March 3, 2021

Streaming Video Alliance: Interoperability in The Streaming Video Ecosystem

Streaming Video Alliance

Streaming video has burst onto the broadcast scene and its popularity has skyrocketed. With a global pandemic and its ‘stay at home’ message fueling this trend, today viewers are consuming video content when they like and where they like and on multiple types of devices. This type of behavior is here to stay and at ST Engineering iDirect, we see satellite playing an important part in the distribution of OTT content. That’s why we decided to join the Streaming Video Alliance.

Streaming Video AllianceAs we all know from our individual experiences with streamed content, the quality of online video can vary greatly which isn’t healthy for adoption of streaming services. At present, there’s a lack of collaboration within the industry with streaming providers and broadcasters building solutions with no guidance, simply doing what they need to do to make the experience as good as it can be for subscribers. This is where the Streaming Video Alliance bridges that gap.

With an aim to improve interoperability amongst operators, providers and vendors, the Streaming Video Alliance is a forum that beings together companies from across the video ecosystem to work together to identify best practices and specifications that ensure a more consistent end-user experience and promote further adoption of online video. The Alliance is a group of 90 companies dedicated to solving the critical challenges facing online video to improve consumer adoption.

Like other industry forums, the Alliance has established Working Groups targeting key challenges. The Alliance is not a standards body. To stay nimble and agile in an ever-changing industry, it has opted to work with existing industry organizations. Using the output from its Working Groups and the combined expertise of its member base, the Alliance is able to influence the creation of online video standards. Members include some of the biggest names in the eco-system such as Disney, SKY and Verizon.

“We’re delighted to welcome ST Engineering iDirect to the Streaming Video Alliance. It’s exciting to see more satellite communications companies become involved with the Alliance’s work and the unique attributes this technology brings to the streaming video ecosystem.  We look forward to working together to promote the interoperability and best practices which will drive streaming video over satellite forwards.”

It’s exciting to see more satellite communications companies become involved with the Alliance’s work and the unique attributes this technology brings to the streaming video ecosystem.

ST Engineering iDirect has been working diligently to promote the role of satellite in OTT. Last year, we hosted a webinar on The Bigger Picture of Video Streaming to highlight the ways in which satellite can help to address significant challenges faced by broadcasters and providers. As we know, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for streamed video delivery, and it will involve an eco-system of connectivity mediums to create a seamless experience, but satellite is an ideal delivery method and can offer unmatched reach and can offload congested terrestrial networks. Traditional TV as we have always known it is in decline, and therefore it’s now time to look at the ways in which satellite technology can cost-effectively and reliably benefit providers of video streaming services.

“Working together with the Streaming Video Alliance, we are looking forward to engaging with the wider video streaming community to ensure that the value of satellite technology is recognized within the wider ecosystem,” says Hans Massart, Head of Media and Broadcast, ST Engineering iDirect. “With our heritage in video and IP and our leading position in the broadcast market, we continue to forge the path to the future of streaming video, enabling providers to deliver content anywhere, for a multitude of use cases.”