Bitstreams Featured
VPU-accelerated FFmpeg encoding (HEVC, H.264, AV1) from a browser console.
NETINT Bitstreams is browser-based control for VPU-accelerated live streaming. It lets video operators build and run live encoding workflows on NETINT Quadra VPU (video processing unit) hardware from a web console, without hand-writing FFmpeg command lines. Bitstreams wraps FFmpeg in a web interface rather than replacing it, so the standards-based path (FFmpeg, GStreamer, libxcoder) stays intact underneath while the console handles templates, launch, and monitoring.
Runs as a NetActuate + NETINT partner offering NetActuate and NETINT are VPU-cloud partners. When Bitstreams is deployed on the NetActuate platform it auto-detects the environment and self-licenses at no cost, so there is no license key to buy or paste in. This is the partner benefit and the real deploy mechanism: spin an instance up in a VPU-capable NetActuate PoP, the software detects the attached Quadra card, self-licenses, and starts encoding. NETINT documents this directly ("License is not required when installed on Akamai or Netactuate providers"). Elsewhere Bitstreams uses per-server activation sold through NETINT or authorised resellers; on the NetActuate VPU cloud it is included with the platform.
What it does
- Hardware-accelerated live encoding on NETINT Quadra VPUs in H.264, HEVC, AV1, VP9, and JPEG, 8-bit and 10-bit, up to 8K
- Live outputs over HLS (with SCTE-35 ad-marker passthrough), multicast RTP, and unicast RTP
- Multicast and unicast RTP inputs, with automatic handling of interlaced sources
- Closed caption transcoding on the encode path
- Reusable, versioned stream templates so encoding profiles and ABR configurations launch fast and stay consistent
The web console
- Dashboard: live streaming activity, VPU usage, host CPU and RAM, encoding issues, and per-card VPU hardware status in one view
- Encoding: every running, idle, and stopped stream with its URLs, template, and status
- Stream Detail: per-stream preview, duration, URLs, and history
- Templates: reusable, versioned encoding profiles
- Live VPU telemetry: per-card health, utilization, thermal data, and throughput, with role-aware browser-native control
Why run it on the NetActuate edge NETINT Quadra VPUs are deployed across the NetActuate footprint, so you can place hardware transcoding in a PoP near your contribution source or your audience and keep the path short. A single Quadra VPU replaces a rack of CPU transcoders at a fraction of the power (tens of watts versus hundreds), which is why the NetActuate and NETINT partnership pairs global edge PoPs with on-demand VPU acceleration. NETINT supports the Bitstreams software and the VPU; NetActuate operates the global infrastructure, network, and PoPs the appliance runs on.
To get started, deploy Bitstreams onto a VPU-capable NetActuate location, open the web console, and it self-licenses on first boot. Full product documentation is at https://docs.netint.com/bitstreams/.
Frequently asked questions
How do I deploy Bitstreams on NetActuate?
Use the Deploy on NetActuate button to talk to our team. We provision Bitstreams on a NetActuate virtual machine in the point of presence you choose, close to your audience. Each deployment runs in the single location you select.
What does it cost to run Bitstreams?
Bitstreams is open-source software and free to run on the marketplace - you pay only for the NetActuate compute (virtual-machine size and location) it runs on, at standard rates. There are no usage-based software fees.
Where can Bitstreams run?
Bitstreams can be deployed in any of NetActuate's 45+ points of presence across every continent, so you can place ingest, transcode, delivery and caching close to your contributors and viewers.
Who supports Bitstreams?
NetActuate operates and supports the underlying infrastructure - the virtual machine, network and edge platform. The application itself is supported by its vendor, NETINT.
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