Voices of Video - conversations from within video streaming industry

May 2, 2024, at 11 am EST

Monitoring video quality of production feeds is hard, unless… - Voices of Video with Victoria Tuzova from Eleacard

In this episode of the Voices of Video, Victoria Tuzova from Elecard and Mark Donnigan from NETINT will explore the intricate setup of a live stream quality monitoring system. You will hear how to deploy a system that spans 40 remote locations like hotels, media centers, and fan zones, providing real-time quality information for live video streams. Monitoring video is hard, but with the right tools and a good system design, Victoria will discuss how this was performed during a recent soccer championship game, covering the entire media CDN in a distributed manner to monitor a network of over 1,000 streams from multiple PoPs in a single dashboard. The discussion will dive into the technical points, including system architecture, error detection mechanisms, and optimization strategies to elevate viewer experience, all directly observed from the football matches.

Join live to ask your questions in real time, or you may email your questions ahead of time to voicesofvideo@netint.com.

Can’t make it live? We have you covered. Register for the event, and an on-demand replay will land in your inbox so you can watch at your convenience.

April 4, 2024

From Static to Dynamic: The Role of V-Nova PresenZ in Evolving VR Experiences

In this episode, we explored V-Nova's newly acquired V-Nova PresenZ technology with Guido Meardi, CEO of V-Nova. As an overview, V-Nova PresenZ offers an innovative approach to VR storytelling, including cinematic photorealism and Six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) for real-time navigation in pre-rendered scenes. This enables a more immersive experience, moving beyond static viewpoints to ensure full immersion.

Guido described how V-Nova PresenZ will be used in digital entertainment to offer fully immersive, lifelike experiences. He also related the collaborative efforts with top studios to bring this new experience to consumers and the potential V-Nova PresenZ holds for redefining how stories are experienced in the digital era.

This episode is particularly captivating for VR enthusiasts, digital content creators, and technology innovators who are keen on the latest advancements in VR storytelling and immersive experiences. Professionals in the entertainment industry, including filmmakers, game developers, and special effects artists, can find valuable insights into how V-Nova PresenZ technology can revolutionize content creation and audience engagement. Whether you're deeply involved in VR's technical aspects or curious about the future of digital entertainment, this discussion with Guido Meardi offers a comprehensive look into the cutting-edge of immersive storytelling.

March 28, 2024

StreamTech Futures: Interactive Realities and Engineering Innovations

IDive into the realm of real-time interactive streaming with Eric Tang, Co-Founder of Livepeer. This episode discusses the fundamentals of interactive streaming, its expansion across various industries, and its transformative effect on sports streaming, gaming, and e-commerce experiences, as well as on traditional media landscapes.

Mark Donnigan and Eric Tang, address prevalent myths surrounding real-time protocols for video and delve into the adoption of advanced video processing technologies like the AV1 codec. The discussions also includes the implications of generative AI video for streaming platforms with a focus on the new industry-wide Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI).

Tune in to to listen Mark and Eric deep-dive discussion into the technologies that are shaping the future of how we consume and interact with the video.

March 14, 2024

From SDI to AV1: Transforming Video Delivery
A Deep Dive with G&L Engineers

In 2024, efficiency is paramount for video engineers. Tune in to join Alexander Leschinsky and Martin Schmalohr from G&L, a systems integrator headquartered in Cologne, with offices in Berlin, Munich, and Pleasanton, CA, as they guide you through streamlining your live and VoD workflows and reducing costs.

In this Voices of Video interview, Alexander describes the technologies G&L deploys to deliver these benefits, like NETINT transcoders, Blackmagic Design SDI gear, and the Norsk SDK, and shares examples of the savings his company has delivered over the past 25 years. Martin also details quality comparisons between NETINT transcoders and the technologies they are replacing, like Elemental Live.

Together, they identify the technical issues enterprises typically face in new technology deployments and the approaches G&L uses to overcome them. They conclude with a case study involving multiple-tier transcoding using AV1 for contribution and delivery.

The imperative G&L gets from many clients is, “We need the same quality or better, with increased throughput and lower capital & operating expenses.” Together, Alexander and Martin describe how G&L has delivered this for their clients for over 25 years.

Take the first step toward a more efficient encoding and learn about the potential cost savings these technologies deliver and how to navigate the implementation hurdles along the way. Watch on-demand now.

February 15, 2024

From Vision to Virtualization. Exploring ASIC Solutions and Multimedia Frameworks

In the Voices of Video interview, Daniel Zhou of NETINT shares insights into the company's evolution, focusing on its transition from its founding principles to its current innovative approach in video processing solutions.

