In this session, attendees learn the basics of how to develop a streaming channel for the Roku platform as well as more advanced tools and tactics. Roku provides an overview of its software developer kit and proprietary BrightScript language, educating attendees on the resources and services available to help manage channels, including integrated billing, and shares the best practices for creating a great streaming channel. The session also discusses the different ways to monetize content through advertising, on-device promotion and other marketing opportunities.

When thinking about leading-edge technologies and future-proofing, there are many considerations that affect your deployment decisions, from the devices that you want to reach, to the quality level you are trying to deliver. A hot topic this past year has been the debate around Google’s VP9 video codec vs. HEVC for streaming in MPEG-DASH. Which will win out in the end? Is DASH catching on? Will the death of browser plug-ins finally herald the age of HTML5 video streaming, and how does WebRTC fit in? Our panel dives into these and other questions, helping you decipher which technologies are here to stay, and which should be forgotten.

This session explores the current status of HEVC, identifying options for encoding live and on-demand video using HEVC and discussing player options in the streaming and OTT markets. Topics include the comparative quality and usability of HEVC encoders—including encoders from x265 and MainConcept—and techniques for maximizing output quality using both codecs.

Streaming video is experiencing explosive growth worldwide. In response, leaders from across the ecosystem have formed the Streaming Video Alliance (SVA) to promote collaboration and create a new open architecture for streaming. This session will offer a new perspective on how industry collaboration will accelerate the future of streaming.

Media customers building for big screens, web experiences, mobile/tablet apps, and content for virtual and augmented reality are redefining the digital media landscape. New hardware and software options are bringing high-end digital cinema workflows to productions of all sizes and budgets. This presentation will highlight how to take ProsRes HQ workflow from source to destination in a matter of minutes.

Just when we thought the road map for HEVC was crystallizing, a series of disruptions are creating a new set of uncertainties. This talk presents the current state of the HEVC market in terms of point solutions within the end-to-end workflow. It dives deeply into discussing newly emerging challenges, and translates those into implications for HEVC’s value proposition. Attendees also get recommendations on the suggested road map for transitioning to HEVC and what other alternatives are available to content businesses for broadening reach and increasing service profitability.

With so many devices, browsers and operating systems in the market, companies are often left with confusing choices when it comes to their video players. Do you use open source technologies, or are you better off with a proprietary player? Should you build your own, or use one from a third party? Can you use the same player stack across all the devices you need to support, or will you need multiple solutions? Is it viable to still stream to the desktop with Flash and Silverlight, or can you build a streaming solution without any plug-ins? These and other questions are answered in this how-to session that outlines your options and explores the code necessary to build a modern streaming player.

OTT service providers have already gone ahead of the traditional VOD providers by providing 4K content to their subscribers. But is it giving the consumers the wow factor that they’re looking for, and is it really ultra HD? Internet deployment models have continued to push traditional broadcast video with more choices and evolved viewer experiences that are deployed quickly and often without heavy reliance on standards. What does this mean for ultra HD in OTT services? How does it scale across the industry and how is the term ultra HD ultimately defined? This panel features senior experts from content owners, studios, technology providers and service operators who give their individual perspectives on how ultra HD will scale across the industry and the evolution of the viewing experience within the next 5 years.

As momentum behind HEVC/H.265 grows, questions around the readiness of the new technology surface daily. The hype is compelling: better compression and faster/cheaper delivery over lower bitrates. For content distributors distributing content to mobile devices over congested 3G/4G/LTE networks, these traits are highly desirable. In this session, learn if and how H.265 compression and deployment options can be utilized in typical online streaming workflows, and, more importantly, if your target audiences can benefit. Up-to-date examples using FFmpeg with x264 and x265 output are compared for bitrate, compression time, and file size.

We often take for granted the cornerstone that all content services hinge on, which is DRM. Long considered a solved problem, there are significant technology shifts underway that are poised to disrupt the status quo and potentially require reengineering, or even re-architecture, of license servers on the back-end and apps on the front-end. This session discusses the impact of EME and HTML5 and what it means for service providers and app developers. Learn the impact of mandatory hardware-based DRM protection and its impact on OEMs and content owners.

As operators transition to all-IP they are looking at opportunities to conserve access network bandwidth. Multicast-assisted ABR (M-ABR) is a low cost and easy to deploy solution that allows operators to see multicast gains on all in-home devices leveraging their TV Everywhere infrastructure. This panel, organized by CableLabs, will discuss how M-ABR can be deployed over any multicast-capable access network and effectively extends the operator's CDN into the home by caching content on the gateway. Learn how multicast-assisted ABR allows operators to transition to all-IP, which enables it to be used in the short-term or as a long-term solution to bandwidth conservation on the access network.

While there has been much attention placed on new revenue streams created from the move to OTT content delivery, there has been less discussion of how the move to OTT requires a shift in the way publishers and syndicators conduct business. No longer are publishers going to rely on traditional syndication deals centered around content or catalogs, but rather the syndication of the consumer viewing experience. Join Conviva’s Chief Strategy Officer, Keith Zubchevich, where he’ll discuss Experience Syndication and the future of broadcast consumption.

See how to take any 4K camera and desktop encoding software as input, and then use Wowza technologies to create multiple quality levels to support adaptive bitrate streaming, record the video for later on-demand playback, and deliver the live feed with global any-screen streaming using H.264, H.265, or VP9.

YouTube and Vine stars are rewriting the rules on how audiences discover and engage with content, leading to a swath of non-traditional pathways for exploration by brands, marketers, and fellow creators. It is a world devoid of the gatekeeping that dominates traditional media, allowing creators and brands to build direct relationships with the most engaged consumers. With that opportunity comes all the challenges of social media (community management, publishing strategy), plus an added layer of responsibility to the audience members themselves. In this session, successful creators and business leaders discuss how to work with video stars, what advertising means in this new space, and how the deep connection between stars and their superfans drives engagement with brands.

It goes without saying that consumption of video is changing as new platforms, formats, and industry dynamics evolve. From the dawn of 4K to Snapchat Discover, the quality, quantity, and sheer variety of video experiences are growing every day. This panel looks at the future of broadcast and video services in a multi-screen world, attempting to peer in to the near future to explore issues both at the fore, such as 4K, and still on the fringe, such as virtual reality.