Video

The basic solution that streaming video provides is that an entire video file does not need to be downloaded before it is viewed. Little chunks of media may be grabbed for playback in order to achieve the same effect. The one caveat is that the media must be received as fast of the player consumes […]

Background Carriage agreements between content owners and Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (MVPDs) are likely to contain clauses that require the MVPD to provide ample protection against content theft. In the traditional, QAM-based delivery model of cable television networks, the desired level of protection was relatively easy to implement and manage due to the fact that […]

How Premium Video Content Streams over the Internet These days, a person is just as likely to be watching a movie on their laptop, tablet, or mobile phone, as they are to be sitting in front of a television. Cable operators are eager to provide premium video content to these types of devices but there […]

4K Video has captured the attention of consumers, retailers and television manufacturers. Next generation video is not just about 4K, though. Improving the video experience goes beyond resolution itself. CableLabs operates a Video Quality Lab at its Louisville, CO facility where various formats of video streams have been analyzed, compared, and tested in a controlled […]

Recently, Coke aired an interactive advertisement during the NCAA Final Four basketball games. I thought I would try it out. When the ad starts, it declares “This is a drinkable commercial,” then prompts the user to “Shazam now to drink it.” I launched Shazam on my smartphone, it picked up the audio, and launched a […]

As a technology developer in the cable industry, my friends often ask me questions like, “Why do I need all these boxes in front of my TV?”, “Why do I need to use so many remotes?” , and “When will I be able to watch TV on my mobile/tablet?” My enthusiastic response has been, “Very soon!” […]

Up until a few years ago, the encoder/transcoder market was dominated by systems based on ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) architectures that provided excellent performance with minimal power consumption.  These audio/video compression workhorses have allowed cable operators to provide more and more high-quality video to their customers in an increasingly bandwidth-constrained head end environment.  Fast-forward […]

The Need to Deliver Content on Multiple Devices. Consumers increasingly expect to consume premium entertainment content in any room and on any device of their choice: Tablets, game consoles, laptops, streaming players, etc. They don’t want their viewing experience limited to just a service provider’s supplied set-top box and connected TV. According to NPD Group/Connected […]

The 2014 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas features many new products for 4K and Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV). But what is the difference between the two? Here’s a quick overview: What Does 4K Mean? 4K is a term used to describe the cinema resolution of 4096 x 2160, which has […]

Recently, there have been some discussions in the news about the quest for a royalty-free video codec in key standards organizations.  How did this quest get started and what exactly is a royalty-free video codec anyway? For starters, a codec is short for “coder-decoder” that is capable of compressing and decompressing large media files containing […]