’Round the Horn at NAB 2024: Videon, Telestream, Phenix, Ateme, V-Nova, Twelve Labs, Norsk, Dolby, and NETINT

Any NAB report is like the story of the blind man and the elephant: what you experience is what you touch, representing a fraction of the whole and perhaps not even a good sample. That being said, here's what I touched during the show. Many of these experiences are accompanied by video that I shot of the interviews.

What Your Codec Will Cost You: Robert J.L. Moore Talks Avanci Video Codec Patent Pool Launch

What is the new Avanci Video codec patent pool, who is involved with it, what codecs does it cover, and what does it mean for OTTs and other streaming content companies in terms of paying for codec usage going forward? Should the streaming industry be bracing for a sea change when it comes to codec royalties? In this interview with Streaming Learning Center's Jan Ozer and Robert J L Moore, IP attorney, they discuss these implications and more based on what we know so far.

UPDATED: Media Cartographer Evan Shapiro to Host, MC, and Moderate Streaming Media Connect Virtual Event, August 22-24

Streaming Media announced today that Evan Shapiro, self-described "media cartographer" whose incisive data presentation, analysis, and commentary is mapping out the future of the streaming media industry and overall entertainment sector, has signed on as host and MC of the next Streaming Media Connect virtual event, which runs August 22-24.

Rethink TV's Alex Davies Talks New M&E Codecs Market Forecast

When it comes to making roadmap decisions about adopting emerging codecs for media & entertainment content delivery between now and 2030, what do the numbers say, and how has the forecast changed since the pandemic shook up the streaming market? In this in-depth exclusive interview with Streaming Learning Center's Jan Ozer, Rethink Technology Research Senior Analyst Alex Davies discusses the findings of Rethink's new M&E Codecs Market Forecast.

Via LA's Heath Hoglund Talks MPEG LA/Via Licensing Patent Pool Merger

Following on the news that Via Licensing has acquired codec patent pool administrators MPEG LA to form Via LA as a "unified entity," Via LA President Heath Hoglund discusses how the pool will operate, as well as resulting synergies including streamlined IP distribution and economies of scale in this interview with Streaming Learning Center's Jan Ozer.

Jan Ozer Talks "VVC: Ready for Action?" Workshop Coming Up at Streaming Media East 2023

One of the premier pre-conference events at the upcoming Streaming Media East conference explores the readiness of the Versatile Video Codec (VVC) for deployment and implementation. Presented on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Boston's Westin Copley Place, the session includes multiple speakers, many from companies already shipping VVC-related products or services. 

MPEG LA VVC Licensing Terms: What Do They Mean for the Streaming Industry?

Who's contributing to the two VVC patent pools, and will the combined royalties accelerate or discourage adoption? We sat down with two industry experts and the CEOs of both MPEG LA and Access Advance to get their insights.

Dolby Acquires Low-Latency Streaming Platform Millicast

Millicast becomes the third video-related acquisition in 4 years, and will be available immediately as part of the Dolby.io suite of APIs.

MPEG LA Announces VVC Licensing Terms

The terms are out—20 cents per unit for hardware/paid software and 5 cents per unit for free software—but there's lots of fine print and plenty of questions remain, including those about the contributors that aren't in either the MPEG LA pool or the Access Advance pool.

H.264 Usage Drops for First Time in Bitmovin Video Developer Report

HEVC and AV1 usage are on the rise, while H.264 is beginning to fade, according to Bitmovin's annual survey of video developers and engineers. That's not the only surprise in the report.

Moscow State Reports: FFmpeg Still Tops for H.264, but Falters for HEVC and AV1

The good news: As always, Moscow State's codec studies are some of the most comprehensive available. The bad news: Unless you're TikTok or Tencent, you won't have access to some of the best performers.

V-Nova LCEVC Royalty Structure Announced

Royalty will be paid by streaming service providers; the codec will be free for encoder/player developers

Rethink Technology Forecast is Bullish on VVC

Rethink Technology Research's "Media & Entertainment Transcoding Workload and Device Royalty Forecast" breaks down anticipated codec penetration through 2030

VVC Patent Pools: And Then There Were Two

Access Advance and MPEG LA will both administer patent pools for VVC, but it's still unclear what will be covered under the patents and what the likely royalty costs will be.

Streaming Media West Connect is This Week

We've got speakers from Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, Comcast, and more talking about all things OTT and streaming video next week. Registration is free! Read on to find out more.

RealNetworks Brings Facial Recognition to Real 20/20 and StarSearch Chrome Plugin

RealNetworks' SAFR technology has been primarily deployed in security-related applications, but the new Chrome plugin StarSearch and the company's own RealPlayer 20/20 bring it to consumers

Jan Ozer Introduces "Streaming Media 101" Online Course

The 8-hour course covers the fundamental concepts and technologies of online video and includes hands-on exercises featuring some of the most commonly used tools in the industry

Balance of Power Shifts Among HEVC Patent Pools

Nine members of the MPEG LA HEVC pool—including ETRI, KBS, NTT, and NTT DOCOMO—have left and joined the HEVC Advance pool

Reports Show HEVC Usage on the Rise

Survey reports from Encoding.com, Bitmovin, and LiveU offer insights into current and future codec usage, and all show that HEVC and AV1 usage is finally on the rise

Grass Valley's GV Alyve Brings Cloud Mixing to the Browser

GV Alyve takes inputs from GV STRATUS or any device that can generate an RTMP output stream, and offers ad insertion and VOD playout in the higher-end subscriptions