Media 100 Inc. announced at NAB 2001 in Las Vegas Cleaner XL, a solution that dramatically accelerates the creation of high-quality dynamic on-demand streaming media content. Based on the Cleaner 5 streaming media solution, Cleaner XL provides a powerful tool for large-scale, time-intensive streaming media productions that require the rapid creation of high-quality streaming media content in a variety of streaming formats and data rates.
The performance of Cleaner XL is optimised by Media 100 CrystallCE. CrystallCE is Media 100’s new sophisticated hardware and software-based acceleration engine, which was also presented at NAB. With CrystallCE’s high processing speed, Cleaner XL can perform streaming processes up to five times faster than Cleaner 5. CrystallCE draws on the power of four programmable MAP-CA wideband signal processors from Equator Technologies, each capable of 30 billion operations per second, as well as Media 100’s advanced streaming algorithms, which can decode and filter streaming media content at unprecedented speeds. This innovation improves the performance of the entire system, as the CPU of the host system is relieved and encoding processes can be processed more efficiently.
“Media 100 is investing significant resources into improving the digital media workflow through the development of powerful products like Cleaner 5 and Cleaner Live. With Cleaner XL, we are enabling much higher throughput for our customers,” explains John Molinari, President and CEO of Media 100. “Cleaner XL offers what no one else in the industry can: the creation of digital media content in outstanding quality, any format, any data rate and – through the use of the CrystallCE streaming engine – at lightning-fast processing speeds, all within a single, easy-to-use system.”
“Equator is pleased to be working with Media 100 using our MAP-CA BSP engine in the Cleaner XL system,” added Dr Avi Katz, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Equator Technologies Inc. “The co-operation between the two companies provides the market with a very sophisticated, efficient and advanced media processing solution, providing an excellent demonstration of revolutionary streaming media broadband technology.”
Cleaner XL is based on the Cleaner platform
Cleaner XL’s advanced filtering algorithms are designed to increase the quality, productivity and throughput of streaming media. Cleaner XL accelerates commonly used filters such as scaling, cropping, deinterlacing, colour adjustments and Intelecine, significantly reducing time-consuming filter application. The acceleration of these key processes helps to save valuable working time, which is an enormous additional benefit, especially for time-critical and deadline-driven streaming media projects.
Like Cleaner 5, Cleaner XL supports all major streaming formats such as RealSys-tems, Windows Media, QuickTime, MP3, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. In addition, Cleaner XL includes EventStream technology, which allows users to integrate interactivity directly into streaming media content, such as chapter markers, hot spots and URL links, providing viewers with a user-centred, dynamic online experience.
Cleaner XL utilises the same user interface as Cleaner 5, allowing for straightforward editing of streaming media content. Cleaner XL provides the same “advanced settings” for professional users who often want extensive control over every aspect of the streaming process. In contrast, the intuitive “settings wizard” helps newcomers to the process of deciding which settings to select in order to achieve the best possible quality results.
Prices and availability
The English version of Media 100 Cleaner XL will be available from summer 2001 at a net price of 7,200.00 euros (plus VAT). It also includes the parallel stream processing engine CrystallCE from Media 100, as well as the optimised Cleaner 5.
