TOKYO, July 14, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Internet Initiative Japan, Inc., (IIJ) (Nasdaq:IIJI) (TSE1:3774), one of Japan's leading Internet access and comprehensive network solutions providers, today announced it will provide technological cooperation on streaming video distribution to NPO Live Universe for their LIVE! ECLIPSE 2009 project, as well as a distribution platform to distribute video to the viewing public.
This total solar eclipse, which will occur on July 22, 2009, is the first to be viewable from Japan in 46 years, and video taken from several observation sites will be streamed to viewers in real time over the Internet. IIJ will set up a camera at one of the observation sites located in Toshimamura on Nakanoshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture and encode the high definition (HD) footage of the total solar eclipse taken there for streaming distribution to viewers over the IIJ video distribution platform. The distribution platform consists of the IIJ Contents Delivery Service, which has been used by many content distribution providers and others, using broadband lines and highly reliable distribution servers. Cache servers will also be used to provide a stable distribution environment for the large volume of simultaneous accesses expected during the limited time of the broadcast.
IIJ has been providing the distribution platform to the Live Eclipse Project and distributing video for CATV and online viewers of the event. This year, IIJ will be trying out a new environment that allows iPhone users to view the video as well, providing distribution to an even wider audience. In addition to the Flash(r) Video format used by a number of video distribution sites, IIJ will be providing the latest Microsoft(r) Silverlight(tm) format as one of the distribution format options for online viewers. Microsoft(r) Silverlight(tm) enables viewers to replay short segments of the broadcast or to replay a broadcast in progress in its entirety, greatly enhancing the viewing experience.
This will be the world's first high-volume distribution for iPhone users, and because the video can now be viewed easily without the need for special plug-ins, the demand for this type of distribution is expected to increase. Microsoft(r) Silverlight(tm) is also expected to contribute to increasing demand in this field, and so IIJ is using this experience to expand its expertise in the latest technologies for use in new service offers to answer the diverse demands of our customers.
-- Internet broadcast of the total solar eclipse
Date/time: July 22, 2009, 09:00 to 13:00
URL: http://www.live-eclipse.org/
Distribution formats: Apple iPhone, Adobe Flash Video, Microsoft
Silverlight
About IIJ
Founded in 1992, Internet Initiative Japan Inc. (IIJ) (Nasdaq:IIJI) (Tokyo Stock Exchange TSE1:3774) is one of Japan's leading Internet-access and comprehensive network solutions providers. IIJ and its group of companies provide total network solutions that mainly cater to high-end corporate customers. The company's services include high-quality systems integration and security services, Internet access, hosting/housing, and content design. Moreover, the company has built one of the largest Internet backbone networks in Japan, and between Japan and the United States. IIJ was listed on NASDAQ in 1999 and on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2006. For more information about IIJ, visit the IIJ Web site at http://www.iij.ad.jp/en/.
The Internet Initiative Japan Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4613
The statements within this release contain forward-looking statements about our future plans that involve risk and uncertainty. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are referred to the documents furnished by Internet Initiative Japan Inc. with the SEC, specifically the most recent reports on Forms 20-F and 6-K, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.