Broadercasting: Syncing Oregon's Video Technology Pros

Submitted by Whitney on June 30, 2010 - 13:37

Broadercasting Logo

Sitting right in the middle of Silicon Forest, Portland is exploding with innovative technology companies, particularly in the video space. Companies such as Tektronix, ArtsBeats and Omneon, actually have a lot in common with Oregon's video technology users, mainly broadcasters, including KGW, KOIN, KATU and Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). They're all Oregon-based, constantly innovating and video-centric. Portland is unique because, for a city of its size, it has such a close-knit community; however, Elemental finds that after attending the annual NAB show in Las Vegas and sharing the floor with many of our neighbors, back at home the common connections often get lost. 

We'd like to reverse that trend and so have linked up with our friends at the Oregon Association of Broadcasters (OAB) and OPB to host Broadercasting, a free networking event for Oregon's engineers and broadcasting production professionals, just two weeks from today on July 20, 2010.

This event is an excellent opportunity for everyone who plays a role in the Oregon video technology scene to learn from each other and gain a better perspective on the full scope of video production and distribution technology.  Software engineers will have the opportunity to see the needs of broadcasters first-hand and use that knowledge when developing solutions.  On the flip side, broadcasters will get some insight on the particular challenges that engineers face in product development.  OPB is opening its studio for a tour and a peek inside its control room.  In addition to the educational opportunities that will be offered at Broadercasting, there will be snacks and spirits provided and prizes awarded. 

Although OAB has its great annual conference in October, a networking event that includes the tech side of video has not been done before. We're excited to be taking part in organizing this event.  A successful event will lead to more in the future, so we encourage those interested to come and bring friends and colleagues. 

If you can't make it to Broadercasting on the 20th, but want to stay in the loop on future events join the LinkedIn group "Northwest Video Technology Professionals." 

Event Details:

  • When: July 20, 5 to 7 p.m.
  • Where: OPB Studios, 7140 SW Macadam Ave., Portland, OR
  • Who: You! (engineers, video development programmers, broadcasters etc.)
  • RSVP: (503) 443-2299 or theoab@theoab.org

Live From South Africa: Kicking and Streaming

Submitted by Eli on June 17, 2010 - 00:47
World Cup 2006:  - "Did you see that goal by Brazil?"
                             - "No, I wish.  I'm at work.  I'm tracking the play-by-play online, though.  Was it a good shot?"
World Cup 2010:  - "Did you see that goal by Brazil?"
                             - "Yes, which one do you mean? I saw both! That first one by Maicon was so amazing that I had to rewind my stream to see it again.  I thought for sure the goalie deflected it, but in slow motion you could see that he just bent it right in. Well I need to go file this report!"

 

In the technology world, four years is an eternity.  So, those of us woking on streaming technology not only understand its evolution in the last four years, but can truly appreciate how the presence of video everywhere has revolutionized coverage of the 2010 World Cup.

World Cup ESPN3 Screenshot

You may have noticed the ease of streaming the World Cup online has created a shift in thinking.  When you're figuring out if you'll be able to watch a game, instead of automatically asking yourself, "Am I going to be near a TV at that time?" the question becomes, "Am I going to be near a TV or a computer at that time?" (not to mention the option of mobile streaming).  Streaming the World Cup online has become a preferred option of many viewers because it's free, it's easy, and it looks good.  I have watched a couple (well, several—it does qualify as research for our work!) of the games on ESPN3.com and the higher quality streams have been superb. 

The streaming is adaptive bit rate, as the best online video experience requires today, and the only really "unwatchable" stream is the one at the lowest bit rate, which I have only been subjected to once.  ESPN EVP Damon Philips told NewTeeVee's Janko Roettgers that ESPN3's users are, on average, "watching the 1.5 Mbps stream," which is a relatively high bit rate and means there are a lot of happy viewers out there. 

In a NewTeeVee poll asking readers how they are watching the World Cup, 49% said on TV, while 50% said online (in addition to ESPN3.com, Univisionfutbol.com is another popular source for live streaming).  Granted, visitors to the NewTeeVee site might provide a bit of a skewed cross-section of all World Cup viewers, but it's still telling.  Would World Cup viewers consider online streaming as good an option if the quality wasn't cutting it? Nope.

One of the best uses of video so far in World Cup coverage has been within ESPN's GameCasts.  For those who like to track the games, ESPN.com provides lineups, play-by-play commentary, and best of all, nearly instantaneous uploads of game highlights as they happen.  Miss that beautiful shot just scored? ESPN will clip the live stream and the video highlight of the goal will be posted to GameCast in a matter of minutes (actually, CBS Interactive's GameSpot is using Elemental Live in a very similar use case this week at E3).

If you haven't experienced World Cup live streaming yet, there's just a few hours until the France v. Mexico game. Get your browser ready!

Marketing, Business Ringer Joins Elemental

Submitted by admin on June 9, 2010 - 13:57

Keith Wymbs, VP of MarketingToday, we're excited to announce a recent addition to our executive team: video, IPTV and telecommunications veteran, Keith Wymbs. As Vice President of Marketing, Wymbs leads the development and implementation of Elemental’s worldwide marketing strategy, including expansion of our enterprise product line. With extensive marketing, product management and overall business experience in the video space, Keith has worked at every stage of a company's lifespan. How'd Elemental get so lucky? Keith can tell it best himself:

"I’m joining Elemental almost two years to the day after waving a temporary goodbye to the video industry. It was a thrill ride to see the transition to HD, the rapid adoption of DVRs, the fits and starts of internet video, and the telecom industry’s strategic move from bits and bytes to experience and entertainment with the adoption of IPTV. And now I’m back to participate in the real-time streaming revolution of online video. So, what’s the story?

After 15 years immersed in the video world, it was time to conquer new challenges. I took time to follow my passions, run my own company, and focus on family after too many years in tech hyperdrive.  I was satisfied, happy, even reflective.  But, in many ways I felt underutilized in this work.  Watching from the sidelines and seeing the innovations in video delivery and the explosion of content and devices and formats – 2 billion videos delivered daily by YouTube, billions in revenues for content owners – made me wonder.  Shouldn’t I be playing a part in this next wave?

Elemental helped me answer that question.  The people, the management, the board, and the technology portfolio are all great.  But what really stimulates me is that Elemental is positioned at the intersection of what is driving online innovation today.  Video is exploding in all dimensions.  It’s becoming an extension of peoples’ connected lives and the bloodlines for corporate brands.  Oh, and it’s entertaining too.  Clearly, it’s become indispensible to the way we live.

Elemental is helping drive this content revolution and I’m grateful to be associated with such an innovative company."

 

Be sure to follow us @elementaltech to keep up with Keith and Elemental.

CEO Presents Elemental Live at Streaming Media East

Submitted by Whitney on June 9, 2010 - 13:49

At Streaming Media East last month, Larry Kless of Larry Kless’ Weblog and OnlineVideoPublishing.com interviewed our CEO, Sam Blackman, capturing a video demonstration of Elemental’s recently launched live streaming application, Elemental Live. Larry is a long-time video enthusiast and 20-year veteran of the enterprise video space. In a recent post showcasing Elemental Live, Larry said, “[Elemental Technologies] has pioneered the use of GPUs (graphics processing units) and other massively parallel chips for video processing capable of handling multiple simultaneous tasks with much higher performance than CPU (central processing unit)-based transcoding.”