Applications
Harmonic simplifies video delivery for Netflix
MUMBAI: Harmonic which offers video delivery infrastructure, has introduced predefined transcoding presets for its ProMedia Carbon file-based transcoder that transform video and audio content into media formats optimised for Internet television network Netflix.
Netflix director of content partner operations Christopher Fetner said, “With its ability to store and recall parameters that assure transcoded content meets our stringent quality standards, Harmonic‘s ProMedia Carbon plays a significant role in the digital supply chains of our content and services partners. Collaborating with Harmonic on the new transcoding presets for ProMedia Carbon, we‘re able to ensure content operators have greater ease when delivering to Netflix.”
Powered by Harmonic‘s Rhozet technology, ProMedia Carbon facilitates the conversion of media content into a massive array of acquisition, editing, broadcast, Web, and mobile formats. The predefined transcoding presets designed specifically for Netflix include SD/HD and MPEG-2 I-Frame video formats at various frame rates, as well as stereo and 5.1 surround sound audio.
The ProMedia Carbon also handles operations including Pal/NTSC conversion, logo insertion, color space conversion, color correction, and closed-captions extraction. Through a user-friendly interface or API, operators have complete control over every aspect of the transcoding process. Content providers also have the flexibility to deploy ProMedia Carbon as a stand-alone application or as part of a scalable, multi-node, fully automated transcoding farm under the control of the Harmonic WFS file-based workflow engine.
Harmonic director of product management for cloud services and transcoding Yoav Derazon said, “Service providers today receive content from a wide variety of sources in many different formats. The challenge is to align the format and quality of that content, making it ready for distribution through Netflix, as well as other over-the-top (OTT) video providers.
“ProMedia Carbon is one of the most ubiquitous transcoders on the market today, offering enhanced performance, efficiency, and scalability for the multiscreen environment. Leveraging our new predefined transcoding presets, new and existing ProMedia Carbon users can instantly create a consistent baseline format optimized for Netflix.”
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
