IBC 2010: Aspera Unveils High-Speed File-Transfer Software

Aspera Inc. introduced three software products for transporting and managing digital assets at maximum speed regardless of file size, transfer distance, or network conditions. Aspera Sync, Aspera Orchestrator, and Aspera Mobile Uploader are designed to help film, broadcast, and digital-media producers synchronize large file repositories with maximum speed across global networks, automate complex transfer workflows, and extend fasp transport speed and efficiency to mobile users.

The company also announced the addition of dedicated local customer support in Europe and local sales engineering in Asia-Pacific and previewed a new online portal for global customer support and knowledge exchange.

New Products
Aspera Sync continuous file-synchronization application is built on Aspera’s fasp transport technology. Available in beta release, it is designed for all types of data-replication workflows, remote backup, and disaster/recovery.

Aspera Orchestrator 1.0 is a Web-based application and SDK platform for creating and managing automated Aspera file-transfer workflows, including third-party media applications and such services (both on-premise or cloud-based) as transcoding, quality control, and digital marking.

Aspera Mobile Uploader, the first product in the fasp-AIR mobile line, provides high-speed file transfers to and from mobile devices three times faster than regular TCP over typical 3G networks and up to 100 times faster over high-bandwidth 802.11 WiFi connections to long-haul WANs. Available through the iTunes App Store, it allows iPhone and iPad users to upload content generated on their device to a mobile-enabled Aspera server (including Aspera On-Demand for Amazon Web Services).

Under development is fasp-MC, Aspera’s next-generation reliable multicast transport solution. Designed for large-scale deployments, such as digital cinema, VOD, or digital signage, fasp-MC is a point-to-multipoint transport protocol for IP multicast networks.

Partner Activity
Storage vendors EMC, HP, and Isilon recently introduced solutions with Aspera fasp transport technology running on commodity hardware, for transfer of large media files and file sets over worst-case global Internet conditions at several gigabits per second in a single transfer stream. At IBC, Aspera demonstrated in-order transfers of 2K and 4K frame files over global Internet conditions at 3.5 Gbps, faster than real-time HD, enabling a two-hour movie to be sent across continents in under 15 minutes.

Also at IBC 2010, Aspera and Amazon Web Services teamed up to showcase the ways media companies can leverage public cloud-based IT infrastructure for improved efficiency and scalability.