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IBM Aspera Streaming for Video with FASPStream for Near-live and Live Video Streaming

Live and near-live streaming of broadcast quality video content (10 - 50 Mbps) over IP networks with small start-up delays and glitch-free experiences have traditionally required expensive and specially-provisioned infrastructure. Traditional distribution systems use live satellite feeds from the streaming source or dedicated terrestrial networks with heavy quality of service to ensure low latency and low packet loss rates so as to not degrade the play out quality. In recent years, advances in broadcast quality video compression have also made it possible to distribute lower bit rate versions through web streaming over consumer broadband bandwidths (1-10 Mbps), but even at these bit rates, providers have relied heavily on global content distribution networks (CDNs) to stream the video content from the network edge to the consumer. These CDNs allow the user to take advantage of low round-trip latency and relatively low packet loss rates or a better quality user experience. Note that lower bit rate transcoding does not eliminate the need to ingest a high quality stream to transcoders, which may be remote from the source.

Spotlight

Sphere Entertainment Co.

The Company’s portfolio includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium that will bring wonder to the world and redefine the future of live entertainment. Sphere will be powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and transport audiences to places both real and imagined.

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Virtualization, Media and Broadcasting

Netflix versus Amazon Prime Video – depth versus breadth

Article | July 13, 2022

The first half of 2021 has been a year of continued change and disruption for subscription video. The global incumbent subscription video on demand (SVOD) leaders, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, have been busy signalling to the financial markets how they intend to entrench their market dominance in light of the ongoing market acquisition pushes unleashed by the D2C disruptors following the D2C ‘big bang’ moment of Q4 2019 – Q2 2021. Netflix announced in January that it was no longer going to borrow on the financial markets to fund its day-to-day operations – specifically for its content acquisition budget, which is now driven predominately by commissioning original content for its service. This leaves the SVOD leader with $14.9 billion of outstanding long-term debt to service as it seeks to live within its means by commissioning future content from its ongoing cashflow. In Q1 2021 alone Netflix spent $500 million on servicing this debt pile versus $1.7 billion in net income generated over the same period.

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Technologies

B2B Movie Placements: What to Expect?

Article | February 14, 2022

As films evolved into the popular medium that they are today, brands followed suit. They took advantage of a large network of new ways to market, from print media to radio to television. Product placement, a part of branded entertainment marketing, became more common from the 1980s. Today, every moviegoer is familiar – sometimes painfully – with paid product placements. And every marketer has heard commentary on both good and bad B2C product placements. But what about B2B movie placements? Ever heard of those? If you are a B2B enterprise looking to try it out, here are some major differences between B2C and B2B movie placements: Impress the producers Create an enticing pitch for the producers, which can influence them enough to bring them to the creative department. Sell your brand or product to them (indirectly) to help them understand how it will improve the realism of their scene or set. Make them realize how your product or service can help them. Placement isn’t always ‘placement’ Prospective B2B buyers aren’t going to squint their eyes to find your product while watching a movie. However, they might actually remember your brand if you host pre-opening events around the world for them and their families to watch a popular movie. If they enjoy the movie and establish an emotional connection with it, they will definitely think of you while making any kind of purchase decision. Things might not work out No matter how hard you try to show your brand in a good light in a certain scene or situation, sometimes things happen that you can't control or ignore. In such cases, you might have to get all the branding out instead of settling for negative publicity, which could be a viable option for a B2C brand. B2B Movie Placement: A Success Story FLIR, a client of Hollywood Branded, is the leading provider of thermal military camera equipment. It co-starred in one of Warner Brothers' biggest hits of 2018, Rampage. FLIR connected with the right member of the production team and ensured that the brand was pictured in a positive light. FLIR shared its technology with the filmmakers and got advertised to its business customers, mostly film-loving decision-makers, through the movie and the way it was shot. The film earned $427M at the worldwide box office.

