Ott Technology News

OTT (Over-The-Top) And Video Streaming Platforms

Published

9 months ago

July 4, 2022

Over-the-top video streaming platforms are literally overtaking all other traditional media and entertainment platforms. These platforms are meant for sending or streaming content over the internet, instead of using any traditional ways of streaming content like cable TV providers, broadcasters, or IPTV operators.

One can access the platform on a number of devices such as phones, laptops, tablets, and connected TV. In recent years, the number of people moving toward OTT platforms has increased immensely. Research has shown that in the past two years, there has been around an 81% increase seen in the usage of the OTT content.

During past years, the subscription and the usage of the platform have risen all due to the easy access provided by these platforms. Cutting the cords has become the normal thing in the recent past since people are moving towards more convenient platforms and more handy entertainment to get.

With more clarity of digital forwardness, OTT platforms have challenged and to some extent disrupted the traditional market of entertainment. It has come as a boon for the content creators since having their personalized apps have given them a place for the content archives. Nowadays OTT companies have turned into content creators as well as distributors.

Types of Over-the-Top Content

OTT content is usually referred to as high-quality film or television content. Other than that, OTT also has content for voice calling, audio, or messaging.

OTT Video Content

These video streaming platforms encompass a broad range of content of different genres including comedy, horror, romantic, thriller, and so on.

OTT Voice Content

The voice OTT content includes services provided by Skype or other VoIP services that are delivered with a high internet speed.

OTT Messaging

OTT messaging services include services like Facebook messenger, WeChat, and WhatsApp with some reliable internet connections.

OTT Audio Applications

These audio subscription services include various music streaming services for instance Spotify, Amazon Prime Music, and other music streaming services.

Understanding Video Streaming Platforms

Online video streaming platforms are no longer a platform reachable to only some specific portion of the population whether as a viewer or as a creator. There are no boundaries now that stop any individual to explore this news of business and entertainment. Giants like Netflix often get presented in an unflinching position. But it is never too late for any small players to get into this business. Many small players can bring a gigantic shift in this entertainment business. The success of small players like Sun NXT, Hoichoi, and Mitwa TV is among the examples of the shift that we are experiencing in the present world. The developments happening in the world of OTT are immense.

These platforms are catering to all the viewers out there. Your favorite show is not restricted to real-time. Nor that your entertainment is bounded in the restricted space of your living room. This all has happened due to the regular increase in the number of viewers of the over-the-top platforms. The accessibility has increased due to the increased reach of the internet connection to every nook and corner.

In all, over-the-top services have revolutionized the entertainment industry with the change in the way of attracting viewers from different sets of people. It has given wider controls in the hands of the consumer. With every development in the technological sphere, it is becoming evident that these video streaming platforms are going to make the entertainment segment flourish and the platform shine brighter than ever.

To know more about OTT and technology related to the OTT platforms, do follow our website. We will be there with fresh OTT-related content.

Ott Technology News

Google Releases Lyra V2: A New Audio Codec

Published

5 months ago

October 12, 2022

Harshita

Google has recently released a new codec named Lyra V2, a better, faster, and more versatile speech Codec. The architecture of the new Lyra V2 brings scalable bitrate capabilities, provides better performance, provides wider platform support and generates a higher audio quality. With the release of Lyra V2, Google is trying to evolve with the community.

The Architecture Of Lyra V2

The latest release of the Lyra V2 is based on SoundStream, an end-to-end neutral audio codec. The architecture of the latest audio codec includes a residual vector quantizer Or RVQ which is present before and after the channel of transmission. RVQ quantizes the encoded content into a bit stream and thereafter reconstructs it at the decoder side.

This integration of RVQ into the codec infrastructure allows changing the bitrate of Lyra V2 at any time just by selecting the number of quantizers to use. To generate higher-quality audio more quantizers are used. This codec uses three different bitrates which include 3.2 kbps, 6 kbps, and 9.2 kbps which enables the developers to choose bitrates suitable for network conditions and other requirements. With this new architecture, the delay in the audio delivery is reduced from 100 ms from the previous version. It is most comparable to the most used codec Opus which has an approximate delay of 26.5 ms, 46.5 ms, and 66.5 ms.

