Voices of Video

• CDN in Your Pocket: Nokia's Secret Weapon Against Buffering

  Imagine watching a live sports event where your stream is actually faster than broadcast television. This isn't science fiction. It's the reality of Nokia's groundbreaking approach to zero-latency streaming, as revealed by Senior Product Manager Keith Chow in this illuminating deep dive.    When live sporting events drive 50-70% viewer concurrency (reaching 100% during World Cup matches), traditional streaming technologies buckle under the pressure. Keith explains how Nokia's solution handles these extreme demands through a sophisticated combination of UDP protocols, multicast distribution, and what he calls "CDN in your pocket" - a tiny 200-kilobyte client library that transforms any device into a low-latency streaming machine.    The technical achievements are remarkable: channel serving times as low as 19 milliseconds (compared to the industry standard 2-14 seconds), perfect synchronization across all viewers, and an astonishing resilience that maintains watchable streams even with 40% random packet loss. And these are not theoretical metrics! They're real-world results from serving millions of concurrent viewers.    What sets this approach apart is its pragmatic implementation. Many network providers already have Nokia's service routers installed at the network edge, requiring only software activation to unlock these capabilities. The solution builds on established standards like RTP, IGMP, and ST2022-7 - already used by hundreds of companies - while adding proprietary optimizations that dramatically outperform WebRTC and emerging technologies like MOQ.    Whether you're a streaming platform looking to deliver sports betting experiences that demand sub-second latency, a network operator trying to manage massive concurrent viewership, or a video engineer curious about next-generation distribution techniques, this episode offers rare insights into technology that's already transforming how live content reaches viewers around the world.Stay tuned for more in-depth insights on video technology, trends, and practical applications. Subscribe to Voices of Video: Inside the Tech for exclusive, hands-on knowledge from the experts. For more resources, visit Voices of Video.

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• Streaming at the Speed of Soccer: How Zapping Conquered Latency

  Dive into the technological revolution happening in Latin American streaming as Nacho Opazo, co-founder and CTO of Zapping, breaks down how they've built one of the region's most innovative virtual TV operators from the ground up.  What happens when a musician who's been coding since age 11 decides to reinvent television? You get a streaming service that's one minute ahead of competitors during soccer matches, delivers superior picture quality with 40% less bandwidth, and offers an interface that starts playing content immediately upon opening the app.   Unlike most streaming platforms that focus primarily on on-demand content, Zapping has carved out a successful niche by prioritizing live streaming - particularly news and sports - across Chile, Brazil, and soon Peru and Costa Rica. The secret to their success? Building every piece of their technology stack in-house, from encoding solutions to their own CDN (which Nacho claims is larger than Akamai in Chile).  Some of the most fascinating revelations involve Zapping's technical innovations: placing encoders directly in broadcaster headends to minimize latency, implementing HEVC to deliver better picture quality at lower bitrates, and creating AI systems that detect goals in soccer matches and automatically offer viewers replay options if they missed the action. All this while addressing the unique challenge that 80% of their viewers watch on smart TVs - many of which are several years old with suboptimal WiFi connectivity.  Whether you're a streaming professional looking for technical insights or simply curious about how streaming is evolving outside North America and Europe, this conversation offers a compelling look at how regional innovation is reshaping television for the streaming age. Listen in as Nacho explains why your neighbor might be screaming "GOAL!" before you see it - and how Zapping is fixing that problem.Stay tuned for more in-depth insights on video technology, trends, and practical applications. Subscribe to Voices of Video: Inside the Tech for exclusive, hands-on knowledge from the experts. For more resources, visit Voices of Video.

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• Where's the CDN Market Heading? A Deep Dive with Mark de Jong

