The way we consume content has evolved tremendously over the years – from the TV set to the laptop all the way to the smartphone, the way people use media has taken tremendous leaps along the way. Since the birth of social media, traditional media is no longer a one-way stream of communication as consumers embrace always-on, interactive means of learning from and engaging with one another. Younger consumers in particular are shifting away from the conventional habit of watching full-length award ceremonies or sports games, instead preferring to catch up on the latest news, big plays and viral moments via short, snappy, on-demand highlights.
Cloud Acceleration and the Business Model for Experimentation
The video industry has undergone rapid growth over the last decade and is continuing to expand at an incredible rate. The global video streaming market was valued at $69.55 billion in 2021 and according to a recent report, is projected to reach a staggering $257.79 billion by 2029.
Challenging The Cloud with Linear TV Workflows
Like many powerful technologies, the list of benefits from moving to the cloud is long and varied. It starts with the familiar cries of scalability, flexibility and cost reduction but continues with advantages that not all companies need such as moving to remote production workflows or reduced time to market. The total list may be more than 20 entries long and to newcomers can seem vague and overwhelming. As an open and honest partner, it’s our role at Techex to ensure everyone we work with understands exactly how they will benefit and, most importantly, the ways in which they won’t.
Relying on the cloud for revenue protection
As an industry, we talk a lot about “business continuity” or “disaster recovery.” But what we actually mean is “revenue protection.”
The data domino effect
When designing a storage system for a production or post facility, it is easy to concentrate on capacity and throughput, and think that is all you need. However, a very real issue is data safety and how to guard against it. That is a particular problem in our industry of media production. Once you start considering the issues around data loss, the potential problems start to escalate: a real domino effect.
Securing broadcast synchronization against malicious attack
Synchronization is a fundamental requirement in all content generation and broadcast; used extensively both in SDI / HDI formats and in IP packet based systems. Synchronization signals are typically generated from equipment including sync pulse generators, master sync references, and for the IP format, Precision Timing Protocol (PTP) grandmaster clock generators. Most sync generators encapsulate a very accurate internal clock which is synchronised to an external reference, which for the vast majority of manufacturers is a GPS & GNSS satellite timing signal. Consequently sync generators are connected to an outside GNSS antenna via coaxial cable or fibre optic cable, like those supplied by ViaLite Communications.
Protecting Media Assets – Risk and Resilience
The sudden shift to remote working within the media industry saw an incredible turnaround, with workflows being instated quickly to ensure that quality content creation could continue. Existing media tools were adapted to enable workers from around the globe to access content and contribute to production, all whilst the industry came to terms with wider logistical challenges. A quick rollout of infrastructure saw big changes in how the industry managed their assets; suddenly, data that would have been very difficult to access needed to be available to workers from their homes.
Content Protection – more things to consider
The recent IABM report on content security trends in conjunction with our good friends at Axinom made for some interesting reading. As Roger Thornton mentions in his summary article, perhaps the most surprising takeaway is the discrepancy between a stated intention to invest in content, and a far lower priority in investment in content security technology to safeguard against the theft of that content, especially given the financial, operational and potentially creative resources that will be required to produce or acquire it. As Roger summarises, this seems counterintuitive, but budgets are finite and it could be argued that prioritizing content over business processes is where dutiful media providers should concentrate their majority resource.
Content Chain Trends: Content Distribution & Monetization
Highlights: The significant growth of streaming platforms has accelerated the adoption of different technology business models in distribution while hitting legacy revenues.
In Conversation with Caton
In this IABM TV interview, Gerald Wong (Senior Vice President, Caton Technology) discusses the CatonNet Video Platform and how easy it is for broadcasters to utilise the platform if they have cloud hosted services.