The 411 on OVPs
Kaltura’s CMS integration is typically very thorough; for example, its WordPress extension lets users upload videos and choose a video player, access the management console, import rich media content from other sites, and add audio and video comments to existing videos. If you’re using a popular CMS, you should definitely check to see if plug-ins or APIs are available to smooth this integration with your candidate OVPs. Also check which edition of the OVP’s software is required to utilize the extension, since the necessary plug-ins may not be available in some free or lower-cost editions.
Will You Be Streaming Live, On Demand, or Both?
Not all OVPs handle live and on-demand events, so if you need both formats, this is a great question to ask early in the decision-making process. If live event support is a required feature, you should follow up with several questions.
First, what are the supported formats and ancillary services? For example, can you stream a set of PowerPoint slides accompanied by a video talking head or audio? Can the OVP handle questions, text chat, or quizzes? These all help keep remote viewers engaged with the presentation. What are the options for packaging up the live experience and presenting it on-demand? Simulated Live is a feature available from KIT Digital that lets you duplicate your event to serve viewers in different time zones.
You probably will have some implementation-related questions, as well. For example, if your organization doesn’t have video production expertise, can the OVP supply it or recommend local talent who can? Do you have to buy or rent a company-specific appliance, or can you use a generic encoding tool? What’s the level of service available during the event if there are server-related problems?
If you plan to stream adaptively, identify the OVPs schema for serving different audiences such as those for Flash and iDevices. For example, do you have to send different streams for each target, or can the OVP accept one set of streams and convert those streams for multiple use? Most require separate streams today, but Akamai, a very large CDN, currently can “transmux” a Flash H.264 stream and repurpose it for iOS devices, so I would expect some OVPs to start offering this service as well. Since stream repurposing will reduce the amount of live encoders necessary for any event, this feature is well worth asking about.
Is Uploading Time an Issue?
Having touched on many general questions, let’s focus on some additional issues that may help you differentiate the remaining candidate OVPs.
If you have large quantities of videos or a relatively slow upload speed, you may want to consider OVPs that can make your upload more efficient. One approach is to encode before uploading. This is a feature of Sorenson 360, which uses Sorenson Squeeze as its desktop encoding engine. Squeeze automatically uploads to Sorenson 360 after encoding.
Brightcove went in another direction, integrating Aspera, Inc.’s fasp transfer technology into its file upload process. The technology helps ensure the full use of outgoing bandwidth.
Where Do You Want Your OVP to Live?
Most OVP users will want to access the OVP as a software as a service (SaaS), uploading files to the OVP and allowing the OVP to deliver the streams. However, some larger enterprises may want to purchase the software and manage it in-house or in Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud). Both are options with Kaltura’s Self-Hosted Platform Commercial Edition.
Alternatively, if your organization has the necessary technical competence to install, configure, and support the platform, Kaltura offers its free Self-Hosted Platform Community Edition, which you can download and install on your own servers or launch it on Amazon EC2.
Can I Try Before I Buy?
As always, before choosing an OVP, you should give it a good test drive, thoroughly testing the features that are critical to your planned operation. Spec sheets are nice, and talking to current users is helpful, but many issues won’t become obvious until you upload your own videos and try playing them back on the various target platforms.
What I Left Out
I’m aware that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of additional features and questions that I could address, from analytics to YouTube integration. What I’ve tried to highlight are the features that became available in late 2010 or that will become available in 2011. Hopefully, these questions will help provide at least a starting point for your search for the ideal OVP.
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