Online Video Platform (OVP) – Features and Options

Online Video Platform (abbreviated as OVP) is a SAAS solution (Software as a Service), which enables Companies to manage and publish video files to audiences on every screen. To be precise, Online Video Platform allow Media Companies to ingest, manage, protect, publish, syndicate, track and monetize online Video to their Customers across multiple platforms and devices. The Online Video Platforms also enable integrated advertising and gathering business intelligent analytics data.

The primary features of Online Video Platform Solution are as follows:

1.     Video Upload and Ingestion Feature

This feature enables content owners to upload, manage and deliver video over the Internet for viewing across desktops, mobile and connected devices

There are different options provided by OVPs to upload and ingest Video.

i)            Browser Based Ingestion

ii)           FTP upload

iii)          Automated Ingestion via drop folder

iv)          Email Upload

v)           Mobile Upload

vi)          Create Custom Upload App using OVP provided APIs

All OVPs share the common goal of automating and simplifying the various steps involved in upload and uploading videos. The Automation goal can be extended to all features provided by OVP.

2.    Video Encoding, Publishing and Management

This feature allows the users the best viewing experience on their intended target device. Video Publishing feature provides control over when and where your video content is published. Publishing can be done on devices like Roku, Boxee, Apple TV or other Set top boxes with the click of a button.

OVPs also provide an ability to upload the file from the local source to cloud-based storage. This can typically take place either one file at a time or in batches. As part of the upload process, the video file is transcoded and delivered to various sizes and qualities. It is the video transcoding process that optimizes the video to appear in the best possible quality on any given viewing device or connection speed.

3.    Online Video Player

The online video player is the primary viewer experience, serving as the context in which your Video content will appear. Most of these Online Video Players are light weight and therefore very responsive.

• OVP's offer numerous player templates along with vertical or horizontal playlists.
• OVP's also provide several other customization options that allow you to create a player that best fits the environment and the best experience you are trying to achieve.
• The Online Video players will provide ability to control and interact with the content with everything from pause, rewind and fast forward functions
• They provide options for sharing or embedding on social sites.

4.    Video Syndication

This feature allows taking a single video and distributing it across as many video channels as possible. The more places the video appears, there is a better likelihood that users will watch the Video and your brand is popularized.

5.    Video Analytics

This feature allows the Companies to gain business insights, review user trends and find out if content exposure & syndication strategies have paid off.

Different kinds of Analytics Reports can be built to find out

a)    Which content is most watched by end users

b)   Geographical distribution of all the users

c)    Find out how many videos have been embedded outside of your own site

d)   Learn which devices, OS, Browsers and Applications are used by users

OVPs also provide an ability to integrate with other 3^rd Party Analytics Tools.

6.    Video Monetization

This feature allows the Companies to monetize their Video by choosing one or multiple options

a)    Monetize Video by selling Ads

b)   Monetize Video through pay per view

c)    Monetize Video through Sponsorships

d)   Monetize Video through Merchandise

e)    Monetize Video through Freemium or other Hybrid Method

f)    Monetize Video via Licensing

 

Benefits of Online Video Platform

a)   Evangelize your Products Online
b)  Increase Ad Revenue or Conversion rates
c)  Advanced Targeting via increased distribution
d)  Increase Brand Awareness
e)  Monetize your Content

Online Video Platforms are getting built and enhanced with wide array of capabilities from content management, encoding, advertising, syndication and monetization. As the market further expands and consolidates more choices become available and education becomes key to better understand, purchase and deploy the solutions available. 

Streaming Video - Past, Current & Future

Streaming Video - Past, Current & Future

Past - History

1) 1997 : Real Networks ( started by ex-Microsoft Rob Glaser ) launched the first video streaming.
    A baseball game was streamed between the Yankees and Seattle Mariners - on September 5th,   1995.

2) 1997: Microsoft introduced DirectShow, which allowed streaming media and then later merged into Windows Media Player. ASF File format referred to as Multiple Bit Rate ASF allowed storage of multiple video and audio tracks in a single file.

DirectShow became a standard component, when Windows launched Windows 98.

3) 2002 : Adobe announced the unified streaming format - which merged the Web and Streaming Media for the 1st time. This product took the industry by storm however had issues relating to bandwidth, scalability & reliability.

4) 2007 : A Company named Move Networks ( later bought by EchoStar ) invented the HTTP based adaptive Streaming. This Startup used the standard HTTP protocol to deliver media in small chunks.

5) 2008 : Microsoft launched Smooth Streaming Technology now based on plain HTTP protocol.

6) 2010 : Adobe joined the party in 2010 with HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS).

 7) 2012 : a new standard was born – Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP, known as MPEG-DASH.

CURRENT SITUATION - WHAT IS HAPPENING IN VIDEO STREAMING ?

Netflix

Netflix becomes the first Video Streaming Company to air original programming to end Customers.
Back in January 2013, Netflix released its original program House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey.

Netflix released the much-anticipated fourth season of “Arrested Development” on May 26. There has been a tremendous positive response to this release.

YouTube

During the recent I/O conference, Google announced that its live streaming service will allow operators to broadcast live content to viewers on all devices. Some 53 paid channels have been added to the YouTube website, as part of the YouTube partner program. A small group of partners will also offer paid channels on YouTube with subscription fees starting at $0.99 per month.

ABC News 24 is planning to stream news broadcast live on YouTube.

Amazon

Amazon, a key player in Video Streaming services is planning to air original programming to end-users. Amazon announced multi-year deal with Viacom to bring 4000 more TV episodes to instant video customers.  Amazon announced last week that it's creating five original TV series including a political comedy with John Goodman.

