Quickplay has unveiled what it termed "significant enhancements" to its managed video platform service at IBC in Amsterdam. The enhancements extend the capabilities of the company's virtual head end and 24/7 managed service for rapid and efficient launch and low cost and agile operations. The enhancements include:
- The company says it has made investments in IT infrastructure, network, and expertise to improve the efficiency, operations, and delivery of next-generation premium video services. The expanded operating model offers a portfolio of more than 220 service functions, 200 video engineers and media specialists, and a growing set of delivery centers across North America, Asia and Europe to facilitate 24/7 support worldwide. The model manages all platforms and the end to end delivery of multiscreen, next-generation pay-TV, and over-the-top (OTT) premium video services, Quickplay says.
- The Content Merchandising Service includes content management and merchandising tools and service capabilities designed to replace or augment a traditional content management systems. The service features are designed of offer flexibility, extensibility, and control for providers to rapidly and cost-effectively build and adapt next-generation TV with access to a suite of metadata and video content lifecycle capabilities. Operators and content programmers can monitor the status of content assets in the virtual head end; enable new commercial models by adding content and metadata; configure storefront merchandising; create new pricing, product packages, and promotions; and generate reporting and analytics to measure and drive service adoption, usage, and profitability.
- The OpenVideo Virtual Head End Gateway features a set of open, extensible application programming interfaces (APIs) that supply service providers and content programmers with curated backend capabilities to launch differentiated services. The APIs offer a flexible, modular approach to enable ease of integration to third-party OVP middleware stacks, existing CMS, and end user applications. Current capabilities include content discovery, secure playback, carrier-grade streaming and merchandising and monetization with support for DRM, cloud DVR, OSS/BSS integration, streaming, and authentication. The Virtual Head End Gateway is designed to enable premium viewing across all networks, leveraging 4G LTE Broadcast - eMBMS, WiFi, 3G, and 4G - to launch new services.
- The Next Generation UX/UI Design Pack offers a video hub capability that adapts to all screens and resolutions, including live and on-demand pay-TV services, OTT services, and Web content. The design pack provides a conceptual layout with visual hierarchies designed to enable intuitive navigation, search, main screen and second screen integration, recommendations, support for cloud DVR and playback, user personalization, and social integration for both live and on-demand content.