How today ’ s consumers feel when they view or interact with what they see on their TV sets , and whether the experience is engaging and easy to navigate , shapes the “ TV Experience ” today , suggested Aneesh Rajaram , CEO of Vewd .
Having had 15 years ’ experience in delivering over-the-top ( OTT ) software for some of the leading consumer electronics brands , Vewd now wants to help define the TV Experience with the launch of Vewd OS , an entertainment operating system designed for smart TVs .
Rajaram told APB : “ We now see smart TV as being the most important platform for long-form content , because people don ’ t want to watch movies and TV shows on their mobile phones .
“ So , it makes sense that Vewd OS leads with video . Beginning
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with a cinematic home screen , Vewd OS really immerses the viewer in video . Static app icons give way to dynamic thumbnails , giving users a real-time overview of content .”
He also sees a shift from appcentric display to video-centric display of content in 2018 , where viewers relate to content instead of just a static display of apps .
Opportunities also abound in Asia-Pacific , where technologies such as HbbTV emerges , as Rajaram explained : “ This means there ’ s an opportunity to provide a good linear TV experience blended with OTT content . Doing this now will give viewers a more cohesive and seamless viewing experience between all content sources .”
At the heart of Vewd OS is Vewd Core , a software development kit ( SDK ) that provides an
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HTML5 rendering engine . “ Vewd Core is the industry ’ s most chosen third-party HTML5 SDK . It ’ s proven and shipped on tens of millions of devices , and comes with all the robustness and dynamism of core Web technologies ,” said Rajaram .
Vewd OS also enables the cloud-launching of apps , a “ great win ” for Vewd ’ s content partners , he described . Rather than asking consumers to download an app , they can see video choices from each content company immediately , thus enhancing content discovery .
As to how artificial intelligence ( AI ) can further augment this process , Vewd is “ watching the space closely ”, Rajaram said , before adding : “ Already , Vewd OS lets consumers ‘ favourite ’ everything , from apps to specific videos . These are great signals we can use
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❝ We now see smart TV as being the most important platform for long-form content .❞ — Aneesh Rajaram , CEO , Vewd
when it comes time to recommend content .”
Going back to HbbTV , he believes ad replacement is one of the most valuable benefits broadcasters can derive from the standard . “ Because you can dynamically insert IP content into the broadcast stream , you can unlock all of the targeting and personalisation that comes with IP technology and this , of course , applies to serving more targeted advertising content .”
Another of Vewd ’ s key goals is to help broadcasters monetise their content . For instance , the company works with South Korean network Arirang to bring the latter ’ s content to viewers all over the world through Vewd Snap , which allows content owners to create and submit a TV app in minutes .
Rajaram concluded : “ Increasingly , broadcasters are content
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owners who can monetise their content globally , and with our tools , any broadcaster can service their expatriate populations globally .” |
To enhance revenue for network-connected devices and services , Verimatrix has announced an API integration between its MultiRights OTT multi-DRM ( digital rights management ) security solution with Amazon Web Services ( AWS ) Media Services . The integrated solution is available through AWS Elemental MediaConvert and AWS Elemental MediaPackage .
The cloud-based AWS Media Services provides users with the capa bility to ingest , process , package and deliver content at scale . With this API integration , pay-TV operators , broadcasters and over-the-top ( OTT ) providers will be able to process and deliver video streams for broadcast TV and multi-screen devices with security , scalability and simplicity of cloud-based solutions , said Verimatrix .
Tom Munro , CEO of Verimatrix , told
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APB : “ Media companies have been changing their workflows by incorporating cloud technology to better streamline their workflows . We are also seeing a shift in how video is created and distributed . More video content is now being stored in the cloud , which is also a more efficient way for operators to share their resources .”
Designed to unify rights management across networks and devices for OTT video delivery , MultiRights OTT is equipped with the ability to manage different DRM implementations across HLS ( HTTP Live Streaming ), Smooth Streaming , and MPEG- DASH content formats .
By installing MultiRights OTT , operators can deploy multi-network services with a platform that accommodates evolving security regimes and business models while ensuring differentiated multi-screen video
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Tom Monrue , CEO of Verimatrix : The integration of MultiRights OTT with AWS Media Services strengthens Verimatrix ’ s “ cloud strategy for the broader workflow that includes analytics and watermarking ”.
services across all device categories . In addition , the multi-DRM solution brings set-top boxes ( STBs ), consumer devices and HTML5 browsers under a unified rights management security umbrella to enable “ secure premium ” content playback .
“ We have been focusing on developing next-generation technologies ,” Munro added . “ The Verimatrix MultiRights OTT API inte gration with AWS Media Services
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strengthens our overall cloud strategy for the broader work flow that includes analytics and watermarking .”
Live video workflows combine encoding using AWS Elemental MediaLive , and packaging , origination and encryption via AWS Elemental MediaPackage with MultiRights OTT . The AWS Elemental MediaConvert file-to-file video transcoding service can be implemented with MultiRights OTT , creating on-demand assets for both broadcast and multi-screen delivery .
MultiRights OTT can be deployed onpremises , as a virtualised instance hosted inhouse by the provider , or via the Verimatrix Secure Cloud hosting and management service . The multi-DRM solution is also able to provide optional video watermarking and cloud-based analytics for premium video services .
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