Amongst all the key components, Streaming has the strongest impact on quality of service for OTT platforms. Subscribers simply expect the streaming to be seamless and error free. Improving streaming quality for OTT platform can be achieved by addressing several key technical factors, including:
Video Codecs: The choice of video codec is crucial for streaming quality. Some popular video codecs are H.264, H.265 (HEVC), VP9, and AV1. Each codec has its advantages and disadvantages, but the most important factor is the compatibility of the codec with the target devices. For example, H.264 is widely supported, but its compression efficiency is relatively low, while VP9 and AV1 offer better compression efficiency, but are not as widely supported.
Bitrate: Bitrate refers to the amount of data that is transmitted per second and is a key factor in determining video quality. A higher bitrate means a higher video quality, but it also requires more bandwidth. It is important to find a balance between video quality and available bandwidth.
Adaptive Bitrate Streaming: Adaptive Bitrate Streaming is a technique that adjusts the bitrate in real-time based on the viewer's network conditions. This ensures that the viewer receives the best possible quality for their current network conditions, without experiencing buffering or stuttering.
Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN is a network of servers that delivers content to viewers from the server closest to their location. This reduces the latency and improves the overall quality of the stream.
Network Capacity: The OTT platform should have enough network capacity to support the number of concurrent viewers and ensure that the streams do not get congested.
Network Latency: Latency refers to the time it takes for a packet of data to travel from the server to the viewer. Lower latency results in a smoother and more responsive streaming experience.
Encryption: Encryption helps to protect the content from unauthorized access and ensure that only authorized viewers can access the content.
Error Correction: Error correction is important for maintaining video quality over unreliable networks. Error correction techniques can detect and correct errors that occur during transmission, ensuring that the video quality remains high.
In conclusion, improving streaming quality for an OTT platform requires a combination of the right video codec, an appropriate bitrate, adaptive bitrate streaming, a CDN, sufficient network capacity, low latency, encryption, and error correction. By addressing these key technical factors, OTT platforms can provide their viewers with a high-quality streaming experience.