Product Updates

Located in Europe and looking for a video streaming solution that has a server infrastructure also located there? IBM Watson Media is introducing a concentrated, shared server cluster for the Europe region.

For organizations that elect to use this added service, they will be able to manage and deliver live and on-demand video strictly from a Europe based server cluster. As a result, servers from outside Europe aren’t used for those who elect to use this service. This introduces advantages to Europe based organizations and also the ability to comply with certain regulations.

Viewers now have more options related to how closed captions are displayed for video streaming content. This allows end users to customize closed captioning settings inside the video player for live and on demand captions. As a result, viewers can control a number of options from increasing font size for accessibility reasons to altering aspects like color of the display.

These settings are available for manually uploaded WebVTT captioning files and also automated closed captions from IBM Watson. Furthermore, the settings can be accessed and control the captions for mobile devices and desktops. However, please note there is a current limitation for these settings when viewing full screen on an iPhone.

• Options for closed captions
• Opening closed captioning settings
• Stored CC settings

Need an effective CTA (Call To Action) for your live video marketing? Looking to add clickable video overlays?

CTAs are an important element of the overall conversion process. While video marketing can be valuable to build brand recognition, sometimes collateral is created for later in the sales funnel with the desire to convert. For these and other instances, IBM’s streaming video and enterprise video streaming users can now add live CTAs directly into the video player. These clickable video overlays can provide a clear next step for prospects who are watching live streaming content. For more information on using live video as part of your marketing strategy, also be sure to download our How to Increase Conversions with Online Video white paper.

• Why are CTAs important?
• How live CTAs work for video
• Creating an effective CTA
• Clickable video overlay APIs

Want to know how to live stream Cisco Webex video conferences? Looking for ways to improve archiving and content discoverability through AI?

IBM Video Streaming from IBM Watson Media can be integrated into Cisco Webex Meetings or Events. Through this integration, Webex users are able to push out their video conference so it can be broadcasted on a channel page. This channel can be restricted for internal use, or open so that anyone with the link could watch.

• Webex integration advantages
• How it works
• Controlling the streaming layout
• Use cases
• Broadcast version delivery
• Live stream device compatibility
• Restricting access to Webex streams
• Automatic archiving for on-demand use

Need to create a simulated live experience for viewers? Interested in managing linear channels?

IBM offers live playlists with functionality that can replicate a live broadcast. Using this feature, previously recorded video can be presented to viewers like a live stream. These simulated live broadcasts can also work alongside live content, with broadcasters being able to push an actual live stream out that will take priority over the live playlist. As a result, they can transition from a previously recorded session, like a guest speaker, to a live session, like Q&A, for corporate communication or for virtual events.

For those looking to leverage this technology for virtual conferences and other events, be sure to check out our Definitive Guide to Running Virtual and Hybrid Events. This covers using this feature as part of a virtual event.

Note: this is not a new feature. It’s been with the IBM Video Streaming platform and IBM Enterprise Video Streaming platform for years. The update is that the feature is no longer Flash based and appears directly inside the dashboard under Playlists now.

• Advantages of simulated live streaming
• Linear channel: creating live playlists
• Simulated live use cases

Looking to add live polls to your video content? Live audience polling is a powerful tool that can be used to dynamically adapt live content based on feedback. This can alter performances, steering content in a direction viewers it to go, while also gathering valuable information from the audience as well.

This article discusses the benefits of live polling, use cases, tips and also how to create live polls using the IBM’s video streaming and enterprise video streaming offering. If you haven’t used these services before and want to learn more about it first, check out this Getting Started demo.

• The value of live polling
• Live audience polling use cases
• Tips to increase responses to live polling
• Creating polls
• Adding a poll to a live stream
• Poll export APIs

Need a quick way to generate a report on your video metrics for a stake holder?

IBM Video Streaming and IBM Enterprise Video Streaming accounts now have a way to generate PDF reports on their video metrics. This can be generated from viewership tied to either live streaming events or on-demand video content. Reports are generated as a downloadable asset, with charts and datasets, that can be distributed to others.

• Generating a PDF report
• Number of viewers dataset
• Viewing time dataset
• Detailed charts for video metrics
• Use cases

Looking for a mobile live streaming app to do one-to-many broadcasts? Maybe create a live stream to engage an audience, educate colleagues or give a glimpse of an event to coworkers?

IBM Watson Media released a new mobile application for iOS and Android that allows users to broadcast from their device to an IBM Video Streaming channel. This is done through, as noted in the white paper Live Video Delivery System Built for Scalability, a multi-CDN infrastructure that allows for immense scale, having been utilized to support concurrent viewership of over a million, while also bolstering reliability as well.

Read on to learn more about using this app, advantages, use cases and tips for producing better looking video with it.

• Starting the mobile app
• Live streaming with your phone
• Manage chat from the app
• Advantages of the mobile live streaming app
• App SDKs
• Use cases
• Tips: steadiness with a tripod or gimbal
• Tips: stable connection and testing
• Tips: consider audio accessories

Live Q&A for streaming video is a highly engaging, interactive and effective way to educate an internal workforce or promote your brand to external audiences. With IBM Watson Media, this feature is accessible as a module and can easily be synced with video content through a combined embed code or accessed directly from a channel page.

IBM Watson Media continues to expand on this feature, introducing an API to grant automated access to Q&A results. This article goes over possible use cases for the feature before talking functionality and finally tips to be more successful in executing content with a Q&A component.

• Live Q&A: internal and external use cases
• Live Q&A viewer experience
• Question view settings
• Question voting
• Q&A APIs
• Tips to improve Q&A response

Looking to tap into a video review and approval process for your enterprise video platform?

IBM has introduced a new workflow for IBM Enterprise Video Streaming that allows companies to setup an approval process. This includes having designated reviewers, or moderators, that are setup to approve or reject the publishing of videos. The video review process features automated emails, notifying reivewers when content is ready and also notifying uploaders after the video has been reviewed.

• Video approval workflow
• Enabling video review
• Finding reviewable and rejected videos
• Video review and approval use cases