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Please contact:
Jeff Claudino Director of Sales, Insider Research Services 619-229-9940
or via email at:
claudino@lightreading.com |
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| more news |
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| A CABLE/MSO SECTOR RESEARCH SERVICE |
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| A SILICON & SUBSYSTEM RESEARCH SERVICE |
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| A BUSINESS-CLASS VOICE APPLICATIONS RESEARCH SERVICE |
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| A SERVICE DELIVERY RESEARCH SERVICE |
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| A WIRELESS INFRASTRUCTURE RESEARCH SERVICE |
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| REAL WORLD RESEARCH |
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| HD Internet Video: CDNs & P2P Players Square Off |
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The emergence of high-definition (HD) TV and lower-resolution but improved-quality video content is starting to affect broadcasters' and other content owners' and aggregators' choices of delivery technology for Internet TV and video. Already faced with growing consumption of video over the Internet – driven by increasing end-user bandwidth and the phenomenal popularity of sites such as YouTube and dozens of others – content owners must address how to respond to the demand, and if possible monetize it, in the most effective way possible. They see new opportunities to reach out to new audiences and earn revenues from increased online advertising and payment for premium content.
Consumers now expect to find video content on the Internet, and expectations of high-quality video are rising, but moving very large files to end users places huge demands on existing infrastructures. Well-known and emerging peer-to-peer (P2P) service providers and grid-based delivery service providers are raising doubts about the ability of content delivery networks (CDNs) to serve large audiences at a cost that broadcasters can bear, particularly for live or popular events. There is an emerging battle between CDNs and P2P upstarts for control of the primary relationship with video content owners.
A rash of investments by venture capitalists in some emerging P2P players with innovative ideas is a sure sign that demand exists for new ways to deliver large video files and TV programming. The choices made by content owners will be governed by a wide range of factors, including how they have already encoded their content, the extent of their back catalogs, the likely size of the audiences for their content, the intended reach for their content, and the nature of the content – specifically, whether it includes live events or not. This is a complex set of issues, so it is not surprising that multiple solutions are being tried out.
But while content owners try out Internet TV delivery options, they are also supporting those network owners that have invested in IPTV infrastructure. Vendors of IPTV platforms and components are right to be nervous that content owners' focus may shift to Internet delivery, particularly if client applications, perhaps embedded in set-top boxes (STBs), become an intrinsic part of the delivery infrastructure.
This report examines the challenges facing content owners and CDN and P2P providers in delivering HD video and TV content, of various types and popularity, to consumers in the most cost-effective way, while preserving the quality that consumers demand. It compares the technologies being deployed and evaluates the impact of the move toward Internet video delivery on existing IPTV vendors and ISPs. Finally, it compares the major players in the delivery chain for Internet TV content.
HD Internet Video: CDNs & P2P Players Square Off provides critical insight and analysis for a range of industry participants, including:
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Network operators needing insight into how high-end Internet video delivery networks are likely to evolve, as well as an independent evaluation of Internet video delivery networks and their products |
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Content developers assessing the technology options available for delivery of HD video over the Internet, and the comparative strengths and weaknesses of different delivery approaches |
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Investors needing a better understanding of the scale of the opportunity that HD Internet video presents to CDNs, P2P network providers, and other network operators |
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| Sample research data from the report is shown in the excerpts below: |
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Table of Contents (lri0608toc.pdf) |
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There are dozens of companies offering Internet-based delivery services to broadcasters and content owners. This report focuses on 16 companies selected as market leaders, either for their size or their approach to the HD Internet video market. The following table summarizes the technologies used by the HD Internet video technology suppliers and content distributors analyzed in this report. |
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| [click on the image above for the full excerpt] |
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Companies analyzed in this report include: Adobe Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBE); Akamai Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: AKAM); BitGravity Inc.; BitTorrent Inc.; GridNetworks Inc.; Kontiki Inc.; Limelight Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: LLNW); MediaMelon Inc.; Move Networks Inc.; Pando Networks Inc.; Panther Express Inc.; Swarmcast Inc.; TVU networks Corp.; Velocix Ltd.; Vuze Inc.; and Zattoo Europe Ltd. |
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Other companies mentioned in this report include: Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU); AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T); Brightcove Inc.; Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO); Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA); Level 3 Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: LVLT); Maven Networks Inc., a division of Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO); Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT); Nokia Siemens Networks; thePlatform for Media Inc.; UTStarcom Inc. (Nasdaq: UTSI); Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ); VoloMedia Inc.; and YuMe Inc. |
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Total pages: 27 |
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| JULY 2008 |
Silicon Photonics Forecast |
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| AUGUST 2008 |
Revenue Assurance: Who’s Doing What |
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| * Calendar subject to change |
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