He delves into the specifics of Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), comparing their efficiency, cost, and power consumption with traditional CPUs and GPUs. The discussion also covers the comprehensive software stack accompanying NETINT products, highlighting support for multimedia frameworks and SDK availability. Daniel emphasizes the ease of integration and the focus on virtualization, quality of service, and security in their offerings.

The interview concludes with an overview of NETINT's commitment to power efficiency and reliability, underpinned by advanced hardware mechanisms and a rigorous testing framework, underscoring NETINT's dedication to delivering high-quality, efficient video processing solutions.

February 8, 2024

Mastering Digital to OTT Content Conversion
- BOLD MSS and Martín Azpiroz

BOLD MSS is an end-to-end streaming platform provider in Uruguay that helps pay TV, internet service providers, and telcos process satellite-based signals, among other sources (IP, local ingest), from its customer’s headends (local or cloud-based). BOLD MSS will enter the US market in 2024.

In this Voices of Video interview, BOLD MSS Director Martín Azpiroz details the challenges of converting satellite-based signals to live OTT content and how the choice of transcoder impacts signal reliability. He also explains BOLD MSS's decision to migrate from GPU-based transcoding to ASICs to deliver a higher quality, more reliable signal while consuming much less power. Spoiler alert - they transitioned away from CPU transcoding five years ago!

Watch to learn more about the technical challenges of delivering live OTT content, as Martín provides an inside look at the complex process of converting satellite signals to internet-based streams in real-time. Something as simple as choosing the right transcoding technology can make or break your viewers' experience.

November 2, 2023, at 11 am EST

97% of US Football Teams Use This Video Platform

In an insightful conversation, Casey Bateman, an expert in sports technology, delves into the remarkable capabilities of HUDL's video analysis and streaming platform, a tool that has become indispensable in the sports world. This platform, embraced by a wide array of teams ranging from local schools to top-tier professional leagues, caters to a variety of sports, including Football, Basketball, Soccer, and many others. Bateman discusses the platform's journey since its inception in 2007, highlighting the strategic technological choices that have contributed to its longevity and effectiveness.

Furthermore, Casey explores the cutting-edge technologies that drive HUDL's success. He elucidates the reasons behind the platform's continued reliance on certain key technologies from its early days, underscoring their ongoing relevance in today's fast-paced digital environment. The conversation delves into the exciting prospects of advanced video codecs like AV1 and HEVC. These technologies represent a significant leap forward in video streaming and analysis, offering enhanced efficiency and quality that are critical in the demanding world of sports analytics and video review. Bateman's insights provide a deep understanding of how HUDL maintains its edge in the competitive field of sports technology.

October 26, 2023, at 11 am EST

WebRTC Revealed: Dissecting Myths with Tsahi Levent-Levi

WebRTC doesn't scale and cannot provide the quality that modern live-streaming viewers demand, right? In this conversation with Tsahi Levent-Levi, a WebRTC expert, Co-founder of testRTC, and CPO at Spearline and now Sr. Director of Product Management at Cyara, Mark Donnigan unpacked with Tsahi why these perceptions are believed to be true, and how you can overcome them.

They've discussed why the common understanding of WebRTC as an enabling ultra-low latency video streaming technology is incomplete and what a video engineer needs to consider building a broadcast-grade low latency streaming solution. Watch the replays as this is a conversation you do not want to miss.

September 28, 2023, at 11 am EST

Streamlined Streaming: Exploring THEOLive, THEOPlayer, and the Rise of Multi-Codec Adoption with Pieter-Jan Speelmans

Watch Voices of Video as Pieter-Jan Speelmans, CTO of THEO Technologies, unpacks the intricacies of low-latency technologies, including LL HLS, DASH, WebRTC, WebSockets, and THEO's HESP. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing the selection of low-latency solutions and acquire insights into THEOLive's best practices for achieving minimal latency in live streaming.

Examine the pivotal role of THEOPlayer in the live streaming ecosystem, highlighting its importance in ensuring viewer experience and monetization. Navigate the decision-making nuances between commercial and open-source players, and familiarize yourself with leading commercial player options.

Benefit from Pieter-Jan's insights into evolving trends in codec usage, underscoring the marked shift towards multi-codec adoption among THEOPlayer clientele. Ensure you're equipped with this rigorous and technical overview of low-latency technologies and the indispensable role of video players in live streaming.

