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Commentary: Standards Are Meaningless (Until They Mean Something)

Two early experiences shaped my view on standards and industry coalitions. Since I’ve been so publicly down on WebM, HTML5, and DASH, I thought I would share them. The first experience was in the mid-1990s. I was running a small company that sold PC fax boards that allowed computers to send faxes to fax machines, which was a desired functionality …

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Review: Harmonic ProMedia Xpress

We put the first generation of the recently released ProMedia Xpress through a variety of tests, looking at performance, quality, closed captions, and more.

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Download Handout – Choosing an Enterprise Encoder

Here’s the description; click below to download the handout. This session will discuss factors to consider when choosing an enterprise video encoding system from the likes of ATEME, Envivio, MainConcept, Thomson, AmberFin, Elemental and others. Factors include performance, output quality, quality control options, format support, expansion options, programmability, and other variables.

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Consumer Brands Flock to YouTube (67%!)

Sam Walton would have liked YouTube. The site provides viewers with a range of file options in a well-featured player that offers comments, ratings, likes and captions. Companies who post videos can create their own channels and a host of viewing statistics, plus gazillions of eyeballs. In addition to that, of course, it’s free. I’m guessing that Sam would have …

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Choosing an Enterprise Encoder

Today (May 22, 2013), I presented a session at Streaming Media East in Manhattan on Choosing an Enterprise Encoder. Click the link below to download the presentation materials.

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How to: Encoding for iDevices

I presented on this topic this morning (May 21, 2013) at Streaming Media East in Manhattan. Here's the summary: This session starts by detailing the playback specs for all iDevices, old and new. Then you'll learn the strategies used by prominent

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Download handout for Encoding for Multiple Screen Delivery

Download my handout for the Streaming Media East Seminar, Encoding for Multiscreen Delivery. Here’s the description. Learn how to create a set of video files that will play on all devices, from smartphones to computers and OTT devices. The class starts by exploring key concepts like protocol and container format and technologies like HTTP Live Streaming, DASH, and Dynamic Streaming. …

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VP9 Is Almost Here, But a Nokia Patent Fight Might Have it DOA

VP9 Is Almost Here, But a Nokia Patent Fight Might Have it DOA Google plans to release the VP9 codec in less than a month. While it sounds promising, deep-pocketed companies will want to hold off on adoption.

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Review: Dish Network’s Hopper With Sling Is the One to Beat

Review: Dish Network's Hopper With Sling Is the One to Beat The latest Dish DVR offers integrated Sling functionality and wireless iPad transfers. After thorough testing, we call it a winner.

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Commentary: DASH Is Overrated—Enough Already!

The problem MPEG-DASH solves isn't that big a deal, and it's not going to make anyone's life simpler in the short term.

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