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Business

FILM PRODUCERS FLIP BARGAINING TABLE WITH UNIONIZING EFFORT

Article | July 11, 2022

Movie producers often find themselves negotiating with talent and crew members, and/or their production union representatives, over pay and benefits. But a group of 108 producers flipped the script Thursday in announcing they were looking to form a union of their own.Higher minimum pay and health benefits were cited as the two major reasons. While the group, called the Producers Union, boasts some heavy hitters such as Chris Moore (Manchester by the Sea) and Rebecca Green (It Follows), they made it clear that the traditional image of a Hollywood producer is misleading. Many are just getting by, project to project, looking for a breakout hit to up their quote. According to a survey released this year, 41% of producers made less than $25,000 in the pre-pandemic boom times of 2019. The Producers Union has developed a constitution with provisions for dues and diversity initiatives, with the aim of eventually negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with distributors and other film financiers. Previous efforts by producers to unionize have been thwarted by the courts and the National Labor Relations Board, according to Variety, as the NLRB saw them as supervisors and employers – which creates a high barrier to organizing.

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Technologies, Virtualization

Metaverse: Transforming B2B Businesses with Technology

Article | July 27, 2022

In the 3D interactive space of metaverse, nothing is impossible. People from various corners of the world can create, share, and explore virtual worlds in this space. They can also interact, trade, and do business. What does metaverse offer B2B businesses, though? Let us take a look. From Virtual Storefronts to Digital Employees While metaverse is still in the early stages of development, businesses can have their own virtual storefronts, digital employees, and virtual currency in a virtual reality. Business exclusive metaverse platforms like Sansar, Somnium Space, and Decentraland offer companies an option to establish their virtual presence. How is Metaverse Transforming B2B Businesses? Metaverse presents businesses with the unique opportunity to build client relationships face-to-face. Branded experiences like product announcements, product showrooms, company updates, educational sessions, conferences, and networking events can be done in metaverse. Let us explore other ways in which metaverse can enrich B2B businesses: Richer Customer Experience Immersive buyer experiences influence prospects to make purchase decisions faster. B2B sellers in metaverse can create such experiences through interactions that surpass traditional sales approaches and focus on visually attractive sales presentations to convert prospects. Effective Marketing and Advertising New marketing and advertising opportunities in metaverse are developing with every passing day. Over time, companies may be able to sponsor events or create targets ads to attract a certain demographic. The companies that establish themselves in the metaverse might have a bigger advantage in this regard compared to the companies that venture into it later. Higher ROI and Sales Increasing sales and ROI are crucial for every business. Reaching new markets and tapping into new revenue sources is easier with metaverse. It will allow salespeople to host multiple meetings with buyers living in different parts of the world without having to leave their actual office, saving multiple costs while conveniently still creating client relationships that last. Improved Workforce Efficiency Metaverse-based training simulations help employees upgrade their skills. Additionally, customer service associates can create avatars to provide business customers assistance in real-time. Metaverse encourages employees to communicate better and allows remote employees to virtually connect for projects, meetings, and feedback. Last Word B2B businesses can capitalize on the convenience of metaverse and harness this latest technology to offer their customers visually immersive experiences.

Read More
Virtualization, Media and Broadcasting

B2B Movie Placements: What to Expect?

Article | July 13, 2022

The first half of 2021 has been a year of continued change and disruption for subscription video. The global incumbent subscription video on demand (SVOD) leaders, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, have been busy signalling to the financial markets how they intend to entrench their market dominance in light of the ongoing market acquisition pushes unleashed by the D2C disruptors following the D2C ‘big bang’ moment of Q4 2019 – Q2 2021. Netflix announced in January that it was no longer going to borrow on the financial markets to fund its day-to-day operations – specifically for its content acquisition budget, which is now driven predominately by commissioning original content for its service. This leaves the SVOD leader with $14.9 billion of outstanding long-term debt to service as it seeks to live within its means by commissioning future content from its ongoing cashflow. In Q1 2021 alone Netflix spent $500 million on servicing this debt pile versus $1.7 billion in net income generated over the same period.

