Video Processing Perspectives

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is one of the busiest and loudest technology trade shows of the year. This year, Elemental is pleased to reign in the noise with a demonstration of its new audio management technology with partner SRS Labs at the Trump International Hotel. 

Almost everyone has experienced obnoxiously loud commercials while watching television. The local car dealership may air an advertisement that is ten times louder than the television program it interrupts. Abrupt changes in broadcast audio levels and the extremely unpleasant viewing experience this creates became such an issue in the U.S. that legislators stepped in to enact the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act. The legislation mandates that networks and broadcasters deploy technology and equipment to ensure delivery of a consistent audio volume across programming and commercials to consumers. With comparable initiatives being put into place internationally, many of Elemental’s customers will be impacted worldwide. 

Elemental, today named one of America's Most Promising Companies by Forbes, is working with ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports programming, to create the on-demand video offered on the ESPN family of websites and ESPN iPhone, iPad and Android applications. ESPN is using Elemental™ Server to create 14 distinct video outputs for adaptive bit rate playback on each of these platforms. This enables the sports network to put high-quality digital highlight packages online faster than ever before to satisfy fan demand.

2011 has proven to be a sport-acular year for Elemental, as our gear is now found within several major sports leagues’ networks, at some of the world’s largest tournaments and competitions, and even inside athletic stadiums and venues. Helping companies deliver live video and highlights to fans via PCs, tablets or mobile devices is one of Elemental’s sweet spots, and we are excited about playing a significant role in this evolution. Let’s take a look at the ways Elemental is making an impact on the streaming sports world.

As we watch the live streaming coverage of the Dallas Mavericks’ victory parade this morning on NBA.com, one thing is clear:  Dirk has not put as much time into his singing voice as he has his shooting stroke.  But that’s okay—it wasn’t his singing that won him the NBA championship and finals MVP.  It also doesn't keep him from belting out the lyrics to "We Are the Champions" as Mark Cuban dances and Jason Terry's big ol' cigar hangs out of his mouth. Yes, the NBA season must be over.

While we wait for next season (it could be awhile, unfortunately), let’s take a look back at some numbers reported by Turner Broadcasting for the 2010-2011 NBA campaign. 

Baseball season may still be four months away as snow blankets Progressive Field in Cleveland, but that isn’t keeping people away from the ballpark. In fact, it’s bringing them in. The Indians’ Snow Days, a month-long “gigantic winter fun event,” kicks off today at the venue in downtown Cleveland.

Although baseball stadiums historically go quiet during the winter, save for the Winter Classic, Progressive Field is bringing the noise. The organization’s goal is to make Snow Days a marquee destination featuring wintery food, fun and activities, including: