Streaming Blog: Industry News, Trends & Tips

Video is Data

Written by Anthony Romero in Tips & Tutorials on 25 April 2019

Video is an engaging medium. While it can be associated with entertainment, its use for training, executive town halls and other forms of corporate communications can’t be understated. However, it’s easy to overlook how valuable video content is longterm. Part of this is attributed to difficulties in utilizing larger archives. This is something that was brought to light by Wainhouse Research in the report Unlocking the Hidden Value of Business Video. Of the 1,801 executives surveyed as part of that report, an alarming 79% noted that: “One frustration of using on-demand video is not being able to quickly find the piece of information I am looking for when I need it.” As a result, traditionally people have approached video differently than they do a written report, which is seen as already searchable.

…but they don’t have to. Video can contain a rich depth of data and be searched against to discover this information. This article talks about approaching content libraries with the video is data mindset, traditional challenges in this methodology and technological advances that overcome them.

IBM Watson Media Powers Live Streaming of the Masters Tournament

Written by David Mowrey in Customer Stories on 5 April 2019

When executed at the highest level, golf appears beautifully simple. The greatest competitors in the sport swing a club with seemingly effortless grace, sending the ball on a perfect flight between towering pines and rolling along manicured greens toward a flag flapping in the Georgia breeze.

In these moments, we don’t see the countless hours of practice. We don’t see the history of injuries, exhaustion or frustration. Yet although we can’t see it, all that time and effort was necessary to create this seamless moment, tirelessly earned and presented as a gift to patrons of the sport.

These glimpses of simple perfection are why millions will watch the Masters Tournament this April. Delivering these moments in a seamless viewing experience to patrons around the world requires the right infrastructure—a solution architected using both technological innovation and human expertise.

AI-generated Highlights Tell the Story of the Masters

Written by David Mowrey in AI Video Technology on 5 April 2019

The pursuit of excellence is as captivating as it is timeless. That’s why millions of people will turn their eyes to Augusta, Georgia, from April 11 – 14, as a field of elite competitors vie for one of golf’s most prestigious accolades – the Green Jacket awarded to the Masters 2019 champion.

For more than 20 years, IBM and Augusta National Golf Club have worked together to invite patrons around the world onto the sport’s most hallowed ground through innovative digital experiences. This partnership is rooted in each organization’s shared desire to preserve and expand golf’s most unique experience through advanced technology. From developing the event’s first website and mobile application to creating AI-generated highlights and analysis, IBM has used industry-leading solutions to present the pristine timelessness that is the Masters Tournament to millions of viewers around the world.

Enterprise Video Delivery Infrastructure: Security Considerations

Written by Anthony Romero in Product Updates on 28 March 2019

Looking for security consideration strategies related to enterprise video delivery? Curious at how to approach user roles inside an organization around managing video delivery?

Technology exists that can effectively scale video delivery from a global perspective through CDNs. In addition, solutions exist that can be deployed on location to reduce the network footprint of video content, mitigating strain that might be placed on the WAN (wide area network) from consumption. However, this technology, which includes monitoring and other capabilities, requires some form of management. With security being paramount for internal video content and maintaining network integrating, a question arises from how to approach access for this.

This article will cover a few best practices for managing security across an enterprise video delivery infrastructure. It also details some of the recent updates to the IBM ECDN (Enterprise Content Delivery Network) solution. This includes important updates to how users interface with the portal, in particular the addition of user roles.

IBM Cloud Video is IBM Watson Media

Written by Anthony Romero in Company News on 25 February 2019

In an effort to provide all IBM video products and services under a single brand, as of 2019, all solutions formerly marketed under the name IBM Cloud Video are now part of the IBM Watson Media product family.

As a result, IBM’s video streaming services now fall directly under the IBM Watson Media umbrella, joining other already available solutions including IBM Watson Captioning, IBM Watson Video Enrichment and more.

Closed Captioning vs Subtitles

Written by Anthony Romero in Tips & Tutorials on 20 February 2019

Curious on adding text to your video content? Unsure on if you should do closed captions or subtitles, or even what the differences are between them? This article discusses what are subtitles and compares closed captioning vs subtitles to assist you on which to go with and why.

If you are curious on technology around automating closed caption generation, register for this How to Add Closed Captions Powered by IBM Watson webinar.

Advanced Imaging Society: Leadership Award 2018

Written by Anthony Romero in Company News on 25 January 2019

With 2018 behind us, one final accolade for the year was sent IBM Watson Media’s way. This was the Advanced Imaging Society: Leadership Award 2018. Read on to learn more about the award and the Advanced Imaging Society, including their mission.

Google Ad Manager Integration for Live and On-Demand Video

Written by Anthony Romero in Product Updates on 22 January 2019

Looking to monetize your own video content to start generating additional revenue? Or are you seeking solutions to run sponsor and product placement ads on during your streams?

IBM’s video streaming solutions now offer a Google Ad Manager integration. This allows content owners to monetize their live and on-demand video assets through using virtually any 3rd party ad server that can run inside of Google Ad Manager.

Connect with IBM Watson Media at IBM Think 2019

Written by Stacy Nawrocki in Industry Events on 17 January 2019

We are less than a month away from IBM Think 2019, February 12th – 15th, and now is a great time to make sure you get the most out of your time at the conference happening this year in San Francisco.

Closed Captioning Best Practices for State Governments

Written by Anthony Romero in Tips & Tutorials on 17 December 2018

State governments have a lot of opportunities around video content, and are taking advantage of it. Meetings, from committees to interim task force debriefings, can be streamed to expand reach and participation from communities on a broader level. However, when presenting this content, the question of accessibility comes into play, and with it the inclusion of closed captions.

Late in 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice was looking to revise the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II regulations. A possible outcome was to establish requirements for making services, programs or activities offered by state and local governments to the public via the Web accessible. The reason for this belief was that the 2010 update stated: “The Department intends to engage in additional rulemaking in the near future addressing accessibility in these areas and others, including next generation 9–1–1 and accessibility of Web sites operated by covered public entities and public accommodations.” However, this was not reflected in the 2016 update, putting an indeterminate timetable on captions possibly being required in the future. However, some states have already adopted regulations on their own requiring captions for online video on state web sites.

For those paving the path toward captioning now, before a requirement goes into law, this article presents closed captioning best practices for state governments. This entails formatting and judgement decisions, along with ways to scale the actual creation of captions as well for both live and on-demand content.

If you would like to learn more on this topic be sure to download this white paper on AI Closed Captioning Services for Local and State Governments as well.

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