MediaKind is launching a pre-integrated low latency solution for broadcasters and operators delivering live content to consumers using ABR technology for OTT or streaming video services. The solution leverages "direct path" technology between encoder and packager to reduce the time to move content from one media processing function to the next. When combined with other MediaKind products, the AV solution can enhance ABR content delivery, including high-quality encoding using a constant video quality (CVQ).
Today, streaming video from a live event such as sport has an element of delay when watching on a mobile or second-screen device. The delay is due to content being captured, encoded, packaged, stored and then moved over to content delivery networks (CDN) for delivery to end consumers. To reduce latency and enable consumers to see the action as close to real-time as possible, MediaKind has developed a solution to reduce latency in OTT streaming and ABR content from 45-60 seconds to 3-7 seconds. The solution combines components from the company's Aquila solutions portfolio, including linear encoding, packaging, and video storage and processing.
Richard Mansfield, director of Advertising and Media Delivery Platforms, MediaKind, said: “Reducing latency for live unicast content across distribution and devices is a key topic for today’s media industry, especially with the schedule of live international sports next summer. Therefore, it’s imperative TV operators, content owners and service providers using ABR delivery are armed with the latest technology that will reduce latency for delivering live OTT and streaming services. MediaKind can provide a glass-to-glass solution for reducing latency that is pre-integrated and tested, taking the burden away from dealing with multiple vendors and overcoming interoperability of individual components.”
The solution supports the CMAF standard, which aims to bring a single standard to segmented media for delivery and decoding to an end user device. It complements CTE for MPEG-DASH as a packaged output format to reduce the minimum data size of a delivered segment down to an individual chunk, instead of multiple seconds of video, and is optimized to integrate with media players.
It brings together the capabilities of MediaKind’s Encoding Live, Video Storage & Processing Platform (VSPP) and MediaKind Packaging products.