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http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=881
Applecast: Robust, low-cost and ready
By ron carlson, Insanely Great Mac
September 3rd 2002
Here''s a Q&A with the Mac-based streaming service company''s president, Jim Greer
Applecast is a new Mac-based streaming media venture that is built on the premise
Apple streaming technologies -- QuickTime Streaming Server, Mac OS X Server, Xserve --
change the elitist paradigm that has ruled the business thus far. In fact, once the
decision to start the company was made, they were up and running in under week.
>From the beginning...
Q. Why did you form Applecast? How will you succeed in this incredibly tough market?
A. Applecast was originally formed to simply be a vehicle for providing streaming
media for our parent company''s (1010 Holdings Inc.) production subsidiaries. Once
formed and running we felt Applecast could also help fill a gap in the streaming
market.
There are a number of media producers that want to get their product on the "air" but
couldn''t afford the high setup and service costs charged by some of the large
streamers out there. By using Apple''s streaming server technology our startup costs
were low and engineering times were very short. From concept to completion Applecast
was operational in less than a week (emphasis added).
Q. Tell us a bit more about how Applecast charges for its services?
A. We''ve found that every client''s needs are different. Therefore, we do not outline
any types of specific packages or fees for our services. Clients discuss with us what
they want -- from the development of a full-blown website to the compression and
streaming of a single video file, then we negotiate a final project proposal and
contract to get the job done. We are working on a fixed rate table that will be posted
on [the] Applecast site in the next few weeks.
Q. How high can Applecast scale? Could you [for example] serve a "mega-event" like the
worldwide broadcast of a Madonna concert? Give us some idea of the scale of your
operation.
A. Applecast is still growing. We can currently handle enough traffic to satisfy most
independent internet media producers. Once our remote load-sharing servers are in
place, which we expect very soon, we''ll be able to handle much more demanding and
larger scale events. Currently our clients are comprised of independent film makers,
internet-radio programs, weekly video broadcasters and educational institutions.
Q. Do you have any customer success stories that you can share?
A. One such new client comes to mind that we are thrilled to be part of and that is
Macnet2.com.
Q. Where is Applecast physically located?
A. Applecast is located in the Rocky Mountains of the western US.
Q. What is base your current bandwidth and how high can that be scaled (overnight, in
a month)?
A. Having servers co-located at a major Telco''s backbone our bandwidth is only
limited by our servers themselves not by our taps into the net. If a client needs more
bandwidth than our servers can currently handle we are more than willing to work with
them and be able to install more servers to provide the needed bandwidth within
approximately 10 working days.
Fin�
It''s pretty clear that Greer is sold on Apple streaming technologies and for good
reason too. With a Mac-based solution, clearly the emphasis is on production --
low-cost, reliable and powerful -- right out of the box. From concept to delivery in
under a week is a powerful notion.
Ever dreamed of broadcasting? Dream no more...
Post your comments at:
http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=881
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