Archive notice: This article was originally published on September 23, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Akamai Technologies has found in a trend survey that 82 percent of European broadcast companies plan to provide their online audiences with high-definition video content within the next twelve months.
The survey, aimed mainly at television broadcasters and networks as well as video and film production companies across Europe, found that almost 50 percent of respondents regard consumer demand as a decisive factor supporting an increased supply of HD content online. Media companies also expect dedicated HD offerings to help them reach new audiences.
Almost one fifth of the companies surveyed at this year’s IBC already offer HD content online. Overall, the industry expects this European market segment to grow significantly during the coming year. Asked when they would introduce online HD video, 64.5 percent of broadcast companies said they either already offered HD programming or planned to provide it within a year.
Nineteen percent plan to expand their portfolios accordingly within the next six months. This development is also being encouraged by improved video-quality standards that provide for higher bitrates in online-content delivery. Almost 60 percent of survey participants intend to transmit their content at more than 4 Mbit/s in future, while around 20 percent are targeting bitrates above 8 Mbit/s.
Short-form content remains at the top of the popularity rankings, and 63 percent of companies will continue to offer it. Surprisingly, almost 50 percent also intend to add longer formats such as feature films or individual television episodes to their programming. By contrast, in a November 2007 Akamai survey of North American broadcasters, only 35 percent said they intended to offer long-form content.
“The trend towards more extensive video content is being driven by the growing spread of internet television and internet-enabled devices, which allow viewers to access online content conveniently from their sofas,” says Alex Gibbons, Director Digital Media Europe at Akamai. “The rising demand for internet TV goes hand in hand with the desire for higher video-quality standards and at the same time opens interesting opportunities for companies to develop premium business models around HD content.”
Although the industry continues to regard the PC as the most important receiving device for online HD video, the Akamai survey confirms a trend towards alternative devices. Eighty-six percent of respondents want to deliver content to the following receiving devices: television sets, 38 percent; set-top boxes, 34 percent; DVD players, 9.4 percent; and game consoles, 4.7 percent.
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For users to enjoy online HD content properly, content providers need a solution capable of transferring very large video files extremely quickly and at high bitrates. A critical factor in broadband delivery of very large HD files is the distance between the end user and the server transmitting the file.
The greater the distance, the lower the actual transfer rates. Even a distance that initially appears small can result in lower data throughput, interrupted downloads and unacceptable quality deficits in HD-content delivery. Akamai’s platform offers an industry-leading solution that enables content providers to give users an attractive HD web offering.
Technical requirements
The HDTV standard specifies high-resolution image quality at 1080i, 1080p or 720p. A standardisation process is currently under way in broadcasting to provide viewers with an HD experience on their home televisions. In parallel, Akamai is developing the infrastructure required to deliver the desired HDTV quality to online users. Akamai also supports the introduction of this technology through new services, device integrations and partnerships with leading technology providers planned for the coming months.
Akamai’s platform is believed to be the first of its kind to meet all the technical requirements content providers need to deliver HD content successfully over the web. It provides:
- A technology and operating model that uses servers in the world’s leading high-speed networks. Crucially, the servers are physically located within the network through which each user connects, with the appropriate capacity available there
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Delivery, storage and management of files larger than 2 GB
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Support for VC-1 and MPEG-4 video standards to provide image quality equivalent to television
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Support for files at 720p, 1080i and 1080p resolutions
Current market studies show that online users quickly become impatient while downloading when these criteria are not met, cancel the process and obtain content from other sources. Providers that meet the technical requirements avoid slow or incomplete downloads and interruptions, and therefore dissatisfied end customers. They can also address a broader audience. Compatibility with the various players is also crucial to achieving this.
Akamai will also place HD at the centre of its presence at this year’s Medientage München from October 29 to 31, presenting the options and requirements for delivering high-resolution content over the internet.
Further links:
- More information