September 7, 2023, at 11 am EST

Solving the Multiview Streaming Problem

Revisit the episode to deepen your understanding of multiview, navigate the plethora of technological options, and discern the pivotal considerations for content creators aiming to deliver enthralling content.

In this episode, our guest, Rob Koenen, Co-Founder of Tiledmedia, imparted his expertise on the topic of multiview, offering invaluable insights for service providers eager to enhance their streaming capabilities.

We delved into the intricate world of multiview solutions, showcasing offerings from industry forerunners such as Apple, YouTube, and Tiledmedia. Rob illustrated four distinct strategies to address the multiview challenges, touching upon pivotal factors like cost, quality, scalability, and user experience. With a clear grasp of the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy, video service providers are empowered to make well-informed choices for their streaming needs.

Drawing from over 12 years of R&D, Tiledmedia showcased their pioneering IP in tiled streaming. Their cutting-edge virtual reality technology has been harnessed to broadcast some of the globe's most significant events and tournaments, including the Beijing Games and the English Premier League. The flawless tiling and pinpoint synchronization, which are central to their VR technology, also underpin Tiledmedia's refined multiview offerings. These offer fresh avenues for immersive live-streaming sessions.

Watch the replay to gain a comprehensive understanding of multiview, explore the available technological alternatives, and discover the key considerations for producers when selecting the most suitable solution for delivering captivating content.

July 20, 2023, at 11 am EST

Play Anywhere, Anytime: Transforming Game Distribution with Cloud Gaming

In this conversation, David Cook, the visionary behind Radian Arc, and Mark Donnigan, a leading expert from NETINT, delved into the exciting world of cloud gaming.

The discussion focused on the expanding reach of OTT video services, the untapped potential of mobile-first markets, and how game distribution is undergoing a transformative shift. They also examined the technical constraints of cloud gaming and shed light on the state-of-the-art technologies driving its future.

Watch the replay to discover how telcos and OTT streaming services spearhead the go-to-market strategies for this revolutionary gaming phenomenon. Listen to the captivating discussion and unlock a new era in gaming innovation!

July 13, 2023, at 11 am EST

Unveiling the Powerhouse Behind Zapping!

This episode is an exhilarating journey into the mind of a true innovator. Prepare to be transported into the captivating world of Zapping, the groundbreaking virtual pay-TV operator that revolutionized the Latin American entertainment landscape. Operating seamlessly in Chile, Brazil, and soon Peru, Zapping is a force to be reckoned with.

Imagine immersing yourself in a realm where live channels from ESPN, FOX, HBO, Universal, Discovery, Disney, AMC, and TNT come alive, tantalizing your senses with an extraordinary array of content. And that's just the beginning!

At the heart of Zapping's unrivaled success lies its visionary Co-founder and CTO, Nacho (Ignacio) Opazo, whose genius has propelled this revolutionary platform to astonishing heights. In our upcoming episode of Voices of Video, Nacho delves into the very essence of Zapping's triumph, shedding light on the pivotal factors that set it apart.

Nacho captivates your imagination as he shares his invaluable insights on how Zapping views itself as a true "tech company," ensuring that every aspect, from its seamless apps and interfaces to its captivating content, simply "feels better" than anything its competitors offer. Prepare to be enthralled as he unveils the secrets behind Zapping's unrivaled user experience.

Nacho's brilliance shines through as he navigates topics both intricate and far-reaching. Discover the fascinating nuances of HEVC ladders versus H.264 and Nacho's groundbreaking plans to harness the power of AI, elevating viewer Quality of Experience (QoE) to new heights.

June 29, 2023, at 11 am EST

Greening of Streaming:
Uniting the Industry for Energy Efficiency

One issue that should be paramount to all participants in the streaming media ecosystem - producers, engineers, product and service providers, and consumers - is power consumption. An organization called Greening of Streaming was recently “created to address growing concerns about the energy impact of the streaming sector.”

In this issue of Voices of Video, we met with Dom Robinson, who is the founder of Greening of Streaming (and Chief Business Development Officer of id3as).

In this conversation with Jan Ozer, Dom laid out the challenges associated with a collective effort to reduce power consumption, starting with finding a common set of definitions and targets. Then, he identified some low-hanging fruit that all companies can target to reduce their consumption immediately.

He also discussed power consumption at all streaming media stages, from production through encoding, transport, delivery, and viewing, and detail why a holistic view must be adopted for all potential modifications. For example, a decision to reduce the power consumed during encoding provides no overall benefit if it's more than offset by increases in power consumed during transport and playback to millions of devices. In this regard, you can download Dom’s brilliant schematic showing all power consumed during the production and playback of a live streaming production.

