Google Chromecast Support, HLS 1080p Encrypted Streaming, and Keyboard Controls are Key New Features in the Latest Version of the Leading Video Player on the Internet
NEW YORK, NY – July 22, 2014 – JW Player, a leader in online and mobile video, today announced the release of its latest version, JW Player 6.9. The new version includes the ability to stream video via a Google Chromecast connected device, as well as improvements to the platform’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) and accessibility.
JW Player 6.9 enables clients—which range from Fortune 500 companies to online video creators in 193 countries around the globe—to take advantage of new and improved features of the video content publishing platform by harnessing innovative technologies that enhance user experience and broaden accessibility. With JW Player 6.9, clients are more easily able to deliver customizable, monetized video content in an easy-to-consume format to more than 750 million unique viewers collectively each month.
“JW Player’s pioneering digital video platform has delivered and influenced video content viewed by one out of six people on the planet,” said Dave Otten, Co-Founder and CEO, JW Player. “JW Player 6.9 brings our global customers further exciting developments in high-quality, multi-platform, revenue-boosting video publishing.”
JW Player 6.9 includes enhancements in three major areas: Chromecast integration for all users, HLS, and keyboard controls.
Google Chromecast Streaming with Integrated Video Advertising
Recognizing the high accessibility and user-friendly interface of Chromecast as compared to other over-the-top (OTT) content platforms, JW Player now offers full support for Chromecast connected devices in version 6.9. JW Player users can cast video onto the Chromecast connected TV and then turn their computer into a remote control, eliminating the traditional backend connectivity hassles of messy VGA/HDMI/RCA cables, lost dongles, or wireless mice and keyboards.
JW Player is the only standalone web video player on the market offering Chromecast TV streaming that is fully integrated with standards based VAST video advertising, as well as the ability to customize the look and feel of the branded video player in the primary screen, which cannot be done on the default version of Chromecast. This integration with Chromecast opens up new market opportunities for the millions of video publishers using JW Player to bring their video content and advertising to the big screen, enhancing user experience and adding additional revenue streams.
“We’ve always built our video library with the idea that it was going to appear on the large screen. JW Player’s implementation of Chromecast allows us to stay competitive in our video offerings and provide the most compelling experience for our audience,” said David Moffly, CEO at Baeble Music, who has been using JW Player since 2012 to deliver over 3,000 broadcast quality streaming music videos and interviews around the world hundreds of thousands of times per day.
HLS Streaming Capabilities
As HLS continues to be the de facto standard for streaming content across devices, JW Player extends its platform across multiple screens so that more video can be viewed by more users, anytime, anywhere. Version 6.9 incorporates a suite of new functionalities optimized for HLS including faster AES decryption and extended web playback support on Android devices.
With the release of JW Player 6.9, JW Player becomes the only in-market web video player with 1080 progressive (1080p) HD streaming video playback integrated with AES encryption and low latency second accurate video seeking, delivering outstanding visual quality and responsive video interactivity for content providers and premium publishers. JW Player HLS HD support on the desktop allows a video publisher to use a single adaptive streaming video format across iOS, Android, Mac, and PC, reducing costs and simplifying the video publishing process.
Keyboard Controls
With the newest version, JW Player is now the only standalone web video player offering HTML5 and Flash keyboard shortcuts using a single-tab focus model. Whereas before many applications with nested menus and multiple toggles struggled to enable users to tab through all of the actionable elements, this capability greatly simplifies the user experience, providing a simple, consistent way to interact with the player interface using the keyboard.
JW Player 6.9 implements a simple, single tab-focus model in which the player is either in focus or not. When it is in focus a viewer can control the player with easy, natural keyboard shortcuts. When the JW Player is not in focus, those shortcuts do not interfere with the browser or the rest of the page, enabling users to quickly and seamlessly navigate a page and play video without getting stuck.
JW Player 6.9 is available immediately to customers worldwide. It is available across all JW Player Editions – Free, Pro, Premium, and Enterprise, and can be used together with JW Platform for video streaming and JW Ads for video monetization.