Amazon seems to be interested in adding market share at this point of time and has a well thought out long term strategy in this space. Amazon is said to be losing between $500 Million to $1 Billion a year on Video Streaming however is making consistent efforts to provide the best value for its prime customers.

Hulu

Hulu has gained rights this year to stream current-season episodes from Nickelodeon and CBS.

Among the other Nickelodeon shows available on the streaming site are Robot & Monster, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Legend of Korra and the recently rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Hulu's revenue in 2013 grew 65% to $695 million compared to last year. However Hulu has not been able to make more profit considering it spends lots of money in purchasing content.

Dish
Dish is one traditional satellite provider, who has spent good amount of efforts in streaming video through its products and services as DISH Anywhere, and Hopper with Sling.

Video Streaming Market Share
According to a survey released Tuesday by Sandvine, Netflix has 32.3 percent of the market share, while YouTube has 17.1 percent, Hulu has 2.4 percent, and Amazon has 1.31 percent.

Apple iTunes

Apple is THE most prominent player in Online Music, Video and Video On Demand business.
iTunes has a market share of 45% in the Music & Video On Demand market space. iTunes Store is the 2nd fastest growing revenue stream with a quarterly revenue of $4 Billion. According to reliable reports, Apple is building a new Set-top box device for live TV broadcast. Apple will be one of the most formidable player on Video Streaming in the near and long term future.

FUTURE OF VIDEO STREAMING

According to a Insight Research Report, Streaming Video and Music will generate $70 billion in revenue over the next six years.

The current Subscription Model on Video Streaming will continue to be prime business model beyond 2013. A new monetization model beyond the traditional and subscription service may arrive after few years.

MPEG Dash seems to be the future of online Video Streaming. A list of 60 big Companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Akamai, Ericsson, and Viacom are investing in the Mpeg Dash.  DASH allows not only adaptive streaming, but it can also carry multilingual audio tracks and closed captioning. The stream can also have Digital Rights Management (DRM) encryption that protects copyrighted video from potential video pirates.

Traditional Cable and Satellite Companies like Comcast, Dish and several others are already adopting to the Video Streaming's future. These Companies are complimenting their traditional service with other new services and solutions built on video streaming protocols.

It seems to be seen whether the Streaming Services will eventually kill the traditional TV however this is the direction it is heading as of right now.

There is one sure winner here. The Customer.

Note : My sources to this blog are other news articles and blogs written on Online Video & Video Streaming. My goal is to present all the facts in this specific format in addition to sharing my knowledge in this space.

Take-away from CES 2013 - How can I increase my Life's productivity?

Like everyone else, I was interested to learn about new Technology offerings or cool gadgets introduced at this year's CES 2013. Finding about new Products every year at CES or elsewhere is no less exciting than watching a grand block buster Movie. I kept pondering a question to myself at the end of CES 2013. Without thinking about the budget, how many gadgets one can buy which can help improve life’s productivity. To extend it further, are there any new gadgets one can buy in the coming years with little amount of spending. I am not specifically interested in Ultrahigh definition connected TVs or a Gaming System which costs, hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Here are some exciting gadgets, which may fall into this category. Yes it is a debatable topic.

1.      Next Gen Pocket Radar -> Said to be World's smallest radar gun. A handy tool for coaches, athletes, and Spectators alike.  This  Innovative technology allows you to measure speed of anything from a fastball to a race car with remarkable accuracy, to +/- one mph

You can buy this Today @ Amazon for < $200

2.      The $49.99 Beam Tooth Brush uses a sensor that records when and how long you brush, beaming this data to an iPhone or Android app so you can keep track of how well you’re keeping up your dental hygiene habits.

      There are other singing tooth-brushes, which can make you oral hygiene a fun activity.
       One can argue the real advantage of using these tooth-brushes.

3.      This innovative Fork from HAPILABS keep track of how long you eat in addition to how quickly or slowly you eat. It then shares these metrics for your offline viewing. It can vibrate in case you are eating faster or slower.

4.      Fitbit Flex, a $100 wrist-worn product that collects activity, sleep including how much distance you travelled on your Treadmill. Fitbit isn’t new this year however they are innovating every year.

5.      iPhone based Security Alarm

A Start up based in Mountain View, CA is selling a Security system starting $79, without the monthly fees or installation hassles of a traditional security company's set-up. This is a easy way to monitor your Home from your iPhone without the need of ADT or any big security Company.

6.      LG demo’ed a new and improved Magic Remote with Voice controls. 

7.      Next Gen Mobile Projectors (incredibly portable measures 4 * 4 inches) – Brightest mobile projectors with 300-lumens bulb. You don't need a VGA cable to connect it to your computer. Just plug it into the wall, and wirelessly transmit your content from your PC to the wall.

 

8.      In the future, your refrigeration technology will help you get your beer cans get cold in five minutes!

9.      Smart Cooking Range Owen (introduced by LG) : Send recipe from a Mobile to the Smart Cooking range owen, which will automatically set pre-heat time. Just hit start & cook your recipe.

10.   Samsung Wireless kitchen appliances that use direct power, rather than charging like mobile phones. Samsung also launched the Microwave with an LED light for cooking, supposed to use 1/10^th of power used by Conventional Owens.

11.   Samsung’s refrigerators viz. Model no. RF4289, RSG309 LCD have kitchen-relevant apps on a WiFi-enabled 8-inch LCD touch-screen.

The Grocery List app will allow consumers to create their own highly personalized shopping lists at the touch of a button, while the Facebook app will provide instant access to consumers’ newsfeeds.

12.   Smart Washers from Samsung

Through a WiFi network and a smart phone application, users can monitor cycle selections, remaining time and finishing alerts. You can start this Smart Washer remotely or even pause it sitting at your work-place.