This latest audio codec released by Google has the ability to encode and decode audio by 5x than the previous version. Apart from the speed and performance, the quality of the audio generated by this new audio codec has also improved. This model of V2 is exported in TensorFlow Lite. All this makes V2 a great alternative to other state-of-the-art audio codecs. It has the ability to be connected with more devices in bandwidth-constrained environments, making it an appropriate choice for higher audio quality requirements.

Ott Technology News

UniqCast IPTV/OTT/DVB Platform is now available in the Cloud

Published

6 months ago

September 9, 2022

Harshita

UniqCast, the market leader in providing end-to-end IPTV/OTT/DVB solutions has announced its availability on Cloud. The brand provides solutions for OTT providers, ISPs, Telcos, DVB, Mobile, broadcasters, and content owners. With its cloud offerings, UniqCast allows content providers and operators (specifically in EMEA, LATAM, and APAC regions) to launch their video streaming services quickly without any up-front costs. UniqCast provides its services in the PaaS model which includes content management, CDN, transcoding, subscriber, and client applications. It has brought equally mature technology as the solution widely used around the world by operators.

The core benefits of UniqCast include premium UX for applications, the option of configuring UI, cloud or private CDN and an advanced business model. The central goal of this is to make the technology more accessible for every operator and content provider and to provide a premium user experience to all the viewers.

UniqCast cloud includes streaming and CDN capabilities which allows streaming from the cloud or other hybrid cloud models. The key differentiator of UniqCast from others is its licensing which allows operators to get lower bandwidth costs. The solution is designed to provide the minimum TCO (total cost of ownership) for service providers.

Top highlights of UniqCast Cloud include:

No upfront cost
Launch in days
Lower bandwidth cost
Multiscreen app with quality user experience
Anti-churn feature
Flexible monetization option
Live and cloud transcoding from cloud/on-site
Multi DRM protection for content
Option of configuring the premium UX
Support for IPTV, DVB and OTT services
Streaming option from the cloud or hybrid private CDN

With this step, UniqCast is trying to make the deployment of new services or replacement of the existing ones quickly with the least investment and no risk. The availability to launch multi-screen applications in a day with a robust backend and anti-churn quality will be helpful for video streaming services to decrease churn and increase subscribers instantly, says Darko Robič, CEO at UniqCast.

Ott Technology News

Apple iPhone 14 launch event: Place, Time and Expectations

Published

7 months ago

September 6, 2022

Harshita

The wait for the latest Apple iPhone 14 is almost over. The Apple ‘Far Out’ event is going to be held tomorrow (September 7). The main highlight of the event will be the Apple iPhone 14 but it will probably not end there. Apple is expected to introduce a range of products in its upcoming event which includes the next-generation Apple Watch- Series 8, 8 Pro, and Apple Watch SE 2.

About the event

Apple is going to launch a series of products where the main focus and highlight will be the Apple iPhone 14 series. The event will be held tomorrow at 10:00 AM PT (10.30 pm IST). The event will be held at Apple Park, Cupertino. It will be the first in-person event after the pandemic. The ‘Far Out’ event will be live streamed on selected platforms which include Apple’s official website, companies official YouTube channel, and the Apple TV app. As an option available on the company’s website, users can add the event to their calendars as well. To proceed further, you can visit the official website: https://www.apple.com/

What to expect

The event is going to be highlighted with the Apple iPhone 14 series but that is not the end of the event. The company may launch a series of products including four variants of the iPhone 14 (most likely) which include the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. This time, Apple is going to skip the mini variant as launched in iPhone 12 and 13.

Apart from the major highlights i.e. iPhone 14, the company is rumored to launch the Apple Watch series which includes Watch series 8, 8 Pro, and SE 2. The 8 Pro Watch is rumored to offer improved fitness and health features, advanced sensors, durability, and long battery life. Yet all the products may or may not get launched tomorrow. The wait is going to end soon, till then we will keep you informed.