Streaming Video Blog

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video production and video on-demand.

Keyframes, InterFrame & Video Compression

Keyframes, InterFrame & Video Compression

The default mental image of video compression involves unwanted video artifacts, like pixelation and blockiness in the image. This sells short, though, the complexity that actually goes into compressing video content. In particular, it overlooks a fascinating process called interframe, which involves keyframes and delta frames to intelligently compress content in a manner that is intended to go unnoticed.

This article describes this process in detail, while also giving best practices and ideal encoder settings that you can apply for use with your live streaming platform.


8 Different Types of Virtual Events

Different Types of Virtual Events

2020 was very much the year of virtual events, as previously physical venues began offering an online version of their event. Often times this would include interactivity among viewers or participants, letting them feel more involved. With people staying remote due to the pandemic, these types of events skyrocketed in adoption. As outlined in our 2021 video trends webinar, we have reason to believe that this year will also tremendous use of virtual events with high usage and evolution of the concept.

So what types of virtual events are out there? Which ones are right for you, and what might your goal or goals be? We outline 8 different use cases for your virtual events platform and possible goals to help your event be a successful one.


Replace Video on Video Streaming Platforms

Replace Video on Enterprise Video Platform

Have a new version of a video but don’t want to lose analytics or redo embeds?

IBM is introducing a replace video feature for its video streaming and enterprise video platforms. This allows organizations to update outdated videos with newer versions while not having to worry about the logistics around URL links or instances where the video was embed. As a result, it provides a relatively quick method for content to be cycled and remain relevant to target audiences.


Dead Air – The Live Stream Killer

Back in the 1950’s and 60’s, much (if not most) early broadcast radio and television programming was produced and broadcasted live.

The skills of producing a live broadcast were refined and improved through the years. Early radio broadcasters like Alan Freed and Dick Clark, TV soap operas like As The World Turns and The Edge Of Night, most US News coverage, sporting events like the Superbowl and of course shows such as Saturday Night Live all have also used live television as a device to gain viewers by making their programs more (or atleast appear) exciting.

But the skills these producers used, whether for the 1969 Landing on the Moon, the 1996 Dallas Cowboys Superbowl victory or the live episode of ER in 1997, are no different than for a live streaming show or event.


OpenID Connect (OIDC) for Enterprise Video

OpenID Connect (OIDC) for Enterprise Video

Looking to offer your users a single sign-on experience from your video content?

IBM now supports using OpenID Connect (OIDC) based identity providers with its enterprise video platform. This expands the options that organizations have for user authentication to access live and on demand video material.


Boost Virtual Event Registration in 6 Steps

Boost Virtual Event Registration in 6 Steps

Running virtual or hybrid events? Need some advice to help boost virtual event registration?

These six steps will help you increase your virtual event attendance. They assume you are already using a virtual event platform to run the conference, as they focus more on promotion. If you need a more in-depth guide that includes executing the event, check out this definitive guide to running virtual events.


CDN & Video: What is a Content Delivery Network?

CDN Video Delivery

Video streaming and delivery is a resource intensive process. This is attributed to the various networks a video stream must pass through as well as the quality of the video, as higher bitrates and resolutions require more information related to that stream to be sent to the end viewer. As a result of this requirement, it’s not recommended to broadcast video using your own server. For companies, this can result in bottlenecks from the servers hosting or unnecessary costs to scale a server infrastructure.

One solution to avoid both, though, is through utilizing a CDN (content delivery network). This article talks about the basics of delivering content over the Internet before why it’s important to have a CDN when streaming video content.

If you are already familiar with CDNs and would rather learn more about how IBM Watson Media offers a more robust solution for video streaming, read our live video scalability white paper.


Closed Captioning Settings for Video Streaming

Closed Captioning Settings for Video Streaming

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.


Revised Acceptable Use Policy

Tackling Broadcast Delays and Syncing Issues from Streaming

Please note IBM’s revised acceptable use policy: 

Cloud Services may not be used in any jurisdiction for unlawful, obscene, offensive or fraudulent Content or activity. Examples of prohibited activities are advocating or causing harm; interfering with or violating the integrity or security of a network or system; evading filters; sending unsolicited, abusive, or deceptive messages; introducing viruses or harmful code; violating third party rights; or streaming Content that would constitute offensive speech, including Content that could be interpreted as racist or discriminatory, with the latter category specifically including speech that is intended to discriminate based on race or ethnicity, religion, gender or gender expression, or sexual orientation.


White Label Video Platform: Live Streaming & VOD

White Label Video Platform

Looking for a white label video player solution? Broadcasters can spend hundreds if not thousands on their setups, from top of the line cameras to hardware encoders that can allow for camera switching, only to have the end product touting another company’s brand which can cheapen the viewer experience.

IBM Watson Media offers a wealth of features to help customize and allow content owners to control a viewer’s experience. This is presented as part of a white label video platform and an enterprise video platform, allowing the removal of the IBM branding and also allowing content owners to insert their own. This article covers these features in more depth. It looks at where and how content owners can remove IBM branding and insert their own and also how content access can be restricted. This includes insight into how content owners can manage elements of the video player, embedding, viewer access, and also the channel page experience.