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Technologies

Live Sports TV Executive Predictions: Cloud-Based Production Is the Future

Article | February 14, 2022

As films evolved into the popular medium that they are today, brands followed suit. They took advantage of a large network of new ways to market, from print media to radio to television. Product placement, a part of branded entertainment marketing, became more common from the 1980s. Today, every moviegoer is familiar – sometimes painfully – with paid product placements. And every marketer has heard commentary on both good and bad B2C product placements. But what about B2B movie placements? Ever heard of those? If you are a B2B enterprise looking to try it out, here are some major differences between B2C and B2B movie placements: Impress the producers Create an enticing pitch for the producers, which can influence them enough to bring them to the creative department. Sell your brand or product to them (indirectly) to help them understand how it will improve the realism of their scene or set. Make them realize how your product or service can help them. Placement isn’t always ‘placement’ Prospective B2B buyers aren’t going to squint their eyes to find your product while watching a movie. However, they might actually remember your brand if you host pre-opening events around the world for them and their families to watch a popular movie. If they enjoy the movie and establish an emotional connection with it, they will definitely think of you while making any kind of purchase decision. Things might not work out No matter how hard you try to show your brand in a good light in a certain scene or situation, sometimes things happen that you can't control or ignore. In such cases, you might have to get all the branding out instead of settling for negative publicity, which could be a viable option for a B2C brand. B2B Movie Placement: A Success Story FLIR, a client of Hollywood Branded, is the leading provider of thermal military camera equipment. It co-starred in one of Warner Brothers' biggest hits of 2018, Rampage. FLIR connected with the right member of the production team and ensured that the brand was pictured in a positive light. FLIR shared its technology with the filmmakers and got advertised to its business customers, mostly film-loving decision-makers, through the movie and the way it was shot. The film earned $427M at the worldwide box office.

Read More
Business

Branded Entertainment in B2B: Why is it Important?

Article | July 11, 2022

Movie producers often find themselves negotiating with talent and crew members, and/or their production union representatives, over pay and benefits. But a group of 108 producers flipped the script Thursday in announcing they were looking to form a union of their own.Higher minimum pay and health benefits were cited as the two major reasons. While the group, called the Producers Union, boasts some heavy hitters such as Chris Moore (Manchester by the Sea) and Rebecca Green (It Follows), they made it clear that the traditional image of a Hollywood producer is misleading. Many are just getting by, project to project, looking for a breakout hit to up their quote. According to a survey released this year, 41% of producers made less than $25,000 in the pre-pandemic boom times of 2019. The Producers Union has developed a constitution with provisions for dues and diversity initiatives, with the aim of eventually negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with distributors and other film financiers. Previous efforts by producers to unionize have been thwarted by the courts and the National Labor Relations Board, according to Variety, as the NLRB saw them as supervisors and employers – which creates a high barrier to organizing.

Read More
Technologies, Virtualization

Metaverse: Transforming B2B Businesses with Technology

Article | July 27, 2022

In the 3D interactive space of metaverse, nothing is impossible. People from various corners of the world can create, share, and explore virtual worlds in this space. They can also interact, trade, and do business. What does metaverse offer B2B businesses, though? Let us take a look. From Virtual Storefronts to Digital Employees While metaverse is still in the early stages of development, businesses can have their own virtual storefronts, digital employees, and virtual currency in a virtual reality. Business exclusive metaverse platforms like Sansar, Somnium Space, and Decentraland offer companies an option to establish their virtual presence. How is Metaverse Transforming B2B Businesses? Metaverse presents businesses with the unique opportunity to build client relationships face-to-face. Branded experiences like product announcements, product showrooms, company updates, educational sessions, conferences, and networking events can be done in metaverse. Let us explore other ways in which metaverse can enrich B2B businesses: Richer Customer Experience Immersive buyer experiences influence prospects to make purchase decisions faster. B2B sellers in metaverse can create such experiences through interactions that surpass traditional sales approaches and focus on visually attractive sales presentations to convert prospects. Effective Marketing and Advertising New marketing and advertising opportunities in metaverse are developing with every passing day. Over time, companies may be able to sponsor events or create targets ads to attract a certain demographic. The companies that establish themselves in the metaverse might have a bigger advantage in this regard compared to the companies that venture into it later. Higher ROI and Sales Increasing sales and ROI are crucial for every business. Reaching new markets and tapping into new revenue sources is easier with metaverse. It will allow salespeople to host multiple meetings with buyers living in different parts of the world without having to leave their actual office, saving multiple costs while conveniently still creating client relationships that last. Improved Workforce Efficiency Metaverse-based training simulations help employees upgrade their skills. Additionally, customer service associates can create avatars to provide business customers assistance in real-time. Metaverse encourages employees to communicate better and allows remote employees to virtually connect for projects, meetings, and feedback. Last Word B2B businesses can capitalize on the convenience of metaverse and harness this latest technology to offer their customers visually immersive experiences.

