NovoServe and Ceeblue, Accelerating Innovation in Live Video.

Ceeblue is a Netherlands-based company that focuses on Innovative Live Transcoding and Ultra-Low Latency Video Solutions. The company was founded in 2017 by two British ex-pats, and even though it is still very much a startup, Ceeblue is quickly becoming one of the most ambitious live-streaming companies in the world. Many low-latency live video solutions only work well under optimal network conditions, and most cannot scale beyond a few hundred or thousand viewers. Ceeblue distinguishes itself by offering the world’s most robust low latency video streaming and can scale into millions of viewers. For the past four years, they have partnered up with NovoServe.

The core of Ceeblue is the lightning-quick transcoding of live video and sub-500-ms video delivery services. Danny Burns, founder and CTO of Ceeblue, explains exactly what that entails. “Our live transcoding is lightning-fast. In a matter of frames, we can transcode any video format we receive into any other format, ready for consumption by any device imaginable: phones, tablets, PCs, Macs, etc. We are very focused on quality. This is not Zoom-quality video. We support up to 4K, which means we can support traditional OTT broadcasters for live sports events or musical performances, for example. To ensure quality we also provide fallbacks to secondary protocols as well as adaptive bitrate technologies to guarantee that the video quality is always as high as the network conditions permit and never fails, even when the connection is suboptimal.”

Besides their live transcoding services, Ceeblue is passionate about providing low latency solutions. “Low latency is crucial for many online activities,” Danny explains. “Most standard video streaming protocols have a lag of up to 45 seconds baked into them. With the new age of online interactivity, this is just not sustainable. Even 1,5 seconds of latency might sound like very little, but having a zoom conversation with 1,5 seconds of latency is nearly impossible to maintain. Financial trading, online gaming, live sports, virtual events, e-shopping, online betting, auctions, e-learning, e-health, surveillance video–none of these industries can abide even 1 second of lag.”

When Ceeblue recognized the need for low latency across so many industries, they started working on innovative solutions. After four years of continuous improvement, they are the only provider to have sub-500 millisecond WebRTC-based live transcoding and delivery that has fallbacks to multiple protocols, including LL-HLS, MP4 over Sockets, and many others. “We also figured out a way to make WebRTC scalable and resilient over long distances and under poor network conditions and even integrated adaptive bitrate (ABR). The customer experience is always our top priority.” Danny adds.

Ceeblue started working with NovoServe within the first year of Ceeblue’s existence. “We were looking for a trustworthy and proactive partner, and above all, prime connectivity. We work very hard to shave off any millisecond we can. At NovoServe, the signal comes in and goes out as fast as possible.” Danny continues, “We especially appreciate the way they always keep us in mind. For example, when they get new machines they know are going to sell out, they reserve one for us, just in case we might want to upgrade to the latest and greatest. NovoServe prioritizes all of their clients, not just the new ones. NovoServe’s top-notch connectivity and the personal relationship we have built with them make them a fundamental part of our network footprint. We feel fortunate to have them as a partner.”