Ziln is New Zealand's Internet television network.
 
The service is online and free to access, enabling the linking and marketing power of the internet to be brought to viewers on the same interface as their TV viewing experience.
 
Ziln is accessible by anyone in New Zealand and around the world with a broadband connection. The service can Geo-Block any channel or programmes if required.
 
Ziln is clearing rights for international channels and Free to Air terrestrial broadcasters to include them on the platform.
 
Ziln is working with many producers, companies, organisations and even towns and cities interested in purchasing niche Channel positions. An opening up of internet television to a whole new wave of 'micro broadcasters' to create new content and tap into tightly focused consumer markets with specialist advertising and interactive marketing.
 
Ziln provides a complete turnkey solution for the hosting and delivery of content to viewers through the hardware, software and network infrastructure operated by e-cast Limited.

Ziln is a WebTV service viewed through viewers' Personal Computers (MS, Mac and Linux) with later development seeing the introduction of Open Standard "set top" or media centre boxes connecting direct to TV sets.
 
Channels on the basic platform can be viewed at no charge at bitrates from 128k, 256k, 384k and 768k. Monthly subscriptions can be charged for viewer access to special channels as required by the Channel Owner.
 
Ziln retransmits existing domestic and international television services by simply streaming the channels Live as broadcast to viewers. Where rights are available viewers can be offered View on Demand content either recorded off-air using e-cast's Programmable Television System, or by uploading pre-encoded content to the Channel Page.
 
New Channels, owned and operated by third parties, are being created on Ziln. An online scheduled Channel plays when a viewer arrives on the Channel page. Channel content is managed directly by the individual channel owners through a direct web interface with the e-cast servers and Channel Manager software system. Owners have full control of their scheduled channel and related View on Demand programmes and manage their own advertising placement and revenues directly.

Traditional IPTV services deliver largely "linear" TV channel experiences constrained by proprietary hardware and software (set top boxes) and recordings must be set by the viewer in advance. Ziln enables viewing of both linear channels and VOD experiences since content is online and does not need to be recorded by the viewer.
 
Ziln combines live channel viewing with View on Demand (VOD) experiences creating a "lean forward" and a "lean back" opportunity for viewers within the same user interface.
 
Ziln enables producers to reach directly to their target market audiences, no matter how large or small. Advertising can be a mix of traditional video commercials, Banner ads and Links on the internet, or downloadable vouchers and redeemable offers, and other hard copy collateral that can be deployed with the channel's video content. Precise viewer numbers for both programmes and advertisements are fully reportable using web traffic tracking software.

To create a new broadcasting business model that marries the power of modestly priced television production software and computer power with a new low-cost but highly accessible distribution platform.
 
We aim to be New Zealand's biggest online video content platform.
 
The NZ broadband customer base is just over 1 million. Ziln expects to achieve a 10% penetration within 6 months which would see regular viewing of Ziln channels by 100,000 people each month.
 
The service will expand to include delivery by:

• Open Standard Set Top Boxes and Media Centres
• iPhones and mobile devices
• Premium Channel Content, PPV movies, Buy to Download with DRM

Ziln is launching on the back of the improvement in broadband speeds and the almost universally adopted Flash streaming format, offering a competitive opportunity alongside incumbent conventional broadcasters, cable and PayTV operators.
 
Ziln will be launched on August 28, 2009 in partnership with TelstraClear, New Zealand's second largest Telco and ISP. TelstraClear has the largest fast broadband network in the country which will ensure quality of service for viewers. TelstraClear has the largest number of fixed line broadband customers to which the service will be actively promoted.

The e-cast video storage and server equipment is located in the secure ICONZ Data Centre in Auckland from where we have two complementary connections to the Internet: a 100MB connection and a 1GB fibre cable.
 
Our encoding, storage and Internet server hardware and software use the latest internationally recognised IT and video standards. These ensure our services meet the demands of modern consumers and operate on the Internet, iPods, 3G mobile phones and DVB-H devices.
 
To afford reliable and continuous service, the e-cast equipment is: - Fed by a triple-redundant and fully filtered power supply - Maintained at a constant fan-forced 21°C temperature - Maintained 24 hours a day, seven days per week
 
Our Flash Media Interactive Server utilises the very latest technology from Adobe to provide both video streaming of Flash video files and also MPEG-4 files encoded using the H.264 video codec. The Flash Media Server uses the latest RTMP and RTMPS technology to deliver secure video streams intelligently. It is capable of negotiating firewalls that might otherwise block streams, and features automatic bandwidth detection to monitor individual user connection speeds and make dynamic changes to the way video is delivered to them.
 
The e-cast Flash Media Interactive Server software is running on an Apple X-Serve with 64-bit Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors allowing seamless integration to our existing X-SAN RAID storage volumes through our high-speed fibre channel network.
 
QuickTime is also offered using an Xserve G5 Cluster Node Streaming Server configured to also provide on-demand media streaming over the Internet or IP network using RTP/RTSP or HTTP protocols.

Ziln is a partnership between the teams at NetsideTV and e-cast Limited. Together we have a unique combination of long experience in online broadcasting, design and brand management, content creation, marketing, sales, hosting, content management and deep technical support to make Ziln a force to be reckoned with in the new world of online television.
 
e-cast was formed in 1999 and is actively delivering a range of state-of-the-art video streaming services in New Zealand to the Public, Business, Production, Government and Education sectors. e-cast provides video streaming services, is active in broadcast television and video production, website development and management.
 
NetsideTV, an early pioneer in online television, launching its first video web-channel, airsidetv.com a 24/7 specialist aviation site in 2001. With a culture of bringing together broadcasters, web designers, marketers and IT developers, NetsideTV has expanded its embrace of video online to encompass everything from real estate tours to business and even shopping mall web channels.