Wowza (News - Alert) Media Systems' hallmark product – the Wowza Media Server 2 – was recently honored with the Best AV Over IP Distribution System award by AV Technology Magazine. The company's IP media server was recognized at the magazine's 2011 End User Awards ceremony, which recently wrapped up at the InfoComm 2011 conference in Orlando, Florida.

The first annual awards show was put together to shine light on technological innovations like IP media servers that provide advantages to end users, facility directors and technical managers, according to a release. Wowza's media server took home the award due to its ease of use, reliability, overall network impact and return on investment.

The expert panel called the Wowza IP Media Server 2's 'H.264 Everywhere' technology a "revolutionary leap" forward for enabling the distribution of H.264 video across a range of platforms, including Flash, Silverlight, QuickTime and IPTV (News - Alert) set-top boxes, among many others. The technology also helps extend content to mobile devices.

"Affordably priced and straightforward to configure and operate, Wowza Media Server 2 is technically and economically accessible to all organizations who need to distribute streaming video to a broad range of target playback platforms," noted the panel, which included Streaming Media's Jan Ozer and a number of other experts in the field.

Wowza Media Systems chief marketing officer Alex Dobrushin said that the company was honored to be recognized by a panel of experts who represent end users across the globe.

"As we move forward with the upcoming release of the Wowza Media Server 3 platform, we will deliver even more capabilities that end users need for streaming content to any screen," he added.

The Wowza Media Server 3 is expected to be formally introduced at some point in the third quarter of 2011. Companies that already own Wowza Media Server 2 licenses will be able to upgrade to the new platform at no additional charge.

Beecher Tuttle is a TMCnet contributor. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Jamie Epstein