CDN Featured Article

Content is king, it's been remarked more than once, and if that's the case—and there's little reason to believe it isn't—then content delivery networks (CDN) are the power behind the throne. Imagine Communications (News - Alert) recently made a move to improve the kingmaker's art, introducing the Selenio Video Delivery Edge (VDE) system to improve content delivery mechanisms.

The Selenio VDE runs as an HTTP-to-User Diagram Protocol (UDP (News - Alert)) system which handles several key functions at once. This allows for a less complex network to be used to accomplish the same functions, and in turn, reduce costs. The Selenio VDE can not only put to use many current functions of video delivery, but also many of the functions of legacy systems, giving the best overall efficiency and performance. It even offers a note of future-proofing, setting the stage for an operation that works wholly on a virtualized basis.

Currently, pay television operators are making moves to networks functioning on an HTTP basis, turning to things like adaptive bitrate (ABR) technology to not only stream programming, but insert advertising throughout in a bid to generate revenue. These networks run alongside other, more legacy-based networks that use systems like Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) to route content through set-top boxes. Selenio helps these separate systems better work together, allowing for not only the access to ABR streaming but also the ability to route through QAM systems.

Users can maintain the investment already made in QAM-based systems, while better making the move to ABR. It improves advertising targeting as well, which helps make the resulting advertising more valuable, improving revenue further.

Steve Reynolds, who serves as Imagine Communications' chief technical officer (CTO), commented “This breakthrough technology is a catalyst for accelerating additional infrastructure upgrades that will enable our customers to dramatically elevate the subscriber experience by improving video quality and delivering a more personalized video service.”

More than anything, what this represents is another move away from hardware-based systems to a software-based equivalent. That offers significant savings over hardware-based systems in many cases, and allows companies to deliver the same level of service for less, meaning that upgrades and better service can come about for the same level of investment. Given the increasing levels of competition in the streaming video field, better service than the competition is a must to get the best out of the market.

With consumers eager for more video options, being able to provide better service can be an outright key to market success. Tools like Selenio should help give businesses that leg up that's necessary to get an edge in the market and draw in more users.