  Ever wondered what's happening behind the scenes when you stream your favorite show? The content delivery network (CDN) industry powers much of our digital experiences yet has operated in siloed isolation for decades. In this eye-opening conversation, Mark de Jong, Chairman of the CDN Alliance and industry veteran with 25 years in online video, pulls back the curtain on this crucial but often invisible infrastructure. Mark reveals how the CDN landscape is transforming into two distinct camps: "full-fledged" providers like Akamai that combine delivery with security and edge computing, and delivery-focused specialists like CDN77 that optimize for cost efficiency. It's a fascinating parallel to the energy industry – a commodity business where companies can still thrive through operational excellence despite selling essentially identical products.  The discussion goes beyond business models to explore groundbreaking initiatives addressing industry-wide challenges. TrafficRadar aims to prevent internet congestion by creating a secure framework for coordinating peak traffic events between content providers, CDNs, and ISPs. Another working group tackles the confusing world of streaming latency, where even vendors can't agree on basic terminology (is 30 seconds really "low latency"?). These efforts could transform how reliably content reaches consumers, especially during major live events.  We also examine the regulatory pressures facing the industry, particularly the "fair share" debate where ISPs seek to charge content providers for network traffic – a move that could ultimately increase costs for consumers. As Mark notes, most individual CDNs lack resources for effective lobbying, making industry representation increasingly important.  Whether you're a streaming professional, work with CDNs, or are simply curious about the infrastructure powering your digital entertainment, this episode offers valuable insights into the evolving world of content delivery. Check out the CDN Alliance at cdnalliance.org to learn more about their efforts to connect, support, and represent this crucial industry.Stay tuned for more in-depth insights on video technology, trends, and practical applications. Subscribe to Voices of Video: Inside the Tech for exclusive, hands-on knowledge from the experts. For more resources, visit Voices of Video.

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• Greening the Streaming Industry

  Power consumption might be the most underrated challenge facing the streaming video industry today. As Dom Robinson, founder of Greening of Streaming, reveals in this eye-opening conversation, the energy footprint of streaming video could represent 2-3% of global electricity consumption – a figure that demands attention from everyone in the ecosystem.What began as sideline discussions among network architects has evolved into a 30-member organization tackling streaming's energy challenges systematically. Robinson walks us through the complex relationship between video quality, network architecture, and power consumption, challenging many common assumptions along the way.Perhaps most surprising is the weak correlation between data volume and energy usage in transmission networks. "It's not as simple as reducing bitrate," Robinson explains, describing how energy efficiency requires examining the entire delivery chain. A change that saves power in one area might increase consumption elsewhere – like when a codec change forces millions of consumer devices to work harder on decoding.The conversation explores fascinating territory, from the "gold button" concept (defaulting to energy-efficient streaming with the option to upgrade) to comparing distribution models like unicast and multicast. Robinson questions whether we need UHD for all content types and shares how Greening of Streaming is conducting rigorous research to provide evidence-based guidance rather than assumptions.Ready to think differently about streaming's energy footprint? This conversation reveals both the challenges and opportunities in building a more sustainable streaming ecosystem – one that delivers amazing experiences without unnecessary environmental cost. Join the growing movement of companies tackling this crucial industry challenge.Stay tuned for more in-depth insights on video technology, trends, and practical applications. Subscribe to Voices of Video: Inside the Tech for exclusive, hands-on knowledge from the experts. For more resources, visit Voices of Video.

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• Are ASICs the Future of Video Processing?

  What happens when the relentless demand for video processing slams into the hard walls of data center power and space limitations? Dennis Mungai, heading R&D at Cires21, takes us on a fascinating journey through the evolution of encoding hardware that's reshaping how broadcast giants like the BBC deliver content.  "Density, density, density" emerges as the driving force behind Cires21's technological evolution. Starting with flexible but resource-intensive CPU-based encoding, Dennis reveals how their Madrid-based team methodically explored GPU acceleration before discovering the game-changing potential of Video Processing Units (VPUs). The conversation demystifies why purpose-built ASICs are upending conventional wisdom about the necessary tradeoffs between quality, power consumption, and channel capacity.  Most revealing is Cires21's extensive codec comparison study, where they tested approximately 1,500 samples across CPU, GPU, and VPU implementations. Their findings challenge long-held assumptions: NETINT's VPUs delivered visual quality comparable to software encoders but at a fraction of the power cost. Perhaps most surprising was the discovery that these specialized processors performed "extremely competitively" even at lower resolutions where traditional hardware solutions typically struggle.  For streaming providers facing the reality that "we have run out of power in the data center," this technological progression couldn't be more timely. The ability to fit hundreds of broadcast-quality channels into a single rack unit represents a fundamental shift in video infrastructure economics. As Dennis eloquently puts it, this evolution "is either going to find you, or you're going to find yourself buying into these solutions and you will be behind time." Stay tuned for more in-depth insights on video technology, trends, and practical applications. Subscribe to Voices of Video: Inside the Tech for exclusive, hands-on knowledge from the experts. For more resources, visit Voices of Video.

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