The global media and entertainment landscape has witnessed a significant, “Cord-Cutting” transformation with the rapid growth of Over-the-Top (OTT) and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platforms which have replaced cable and satellite TV subscriptions.
These platforms have revolutionized the way people consume content, leading to a shift in consumer behavior towards more flexible and cost-effective options. According to reports the OTT and IPTV industry is expected to grow at 17% CAGR and 15% CAGR respectively in the next 4 years.
Whilst there is growth and new opportunities on the horizon, this new form of content consumption poses its own challenges for the industry. Amongst the top 3 challenges that the industry struggles with are Video quality, QoE & Content Protection.
In this blog post we will talk about the convergence of cutting-edge AI technology that improves video quality on the edge in real time by Myelin Foundry called Fovea Stream and sophisticated watermarking solutions by Inka Pallycon working in tandem to provide better experience and content protection at reduced costs.
Fovea Streaming: Transforming video streaming with Edge AI.
As per a survey conducted by Akamai Technologies and Sensum – Viewer engagement decreases almost 20 percent due to poor quality of video streaming. Service providers/ OTTs cannot risk the quality of streaming experience by serving low resolution content and compromising on QoE. These platforms have to ensure high quality experience to retain subscribers which comes at a hefty CDN price.
Myelin Foundry’s Fovea Stream is an AI powered video enhancement deployed on client devices providing premium viewing experiences and up to 40% streaming cost reduction. Fovea Stream enables HD/FHD viewing experience for the user using SD streams in real time, with near-zero-rebuffer, even in unstable & low bandwidth networks. This technology works seamlessly with the OTT platforms existing video workflow, its agnostic to video works flows and has been tested on all types of genres.
Fovea Stream, an AI-based upscaling technology elevates the viewing experience by enhancing video quality and resolution. With the power of machine learning algorithms, content creators can preserve the artistic integrity of their work, ensuring that it reaches audiences in the highest possible visual quality. By delivering sharper images and more vibrant colors, AI-based upscaling satisfies the demand for better video quality on modern screens while fostering engagement and viewer satisfaction. Read more here.
Pallycon’s Forensic Watermarking
Reports show that advertising and subscription-led video streaming services are losing up to 30% of their annual revenue to piracy as more and more people log in to digital platforms to watch content.
Pallycon’s server-side Forensic watermarking and Multi DRM solutions is a robust technique to fight piracy as it helps to not only trace illegal content distribution but also authenticates and enables platforms to take legal action against the pirates. Server-side watermarking is superior in terms of supporting various devices at scale while also eliminating the overhead of client-side integration and upgrade requirements.
On the flip side, the technique of A/B watermarking runs the risk of increased CDN costs due to the requirement of curating two streams for each resolution. Myelin foundry and Inka have collaborated to address these challenges by converging the two technologies, Forensic watermarking to protect the content and AI based video upscaling for delivering the best experience video quality without incurring huge CDN cost / reducing CDN cost up to 40%.
Both the technologies have been tested together to ensure robustness and seamless functioning. In the tests conducted jointly by Myelin Foundry and Inka teams, Pallycon’s watermarked video was enhanced from 360P to 1080P on Android device using Myelin’s Fovea Stream solution. The screen recorded video was then fed to PallyCon’s detector tool which was able to extract the embedded information. This is a compelling demonstration that PallyCon’s forensic watermark remained intact even with edge video enhancement by Fovea Stream.
As the video industry evolves, this convergence presents an innovative response to the evolving demands of viewers and the threats posed by piracy. By optimizing content for display and incorporating unobtrusive markers for identification, we offer a holistic solution that addresses multiple dimensions of the content journey.