Read More
MORE ARTICLES

Spotlight

Sphere Entertainment Co.

The Company’s portfolio includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium that will bring wonder to the world and redefine the future of live entertainment. Sphere will be powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and transport audiences to places both real and imagined.

Related News

Technologies, Solutions

Varnish Software Achieves 1.3 Tbps Per Server Throughput at 1.17 Gbps Per Watt

Varnish Software | February 23, 2023

On February 22, 2023, Varnish Software, a leader in video streaming, online caching, and content delivery software, revealed new performance benchmarks for content delivery that set new records. With the help of Intel and Supermicro, a single 1,120-watt Edge server could handle more than 1.3 Tbps of throughput, equivalent to 1.17 Gbps per watt. Varnish Enterprise 6.0 was deployed on a Supermicro 2U CloudDC server powered by 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors without the need for additional-cost SSL offload cards. Supermicro's 1U and 2U CloudDC servers are optimized for private and public clouds and come with single or dual processors, an all-inclusive server with the best cost-to-optimized-performance ratio. These servers are optimized for balancing CPU, memory, storage, expansion, and networking. In addition, each server offers PCI-Express Gen 5 x8 and x16 expansion slots for the latest PCI cards. "Achieving over 1 Tbps in a single Edge server is a major leap forward for the industry, and critical for delivering the next generation of video and digital experiences," said Frank Miller, CTO of Varnish Software. (Source –Cision PRWeb) Michael McNerney, Vice President, Marketing and Network Security at Supermicro, added, "We deliver first-to-market innovations and IT Solutions that are environmentally friendly and fit every organization's objectives and budget." (Source –Cision PRWeb) Notably, this benchmark's throughput and energy efficiency can be used with different servers, depending on what the customers want. Varnish anticipates collaborating with key partners - Intel and Supermicro on systems that support a broad range of video and content delivery workloads by leveraging cost-effective system footprints and energy efficiency. About Varnish Software Varnish Software is a pioneer in high-performance content delivery. Its powerful caching technology helps the world's biggest content providers deliver lightning-fast web and streaming experiences for huge audiences without downtime or loss of performance. With over 10 million deployments, the technology is relied on by millions of websites worldwide across every industry, including Hulu, Emirates, and Tesla. Powered by uniquely flexible caching technology, its solutions are the common denominator among the world's most popular brands.

Read More

Warner Bros hails 5G entertainment potential

mobileworldlive | October 24, 2019

Warner Bros. Entertainment’s chief digital officer spotlighted the growing role of mobile as a means of consuming content, tipping 5G to fan the flames by opening new avenues for users to stream media. During the closing keynote, Thomas Gewecke (pictured, right), said “mobile is becoming an incredibly important platform for video consumption,” not only for short-form content, but increasingly also long-form.