DOWNLOAD THE DIAGRAM HERE: https://voicesofvideo.netint.com/hubfs/VoV/e2eenergyforstreaming.png

If you’ve ever wondered what you or your organization can do to reduce power consumption during streaming, be sure to watch this edition of Voices of Video.

June 1, 2023, at 11 am EST

Scalable Distribution in the Age of DRM:
Key Challenges and Implications

In this episode, we hosted Alex Zambelli, a seasoned veteran in the streaming industry. Alex started his streaming career at Microsoft, where he worked on high-profile projects like three different Olympics and Sunday Night Football. Since then, he helped engineer streaming platforms for iStreamPlanet, Hulu, and Warner Bros.

In this episode, Jan Ozer and Alex Zambelli discussed a range of topics, including his experience evangelizing codecs, the best educational paths to success in the streaming world, and his views on the costs and challenges of adding a codec to the streaming mix. We also explore his thoughts on different streaming protocols like HLS, DASH, and CMAF, as well as the implications of DRM and the challenges of distributing at scale.

We wrapped up with a discussion on the future of the industry and changes the industry can make to simplify streaming encoding, packaging, and delivery to allow publishers to focus on content, not issues like playback compatibility. Hit the replay to hear from Alex and gain insights into the world of live streaming and video production.

May 25, 2023, at 11 am EST

Cloud Gaming is Real.
A conversation with the CEO of Blacknut

In this Voices of Video conversation, Mark Donnigan talked with Olivier Avaro, CEO of Blacknut, about what his company is doing to enable the transition from console and PC-based gaming experiences to streaming delivery of games from the cloud.

Blacknut has built a complete solution for service providers and OTT video services wanting to expand their entertainment offerings. Blacknut offers the technical platform needed and licensed gaming content from more than 100 publishers.

This conversation addressed the OPEX challenges with cloud gaming and the technical hurdles that come with using the open internet for latency-sensitive and quality-perceptive applications like gaming. A new architecture consisting of CPUs with GPUs for game rendering and VPUs for encoding was presented.

May 11, 2023, at 11 am EST

How technology distribution is different in India
than in the rest of the world
(codecs, bandwidths, video production, UGC)

With the largest population in the world, India represents a fabulous opportunity for all streaming professionals. But virtually all key market factors, bandwidth, playback devices, content preferences, and others, are very different from US and European markets. Krishna Rao Vijayanagar has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and has worked for several companies in the US & India before starting his highly successful OTTVerse website and devoting himself to education focused on streaming production and delivery.

In this conversation with Jan Ozer from NETINT, Krishna covers how producing, delivering, and consuming video in India is different from the rest of the world, digging into details like codec support, encoding ladder construction, delivery infrastructure and capacity, and device preferences and penetration. Krishna also shares his vision for expanding streaming-related knowledge and shares insights from what he found meaningful at NAB.

Streaming professionals interested in providing streaming services, technology, or content to India will find this an invaluable introduction.

April 27, 2023, at 11 am EST

Understanding the Benefits and Limitations
of FFmpeg, Gstreamer, and GPAC

In this very technical session, we spoke with Romain Bouqueau, a main contributor to GPAC and founder and CEO of Motion Spell, the licensing arm of GPAC.

GPAC is an open-source encoding and packaging framework that competes with and relies on FFmpeg. It was recently licensed by Netflix for live streaming.

If you've ever attempted to deploy FFmpeg for complex transcoding operations, you may have experienced poor multithreaded performance. Romain discussed why that is, techniques you can use to minimize this effect, and how GPAC and other frameworks try to mitigate performance issues.

Romain also helped us explore the performance and feature set of projects like FFmpeg, Gstreamer, and GPAC. You shall leave with a solid knowledge of their transcoding and packaging options and a better understanding of FFmpeg's multi-threaded-related performance issues and how to minimize them.

March 23, 2023, at 11 am EST

Choosing the Right Technology for Low-Latency Streaming: WebRTC, LL HLS/DASH, and H5Live

Are you curious about what types of productions require low-latency delivery? Interested in the quality and robustness tradeoffs associated with low-latency streaming? Oliver Lietz from nanocosmos and Jan Ozer from NETINT discussed the technology options available for low-latency streaming, including WebRTC, LL HLS/LL DASH, and others, and the pros and cons of each approach.

