MiniCASTER, which claims to be The World’s first truly mobile Live TV Signal encoder in pocket size, debuts at IBC in Amsterdam today. It enables everybody to stream live to the Web in HDTV quality by pushing only one single button. MiniCASTER is compact, ultra lightweight and mobile due to its on-board battery. It can be connected to the Internet via Landline, cellular networks or satellite. Transmission costs are very low, for i.e. one hour of cellular connection will cost approx. 10 USD only – depending on fares of the provider.
MiniCASTER encodes the audio/video signal of average camcorders or cameras in realtime. It uses the H.264 codec, favoured by companies like Apple, TV stations or online video platforms like Youtube. Using the codec, content produced by the miniCASTER can be consumed by PC users, using the Flash Player but also by users of mobile devices like iPhone and iPad.
miniCASTER targets Video Journalists, sport clubs, cultural venues, web-TV and TV production teams, who want to broadcast live in a very easy way, highly efficient and at low cost. The device uses the Content Delivery Network (CDN) of TV1.EU, Europe’s leading platform for live streaming. The entry model with analog inputs will be priced at approx. USD 1,300 the SDI version comes for USD 1,999.
Michael Westphal, Co-Inventor of miniCASTER : “miniCASTER has the potential to start a small revolution, like Youtube did. The World’s most popular online video platform made watching on demand videos popular – miniCASTER could be the breakthrough for live content.”
