Ferncast announced the release of the new version 2.0 of its aixtream software

With Podcast creation, Multi-Format Streaming, improved UI and more

Ferncast aixtream UI small

With this update, aixtream software enables audio on demand processing including metadata insertion and opens new opportunities to handle podcasts and online lib-raries for any live audio application.

Ferncasts software solution aixtream is a scalable software, running as server or VM installati-on. It is constantly being improved and new features are added. The newest version 2.0 has reached such a level of stability, performance and simplicity that it is considered to be a major step for live audio applications.

Version 2.0 includes the following features:

Audio-On-Demand

While aixtream software has been offering the ability to handle live audio streaming in multiple formats since its inception, the option for audio-on-demand processing like podcast including metadata insertion is now possible with the version 2.0. The processing of the audio-on-demand content can even happen on the same device that is processing OTT live streaming content for the CDN. This combines the functionality of even more systems within aixtream. Customers can now handle podcasts creation and online audio libraries (iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud, Deezer, Amazon Music, etc) with aixtream. Ferncasts audio-on-demand implementation also includes support for DASH and CMAF, giving the user a great amount of choice for how they want to make their content available.

Multi-Format/Bitrate Streaming

The handling of multiple bitrates for individual OTT streaming programs has been improved via the addition of master streams. They allow the user to more easily handle one program and all associated bitrates and formats without needing to manage multiple individual PIPEs every time. This not only simplifies complex OTT streaming scenarios but also improves usability and setup speed in the user interface.

Mix Matrix and Resampler

New PIPE elements have been added to support requested features. aixtream now includes Mix Matrix and Resampler elements. With the Mix Matrix the user can adjust the channel mixing of incoming audio as desired, whether downmixing it to mono or reordering the channels in great detail, all these are now possible. Resampling was technically possible before, but it is now included as an explicit PIPE options, which makes resampling more intuitively accessible to the user and enables the adjustment of sample rate on-the-fly.

Hauke Krüger, CTO of Ferncast, said: "We are happy to announce aixtream 2.0 which is the result of several months of development time. During that time, we worked in very close cooperations with our key customers and were able to respond to the growing audio-on-demand market in online radio: with aixtream 2.0, we now offer a fully automated Podcast creation functionality! In addition to that, aixtream now also supports DVB multplexing and demultiplexing to combine multiple output and input streams. My special thanks go to our great team of developers who made this possible and our customers who were very cooperative and gave valuable feedback."

Moreover, some other features have been added or improved in version 2.0 in addition to general bug fixing. Among these features, customers can find:

  • New Dashboard Widgets including:
    - Quick Actions – Handle input/output switches on-the-fly, perfect for live scenarios with complex and changing input/output scenarios, e. g. listener call-in and moderation
    - SIP Dial – instantly call SIP telephone numbers via aixtream, no SIP addresses necessary
  • DVB Multiplex handling is now supported.
  • Archive restructured and improved, including option to delete or moved multiple files at once and full search functionality.
  • New Applet Triggers and Actions added, expanding possible automation and backup scenarios.

aixtream version 2.0 will be released next week to the customer base.

www.ferncast.com