Learn about high-level production, monitoring, and analytics aspects of a low-latency production.
Hear about the pros and cons of ASIC-based transcoding for low latency streaming, including quality, latency, CAPEX, OPEX, and density.
Understand the tradeoffs associated with low-latency productions and technologies available to combat the challenge.

March 9, 2023, at 11 am EST

Building Localized OTT Networks

Streaming pioneer Jet Stream joined the conversation with a highly valuable but lesser-known use case – localized OTT video networks.

In this discussion, Jet Stream's Stef van der Ziel and NETINT’s Mark Donnigan discussed how individualized streaming applications can solve a unique challenge where bandwidth may be limited, but the customer expectation for quality is not.

Learn how Jet Stream enables live streaming platforms to be built and operated without needing deep engineering expertise or platform operators.

February 16, 2023, at 11 am EST

The truth about encoding ASICs (Why YouTube and Meta encode with ASICs and how you can too)

Software running on commodity cloud-based servers is thought to represent the ultimate in flexibility, cost control, and implementation speed. Why, then, do the largest video platforms in the world, YouTube and Facebook, run largely on ASICs? The reason lies in the significant power and density advantages that purpose-built silicon delivers.

In this discussion, Dylan Patel from SemiAnalysis and Alex Liu from NETINT will share secrets behind the development of large technology company ASIC projects and reveal the change driving massive investment in ASIC development.

February 2, 2023, at 11 am EST

Live Streaming in a Box
Party talk or cutting-edge solution?

Are you curious how, today, everyone can access the cost and performance benefits of hardware video encoding without needing to invest in massive development projects or special hardware? As software encoding in the cloud is getting more expensive, only hardware can deliver the performance and operational cost that is needed for live video streaming at scale.

Watch NETINT’s Mark Donnigan and StreamVX CEO Szymon Karbowski as they discuss how StreamVX enables services and platforms to deliver high-quality, low-latency video with their live streaming-in-a-box solution.

December 9, 2022, at 11 am EST

Streaming video industry challenges in a volatile world. Reflections upon the past year

2022 has been a tumultuous year where conventional norms have been upended in every facet of life. This is no less true in the streaming video industry, where new emerging platforms, including cloud gaming and the Metaverse, gain traction but are tempered by volatile markets, environmental pressures, and soaring energy costs driven by global events.
Where do we go from here?

While current global events and macroeconomic instability are troubling, they also represent an enormous opportunity to rethink streaming video business models ideally by leveraging new advanced technologies that will lower both CAPEX and OPEX while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions.

Watch Bob Fung and Ben Lee's intriguing discussion on the duality that the streaming video industry is facing.

November 11, 2022, at 11 am EST

Why use hardware for video encoding?
Streaming video industry insights

Transcoding with ASICs has gotten a lot of attention lately. From YouTube’s ARGOS VPU to Meta’s new ASIC that prompted noted compressionist David Ronca to comment that there are only two types of companies, “those that are using Video Processing ASICs in their workflows, and those that will.’

Based in Sweden, RealSprint provides live-streaming solutions to companies around the globe. When choosing a transcoder for the AV1 capabilities of its Vindral Live CDN, RealSprint considered software transcoding, as well as GPU and CPU acceleration and ASICs. Not surprisingly, RealSprint made the same decision as YouTube and Meta and chose ASICs.

Watch Jan Ozer from NETINT, and Daniel Alinder from RealSprint, as they discuss the role of hardware encoding and ASICs to enable ultra-low latency 4K streaming with the AV1 codec.

January 11, 2024, at 11 am EST

From Vision to Virtualization
Exploring ASIC Solutions and Multimedia Frameworks with Principle Engineer Daniel Zhou

Unpack the technical brilliance behind NETINT's products with a focus on their seamless integration with leading multimedia frameworks, their streamlined resource management, and groundbreaking virtualization technologies. This session promises to enlighten and inspire, revealing how NETINT's smart power management and robust testing ensure unparalleled reliability and quality in the industry. Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain insider insights into the future of efficient and reliable video processing.

Join us for a compelling Voices of Video interview with Daniel Zhou, NETINT's principal engineer, as we delve into the company's transformative journey in the tech landscape. Discover the WHY and the story behind NETINT's rise and innovation, from Daniel's pivotal role in its growth to the company's pioneering ASIC solutions that redefine cost, efficiency, and power in video processing.

Join live to ask your questions in real time, or you may email your questions ahead of time to voicesofvideo@netint.com.

Can’t make it live? We have you covered. Register for the event, and an on-demand replay will land in your inbox so you can watch at your convenience.

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