Transitions

Tim Siglin reflects on his 25-year-long career as a writer, instructor, and consultant in the streaming industry along with his professional partnership with Eric Schu­macher-Rasmussen.

Of Subscriptions and Submarines

What do Lewis Carroll, OTT subscriptions, and submarine power cables have in common? Read on!

We're All Video Distributors Now

One of the unheralded shifts spurred on by the COVID pandemic has been an increase in the number and types of organizations that are creating and distributing their own video content.

Will OTT Consolidation Hamper Innovation?

The past 18 months have seen no shortage of mergers and acquisitions, and it has me wondering if all this consolidation will lead toward innovation. My gut says no, and plenty of industry pundits agree, but it could bring improvements to the customer experience.

Collecting 'Junk' for Better Streaming

Got junk? The Help Me Stream Research Foundation can take your tech castoffs and use them to research better streaming practices, repurposing it into efficient and inexpensive solutions that can run on intermittent power—dovetailing with the efforts of another new organization, Greening of Streaming.

Why Is Watching Sports on OTT Harder Than Watching on TV?

Streaming is supposed to provide a better experience than television. So why is watching the Euro 2020 on the ESPN app such a poor experience?

From Zoom Fatigue to Serendipity

It's March. Again. And we're still all on Zoom. It's been a lifeline, but it'll never replace in-person meetings and conferences.

A Look Back at Streaming Video's 2020

From the rise of Zoom to the fall of MPEG, 2020 has been a year of surprises.

Is the Pandemic the Death Knell for the Multiplex?

In a world dominated by streaming, cinemas still offer the optimal viewing experience for movies. OTT will never replace that.

Launching Rockets

Live streaming brought the launch of Endeavour into our living rooms, and inspired our imaginations to quest for what lies beyond

Shouldering Our Responsibility to Educate the Streaming Market

As companies and individuals pivot online in the "new normal," it's up to us in the streaming industry to put education ahead of profit

Back to the Future

A look at streaming media's past can give us guidance on our journey toward where we're heading next

The Math Behind the Magic

Whether we're talking about content delivery, player performance, live events, or even DRM, it's important to understand the algorithms that make streaming video tick.

Netflix's Stock Price Tumbles as Higher Prices Lead to Churn

Why did Netflix's stock fall in Q2? Because the OTT leader's price increase lead to service cancellations. That's a warning to all SVODs: If it can happen to Netflix, it can happen to any service.

Engineering Women: IBC Plays Host to a Powerful Force for Change

Women in Streaming Media has announced a mentoring program to encourage and empower talented women in the industry.

Two Quick-Fix Solutions That Became Long-Term Problems

When will the industry jettison HTTP-segment-based streaming and buffer-based playback, both of which hold us back? How about right now, our columnist proposes.

For Thought-Provoking Video, Forget About Slick Production Values

In a previous age, videoconferencing was bright, sterile, and unpleasant. It lacked the multi-sensory input that makes face-to-face meetings valuable.

3 Things the Streaming Industry Must Do to Prepare for ATSC 3.0

This is "The Year Before the Year of ATSC 3.0," and that means preparation—not just for broadcasters, but for the streaming industry, as well.

How Australia's Optus Missed the Goal at the World Cup

Optus claimed it experienced "unprecedented demand" for live video streaming during the 2018 World Cup, but what else would it expect?

Streaming Video Exploration Makes the World a Little Smaller

Both armchair explorers and scientists are making use of new video technologies that are able to see more deeply than human vision can.