For years, we’ve referred to the many dazzlingly efficient codecs still at the marginal deployment stage as the workmanlike H.264 continues to dominate as “emerging” codecs. But which ones can we move into the “emerged” column in 2023? We’ve seen some of the largest content companies adopt AV1, along with promising signs from the HEVC camp, but which codecs are really taking center stage here and now?

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There’s little doubt that the two keys to the future of streaming delivery are edge compute and the effective leveraging of cloud services. But incorporating the cloud into your CDN architecture is easier said than done, and integrating traditional CDN infrastructure with edge compute is a similarly involved process. This panel looks at the current stage of cloud evolution and migration in content delivery and best practices for seamless cloud integration.

In the arena and beyond, sports betting minute-to-minute micro-betting is suddenly everywhere these days. It’s made ultra-low-latency streaming more mission-critical than ever in the sports world, where it was always at a premium. What are the challenges of (nearly) zeroing out latency today? How realistic is the possibility? And with the rise of 5G and other enabling tech, how close are we to getting there?

Even though AI technologies have been making all sorts of inroads for years, the arrival of the free generative AI chatbot ChatGPT set off alarms throughout the streaming world and elsewhere that the long foretold “AI is coming for our jobs” scenario is finally upon us. But AI is already a big part of streaming workflows and analytics. This panel looks at the increasing role of AI at all levels of the online video business, and how it can help you keep your job and do it better.

From ingest to encoding to delivery to monitoring, building a sound and streamlined end-to-end workflow is critical for any project. But when it comes to live events, one critical question remains: Will it scale? This panel looks at the challenges of maintaining quality and reliability and delivering impeccable streams that satisfy audiences and sponsors alike for tentpole events serving tens of thousands, or even millions, of viewers.

From regular meetings that bring together on-site and remote staff to CEO presentations and training and professional development, deploying streaming video for hybrid corporate events is standard operating procedure for enterprises today. But there’s no standard way of producing these events or standardizing the experience, particularly for remote viewers whose QoE can vary widely. This panel of corporate video practitioners offers best practices for elevating enterprise-level hybrid events.

What makes interactive streaming work, and what are the essential strategies and tools for monetizing the experiences it delivers? What elements of interactive streams resonate with users most? How can second-screen interactions fuel ecommerce? Pushing interactivity to higher levels is one of the most challenging and potentially rewarding puzzles to solve in today’s streaming ecosystem, both in terms of finding new and more creative ways to engage audiences and achieving the zero-latency delivery that is critical for auctions and more. This panel of interactive streaming experts discusses cutting-edge applications for live streaming and provides a reality check for what it takes to deliver them. 

Industry leaders discuss and present the latest cutting-edge solutions and strategies to help you maximize efficiencies and minimize costs in your streaming video workflow. ATTEND FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD!

Will AI really “save” adtech, as some pundits have claimed? In what specific ways are advertisers leveraging adtech to achieve their KPIs? To what degree is AI driving current and emerging ad personalization and platforms? This panel explores all the ways AI is infusing the streaming ad stack these days and what you need to know about it.

As traditional broadcasters and content companies test the waters of deeper investments in streaming, from on-demand OTT to FAST, crossing the channel that separates the two worlds means acclimating to new tech and different workflows as well as different culture and business approaches. What can the Digital Natives of the OTT world teach broadcasters about making the transition, from monetization issues to digital rights management, balancing longtail and fat tail content strategies, and regionalization/localization of content in the streaming world? And how can they manage the cannibalization of their revenue streams as they add new ones leveraging some of the same content? This panel of OTT experts—some of whom have made the jump and lived to tell the tale—discusses the top challenges that broadcast-rooted content companies face today when moving to OTT.

With the proliferation of new channels and tools for developing them, along with the emergence of a new compliance standard known as FAST 2.0, FAST may well be not just the fastest-growing but also the fastest-changing area of the streaming world. This expert panel offers insight on the current challenges of launching and sustaining FAST channels and how to keep up as the FAST ecosystem continues to evolve at its current pace.

Nearly 80% of OTT back ends rely on acquired tech, but 80% of those undergo some degree of customization before deployment. Using external tech saves in-house development but surrenders a measure of control. Thus, one of the biggest dilemmas companies face when preparing to launch OTT services is whether to build their technology stack from the ground up or license an API or otherwise leverage outside tech to develop their platform. Key questions abound: Is your platform B2B or B2C? How much customization and flexibility do you need? Will buying ultimately cost more than building? Is pay-as-you-go an option? Will your in-house-built system really serve your needs better and longer than a ready-made solution? The OTT architecture experts on this panel explore these questions and more.

From Netflix to Disney to HBO to Amazon, top-tier OTT providers are testing multiple monetization models for their content today, whether it’s legacy longtail content or first-run premium programming. What’s working and what isn’t? And between available survey data to current corporate valuations, how can we read the tea leaves?

From every stage of the streaming workflow, providers of the top gear in the industry pull back the curtain on their latest offerings and offer live tutorials on key features with practical tips on how to make them work and scale in your own projects.