Beamr Imaging, a video optimization specialist focused on advanced encoding and processing, said it has landed an additional $4 million in funding from Verizon Ventures.
The latest funding should take Beamr past $28.5 million in total funding, according to CrunchBase. Existing Beamr investors include Eric Schmidt’s fund Innovation Endeavors, Marker LLC, and Disruptive.
Beamr announced a $15 million “C” round in March alongside a deal to acquire Vanguard Video, which works with companies such as Crackle, Netflix, Imagine Communications, and Arris, among others.
Beamr, based in Tel Aviv and founded in 2009, said the new funds will help to accelerate development of new product elements that tie into its perceptual quality measure technology.
Beamr’s H.264 and H.265/HEVC video optimization and technology and encoders target several markets, including OTT, cable and satellite systems and managed IP networks. Beamr claims that its techniques can reduce bit rates by an additional 20% to 50% while still adhering to the underlying encoding standards.
"Beamr's vision has always been to merge standards-based encoding technologies with the benefits of our perceptual quality measure, so the industry can meet the heightened consumer expectations for video quality while staying within network constraints," Sharon Carmel, CEO and founder of Beamr, said in a statement. "Our approach to bitrate reduction has attracted an industry-leading customer base where network capacities and media storage requirements are under pressure, but where exceptional video quality must be maintained."
“Beamr significantly addresses the pain and costs of storing and delivering high bandwidth video content over increasingly congested networks, with no loss in visual quality, “ added David Famolari, director at Verizon Ventures. “As more HD and ultra-HD content becomes available, Beamr’s technology can be critical to delivering superior end-user quality of experience.”
