software solution in a box for any desktop," said Barbara DeHart, VP of Marketing at Telestream. "With Wirecast Pro and version 4.0 we're continuing to change the game in live webcasting, adding even greater production value for our customers."

Telestream partnerships with major live streaming providers -- Akamai, Limelight, Livestream, Justin.tv, and Ustream -- make it easy for users to quickly upload finished Wirecast productions directly to these services for live web broadcasting to global audiences. Telestream's newest partnership with Wowza is changing the conventional streaming paradigm by enabling cost-efficient, multi-screen encoding and simultaneous media streaming to web, mobile and TV screens.

Pricing and Availability

Wirecast 4.0 and Wirecast Pro are scheduled for release in June 2010. Wirecast 4.0 is priced at $449, while Wirecast Pro will sell for $995. Wirecast 4.0 is a free update for existing customers. Prior to the Wirecast Pro release an announcement will be made regarding special upgrade offers. Wirecast 3.5 software is currently available at a special promotional price including the HDV Plug-in at Videoguys.com.