Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud

    Microsoft Azure Media Player Updates Add Monetization Options

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    April 26, 2017
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      video streaming

      Microsoft has upgraded its Azure Media Player, the company’s cloud-based streaming technology, to help Azure Media Services customers monetize their online videos.

      During the National Association of Broadcaster’s NAB Show 2017 in Las Vegas, Microsoft announced version 2 of its Azure Media Player, which now supports video ads. In an April 25 announcement, Saili Raje, a program manager at Microsoft Azure Media Services, stated that the offering now “supports the insertion of linear advertisements for pre-roll (before regular content), mid-roll (during regular content) and post-roll (after regular content) for video on demand. These linear video advertisements are fetched and inserted into your content using the VAST standard.”

      In essence, customers can now incorporate video advertisements into their content. VAST describes the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) digital Video Ad Serving Template specification. Customers will need to upgrade Azure Media Player to at least version 2.1 to insert adds into their content.

      Microsoft also announced revamped pricing and billing schemes for the company’s media encoding services. Microsoft has moved from a per-gigabytes-processed pricing model to one that determines the cost according to output minutes. It’s a money-saving move that can cut the cost by half on typical use cases.

      Microsoft has also added a new auto-scaling feature, allowing customers to monitor their streaming workloads and scale their Azure cloud resources accordingly. The company has also added the DTS-HD surround sound standard to the available options in the Premium Encoder.

      Blurring faces on the fly is made easier with the new Azure Media Face Redactor, one of the media analytics products offered by Microsoft. Available now in preview, it can be used to protect identities by news organizations, among other use cases where customers wish to mask the faces of people appearing in their content.

      The software maker is also conducting a private preview of Azure Media Video Annotator, which can identify objects like homes and cars in video. The technology can be used by customers to add deep search capabilities to applications that fetch video content based on certain criteria.

      In addition, Azure Media Service’s streaming solution gains Common Media Application Format support that can enhance video consumption on mobile devices.

      “Microsoft and Apple worked closely to define the Common Media Application Format (CMAF) standard and submit it to MPEG,” said Sudheer Sirivara, partner director of Azure Media and Azure CDN (Content Deliver Network) Services at Microsoft, in a separate blog post. “The new standard provides for storing and delivering streaming content using a single encrypted, adaptable multimedia presentation to a wide range of devices. The industry will greatly benefit from this common format, embodied in an MPEG standard, to improve interoperability and distribution efficiency.”

      Meanwhile, Azure CDN gains support for Custom Domain SSL, a security-enhancing feature that safeguards data in transit. On the management front, the company has enabled “one-click” integration with other Azure services (Streaming Endpoint, Storage and Web App), simplifying the process of configuring the CDN when used in conjunction with those services.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×