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How Netflix is changing the way we consume entertainment

livemint | December 31, 2018

Recently, at a gathering of friends, during a lull in the conversation, someone asked: “So, what have you been watching lately on Netflix?” And someone else laughed and said: “This is the question that has replaced ‘What have you been reading lately?’”Everyone present subscribed to Netflix and Amazon Prime. Everyone had one or two shows to recommend that they had watched in the last week or two, and the next evening, when my wife and I sat down for our daily entertainment fix, the conversation was: “What was that French serial X was talking about? About that serial killer?” “No, we’ve seen too many serial killers in the last few weeks. Let’s watch that new science-fiction show that Y was recommending.” The conversations would have been similar in the homes of several of my friends.I cannot remember the last time I turned on an Indian television channel for entertainment. It has been video streaming services or over-the-top (OTT) media for the last year-and-a-half, ever since Netflix launched in India.

Read More

Technologies, Solutions

Varnish Software Achieves 1.3 Tbps Per Server Throughput at 1.17 Gbps Per Watt

Varnish Software | February 23, 2023

On February 22, 2023, Varnish Software, a leader in video streaming, online caching, and content delivery software, revealed new performance benchmarks for content delivery that set new records. With the help of Intel and Supermicro, a single 1,120-watt Edge server could handle more than 1.3 Tbps of throughput, equivalent to 1.17 Gbps per watt. Varnish Enterprise 6.0 was deployed on a Supermicro 2U CloudDC server powered by 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors without the need for additional-cost SSL offload cards. Supermicro's 1U and 2U CloudDC servers are optimized for private and public clouds and come with single or dual processors, an all-inclusive server with the best cost-to-optimized-performance ratio. These servers are optimized for balancing CPU, memory, storage, expansion, and networking. In addition, each server offers PCI-Express Gen 5 x8 and x16 expansion slots for the latest PCI cards. "Achieving over 1 Tbps in a single Edge server is a major leap forward for the industry, and critical for delivering the next generation of video and digital experiences," said Frank Miller, CTO of Varnish Software. (Source –Cision PRWeb) Michael McNerney, Vice President, Marketing and Network Security at Supermicro, added, "We deliver first-to-market innovations and IT Solutions that are environmentally friendly and fit every organization's objectives and budget." (Source –Cision PRWeb) Notably, this benchmark's throughput and energy efficiency can be used with different servers, depending on what the customers want. Varnish anticipates collaborating with key partners - Intel and Supermicro on systems that support a broad range of video and content delivery workloads by leveraging cost-effective system footprints and energy efficiency. About Varnish Software Varnish Software is a pioneer in high-performance content delivery. Its powerful caching technology helps the world's biggest content providers deliver lightning-fast web and streaming experiences for huge audiences without downtime or loss of performance. With over 10 million deployments, the technology is relied on by millions of websites worldwide across every industry, including Hulu, Emirates, and Tesla. Powered by uniquely flexible caching technology, its solutions are the common denominator among the world's most popular brands.

Read More

Warner Bros hails 5G entertainment potential

mobileworldlive | October 24, 2019

Warner Bros. Entertainment’s chief digital officer spotlighted the growing role of mobile as a means of consuming content, tipping 5G to fan the flames by opening new avenues for users to stream media. During the closing keynote, Thomas Gewecke (pictured, right), said “mobile is becoming an incredibly important platform for video consumption,” not only for short-form content, but increasingly also long-form.

Read More

How Netflix is changing the way we consume entertainment

livemint | December 31, 2018

Recently, at a gathering of friends, during a lull in the conversation, someone asked: “So, what have you been watching lately on Netflix?” And someone else laughed and said: “This is the question that has replaced ‘What have you been reading lately?’”Everyone present subscribed to Netflix and Amazon Prime. Everyone had one or two shows to recommend that they had watched in the last week or two, and the next evening, when my wife and I sat down for our daily entertainment fix, the conversation was: “What was that French serial X was talking about? About that serial killer?” “No, we’ve seen too many serial killers in the last few weeks. Let’s watch that new science-fiction show that Y was recommending.” The conversations would have been similar in the homes of several of my friends.I cannot remember the last time I turned on an Indian television channel for entertainment. It has been video streaming services or over-the-top (OTT) media for the last year-and-a-half, ever since Netflix launched in India.

Read More

Events