Who Calls the Shots: TV Manufacturers or Content Providers?

Getting the top-of-the-line TV viewing experience used to be easy. 消费者会买电视, hook it up to their cable- or satellite-provided box, 并立即拥有最高质量的内容. 但 the quality standards previously set by linear TV providers continue to dissipate as streaming content becomes the new normal.

The wild west of streaming is here for the foreseeable future, and it’s causing confusion.

多亏了OTT用户的增长, “掐线”, 内容提供商, un-standardized quality atmosphere is negatively affecting both OEM device manufacturers and consumers. 本质上, pace of innovation to deliver high-quality content is now being driven by content producers, 而不是提要的提供者, 或输送装置. With competing codecs and differing approaches to UHD content, we have created an environment that is confusing for the consumer, 谁还想买最好的电视.

视频质量的格局

Video used to start first at the big screen: movie theaters. 从屏幕分辨率和颜色到3D效果, 我们先在那里看到了一些东西, 是什么影响了我们的广播预期. After a while the changes ended up on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, or online video. 然后, content creators and even the FCC came in and said that everyone in the U.S. needed to shift to HD, a new baseline standard for the industry.

今天, 创新范式被颠倒了, 因为在线视频通常先获得内容, particularly with the emergence of ultra-high definition/4K—which means that TV manufacturers have to significantly alter their approach regarding what video source will drive technical innovations.

For example, YouTube was one of the first content sites to support 4K video in 2010. That was before 4K TVs were available for mainstream audiences. 事实上, only this year did 4K TVs even begin to support YouTube’s VP9 codec, 允许用户流式传输自己的超高清内容.

但, this is causing problems since content producers and providers can't agree on standards for graphic-based quality enhancements. 诸如 UHD联盟, 开放媒体联盟， 和 流媒体视频联盟 寻求建立标准, 但除非有行业统一, 消费者将继续为此付出代价, 毫不夸张地说, 内容提供商和原始设备制造商之间的鸿沟.

扩大消费范围

The wild west of streaming is seriously affecting the consumer's wallet. That's because now you don't just have to invest in getting a good TV, 而是付费OTT服务的成本, 更广泛的互联网接入, 路由器, 和更多的.

我的意思是:首先, 如果你想要一台4K电视,re is an additional premium to view the relatively sparse library of available UHD content, 取决于首选的流媒体服务(如.e. Netflix、亚马逊Prime会员). If you’re invested in some form of linear TV subscription and still subscribed to OTT applications such as Netflix or Hulu, 这是额外的费用. 最近,DirectTV 宣布 an expansion of its 4K content—but many of those offerings come with a price tag ranging from $3.99 to $15.99 每部电影.

为一项高级服务付费可能还不够. Moving to a media environment largely dependent upon OTT means that for UHD 4K you are essentially ditching cables or satellites, and putting all your trust into internet bandwidth—which, 到目前为止, 不能接受挑战吗. 最近的一次 流媒体 study found that bandwidths issues are one of the top technical challenges for OTT providers today. 超高清文件非常庞大, and transferring the video files to consumer devices requires a much bigger pipe—ranging from 15Mbps to 25Mbps (read: a more expensive internet connection). It also needs to be maintained consistently during a one-hour show in an internet environment that does not afford any type of quality-of-service like the cable TV broadcast environment does. This is especially true if most of your viewing is conducted during primetime viewing hours.

Netflix每月都会发布其ISP指数 showing that consumers average broadband connectivity ranges during peak hours between 1Mbps and 3Mbps in the United States. 然后, 即使你买了更多的带宽, in-home congestion from your connected TV or other media streaming device, 移动PC, 移动设备, 和共享Wi-Fi/局域网连接是一个问题. They all compete for the same bandwidth at the same time.

There are many obstacles constraining the consumers’ ability to enjoy 4K movies in their homes: Content producers, 在线分销商, 发布商, 互联网服务提供商, 家庭网络环境, 还有电视, 平板电脑, 以及终端的其他流媒体设备. All do their best to improve the consumer experience, and recently even TV manufacturers have found ways to improve internet throughput and playback experience with new technologies.

但, a number of issues still need to be worked out before we reach 4K video viewing Nirvana. The explosion of content and linear TV alternatives can be a boon to consumers. 我们只需要让他们轻松一点, and make sure that they can get the quality they expect without having to jump through a lot of hoops, as they don’t really care who calls the shots in standards.

约尔·赞格(尤尔藏)是traffic公司的首席执行官. StreamingMedia.com accepts vendor-contributed 文章 like this one based solely on their value to our readers.]

The Great UHD Debate: 4K Battles HDR for the Future of TV

Does a higher resolution guarantee the best image quality, or does better contrast and brightness? And can today's limited bandwidth handle all that data?

2015年8月7日