LTN Global and Encompass expand partnership
LTN Global and Encompass Digital Media have agreed a new multi-year partnership for managed IP transport and advanced advertising services.
LTN solutions will be natively integrated into Encompass’ global service infrastructure to create what the two companies describe as the first fully-managed, global IP broadcast network.
The combined services will offer new content customisation solutions, such as signaling for ad avails and providing rich metadata for OTT platforms.
“As a leader in origination services worldwide, Encompass is positioned to support media companies everywhere as they embrace new platforms and technologies,” said LTN Global executive chairman Malik Khan. “The LTN services offered by Encompass can provide a bridge for these customers, enabling a smooth migration as they move towards IP terrestrial distribution and leverage new advertising opportunities from OTT and traditional platforms.”
Viaccess-Orca’s secure video player supports 360-video over 5G networks
Viaccess-Orca has taken the next step in content delivery, announcing its secure video player can now support the delivery of virtual reality (VR) and 8K video over 5G networks.
It has been already successfully deployed by PCCW Media in Hong Kong for its new VR content.
“Consumers today demand creative and immersive television experiences; VR is a chance for service providers to raise the bar on innovation.,” said Philippe Lasry, EVP solutions marketing, at Viaccess-Orca. “VO is leading the VR transformation and enabling service providers to explore the opportunities of 5G networks by establishing the pillars needed to deliver video streaming services in a whole new dimension.”
How does Disney+ measure up to acid test?
Disney+ has room for improvement on Samsung’s smart TV system (Tizen), and performs better on Android TV, Amazon’s Fire TV, and Apple TV and LG’s Web OS. That’s according to a new report from TeraVolt that sought to measure the performance of the streaming service across a range of major operating systems.
The report looked at the performance (loading times, cross device usage, etc.), input (e.g. on screen keyboard) and usability (binge watching, accessibility, subtitles) as well as discovery (displaying relevant content, etc.), search and player (reels, voice, etc.) of Disney+ on the different systems.
While the Disney+ player gained 100 per cent on Tizen, the report signalled issues with input (68 per cent), performance (76 per cent) and usability (78 per cent). Apple TV and Web OS, Disney+ achieved high scores for performance (100 per cent each), discovery (Apple TV: 94 per cent, Web OS: 100 per cent) and its player (Apple TV: 98 per cent, Web OS: 100 per cent).
“Especially young users are hardly willing to compromise on functionality and might switch from Disney+ to Netflix to get a better performance. And more affluent users may turn away from Samsung to enjoy Disney+ on a better performing system. Either way, Samsung and Disney are the losers. It is important for both to catch up here,” explained Tobias Künkel, managing director at TeraVolt. “Actually, this is very unusual for Samsung. In our regular QA tests, Tizen always performs very well. With adjustments on a manageable scale, it would be easy to achieve significant improvements for Disney+”.
