End of Life Notice for Wowza ClearCaster

Wowza ClearCaster Pro
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Yesterday a message went out to all ClearCaster customers notifying them of the intent to retire the product and its associated subscription service. The message is posted below:

To further accelerate feature development on our integrated video platform and streaming server software, we’re ending support for Wowza ClearCaster devices (“ClearCaster”) and the Wowza ClearCaster Cloud Orchestration service (“ClearCaster Service”). For this reason, ClearCasters will no longer operate and access to the Service will no longer be available after December 31st, 2023 . Any license granted by Wowza related to software on a ClearCaster will permanently terminate on December 31st, 2023 and Wowza customer and technical support related to ClearCaster and the ClearCaster Service will no longer be available after December 31st, 2023. There are no changes to the Wowza Streaming Cloud and Wowza Video services, or Wowza Streaming Engine software, related to this announcement.

Recommendations

For those looking to replace their ClearCaster device, we’ve compiled a list of hardware encoders and how to identify the right fit. The Wowza Video service and Wowza Streaming Engine software integrate with any encoder on the market that’s compatible with standard protocols, making it simple to migrate to a new solution while still taking advantage of all of the great features in Wowza Video and Wowza Streaming Engine. We also provide documentation on connecting encoders to our products and services:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When does this go into effect?

The Wowza ClearCaster Cloud Orchestration Service (“Service”) is being deprecated and will no longer be available after December 31st, 2023. After this day, ClearCaster devices will no longer work and ClearCaster subscriptions will be turned off.

How can I maintain my subscription until then?

All customer renewals and auto-renewals during 2023 will be for a pro-rated term ending on December 31st, 2023. Invoice amounts will be pro-rated at your renewal in 2023.

Please contact customerservice@wowza.com if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Jon Duncan

Vice President of Product

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How can the Clearcaster bios be accessed to brick and repurpose it with a new OS?

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I would also like information on how to repurpose the hardware into alternate uses. Seems like a streamer could be built on Ubuntu and FFMPEG.

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ANYONE? Buehler? I’ll tear into it after the first of the year, but Wowza could throw us a bone here