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Keep up to date with all Vindral Live and Vindral Composer related updates
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Sep 14, 2022Vindral at the forefront of innovation
The future of live streaming is taking shape. Today Realsprint can announce the world’s first AV1 4K 10-bit HDR live streaming solution at sub-second latency and synchronized playout, with Vindral playing a major role in the development. Behind the technology is a three-way partnership between RealSprint, NETINT Technologies, and Oracle, which paved the way for the solution’s development – available in a live ABR demo with four profiles ranging from 360p to 4K at 12 Mbit/s. The solution utilizes Vindral, delivering high-quality video at sub-second latency and synchronization at scale, augmented with NETINT Technologies ASIC-powered Quadra T2 Video Processing Unit (VPU) and Oracle’s cloud infrastructure for global scale out. The performance marks a significant breakthrough, as it amplifies the viewing experience globally and showcases the thrilling performance of future live streaming.
Beating industry-wide shortcomings
Live experiences are rarely flawless. Watching a live stream on-the-go can be a frustrating experience. Live streams often lag, buffer or jitter, and video quality can drop quickly, especially on congested networks. At the same time, the consumer is expecting flawless delivery, now more than ever. The demand for higher quality, greater stability, better synchronization, and faster delivery, highlights the industry-wide inefficiency of contemporary codecs, such as H.264’s ability to stream high-quality content over the internet. Even though H.264 is currently the most widely deployed codec for the web, it’s unlikely to perform well in the future, as rising quality in video content require more bandwidth. In contrast, the effective quality-to-bandwidth performance of the AV1 codec opens the possibility to stream video content more efficiently, even in markets characterized by extensive bandwidth limitations and instabilities.
The compression of AV1 is approximately 50% more effective than H.264 and 30% more effective than HEVC, which clearly positions AV1 for the future. Although device support for hardware accelerated AV1 decoding is still limited, the solution points to the potential of AV1’s broad-scale adoption. Youtube and Netflix have both adopted the royalty-free, open-source AV1 codec to tackle the issue of rising qualities in OTT streaming, delivering higher frame rates in high-resolution formats, including 4K and even 8K. Now, that possibility is becoming a reality in live streaming as well.
Viewers are driving expectations for higher qualities, and new live verticals requiring the compression-efficiency of AV1 are emerging. Live sports, live auctions, live shopping, and interactive game shows all make the case for the promising AV1 codec. Beyond quality, these verticals require guaranteed sub-second latency and playout synchronization at scale to accelerate the user experience and reinvigorate the field of interactive live streaming. Thus, moving beyond the capacity of real-time-based solutions such as WebRTC and LL-HLS Chunked CMAF, trimmed exclusively for either fast delivery or stability. Vindral positions in the so-called Sweet Spot between these technologies, yielding an all-around performance enhancement.
The solution is available as a live demo at AV1 Demo. There is also a side-by-side comparison between AV1 and H.264 to use as a benchmark, available at comparison. Have a look. We’ll be curious to hear what you think.
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Sep 5, 2022IBC 2022 – Let’s meet!
This year’s IBC is just around the corner, taking place at the RAI in Amsterdam during 9-12 of September. We have a lot in the making that we’re excited to showcase – reach out and book a time to meet up.
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Aug 30, 2022Vindral delivers ATG streams to Android TV and Apple TV
RealSprint, a long-standing partner of ATG, has recently helped increase the reach of the horse racing company by creating TV apps for the Apple and Android ecosystems. This is one step in the journey of increasing platform support while maintaining a fully synchronized cross-platform experience.
With the help of RealSprint, ATG is increasing its content reach to include support for Android TV together with Apple TV. As a response to insights about audience behavior, the new apps that were recently released provide the same level of performance as the online ultra-low-latency stream on https://www.atg.se. Regardless of whether the viewer is watching on a desktop computer, mobile phone, or television set, every user is in sync, further emphasizing trust and fairness in the ATG brand.
ATG is the leading player in the Swedish trotting and horseracing scene, with races running just about every day, adding up to a total of 20 000 races yearly. The collaboration between ATG and RealSprint dates back several years, with ATG utilizing RealSprint’s Vindral to achieve ultra-low latency and synchronized playout while sustaining the highest video quality at full stability. The all-around strength of the Vindral streaming solution is required for ATG’s ability to provide a premium user experience, even for viewers on congested networks. Ultra-low latency and synchronized playout increase the window of opportunity, allowing fans to place their bets closer to the action. Bettors cherish this feature, as a lot goes into assessing the form of the horses during the warm-up of each race. Additional time at this stage is important in order to make proper assessments and thereby a prerequisite for placing more informed bets. Greater volumes of incoming bets also translate into increased business for ATG and catalyze their brand recognition.
“An important part of our strategy is to make ATG Live available on as many platforms as possible. Up until now, we’ve been available on ATG.se, the ATG app, the social betting platform ATG Tillsammans, as well as on linear television. Now, we add Apple TV and Android TV to the mix, and more is coming. RealSprint, who’s been an important supplier to us for many years, rapidly helped us extend our distribution to these apps, which has been widely appreciated among our customers.“
Mikael Kudrén, Head of Digital at ATGAlthough challenging, it is crucial to understand and continuously adapt to your audience. The behavior of the viewer is always at the core, and in the case of ATG, users appreciate the flexibility of being able to watch their favored horse racing on the television, tablet, or smartphone app.
For the most dedicated players and fans, horse racing is at the core of their lifestyle and something they are truly devoted to. With the extended support for synchronized cross-platform watching and betting, they can view the stream on one device and place their bets on another. Chromecast has been a prioritized playout method for a long time, and adding support for both AppleTV and AndroidTV is a way for ATG to further accommodate the needs and expectations of their customers. Greater flexibility for viewers to consume streams on multiple devices further strengthens ATG’s position as a brand with excellent customer satisfaction.
“Helping ATG improve its content distribution means the support is also added to our native and web SDK. Implementing support for Google Cast and Apple TV is a common struggle for live streaming platforms, but it’s becoming increasingly important to incorporate as users expect it. The native iOS SDK allows for picture-in-picture, and in combination with our ultra-low latency, synchronization, and 4K support, it adds to and further renews our offering.”
Per Mafrost, CTO of RealSprintBroad-scale support for Apple TV and Android TV is now available
While traditional television is dropping market shares, OTT media, especially subscription video on demand, SVOD, is seeing tremendous growth and is estimated to accelerate further during the coming years. Apps like Netflix, HBO, and Disney+ are transforming the way people consume video, leading to new consumer behaviors and expectations for the future – representing a shift in the modern TV and video ecosystems. Broad-scale cord-cutting with consumers canceling their multi-channel television subscriptions means an industry-wide transition from multicast to unicast. Consumers expect video content to be more relevant and in accordance with their personal preferences to a greater extent than before and count on content to be available and easily accessed cross-platforms. To this, the introduction of 5G is a contributing factor, strengthening the possibility of consuming video content on the go.
Linear television is still one important component in ATG’s delivery due to its popularity among viewers. Yet, the support for Android TV and Apple TV is a way to diversify ATG’s content distribution and proactively adapt to market shifts. Owning the content platform entirely is valuable, as it allows for greater customization, control, and optimization of their offering, continuously adding value for their customers.
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May 12, 2022Streaming Media East is around the corner – let’s meet up.
RealSprint will be joining in on the Streaming Media East Conference, taking place on the 23-25 of May in Boston, US. Streaming Media East is an annually recurring event showcasing leading trends in live streaming through joint workshops, panel discussions, and speakers from a range of different industries. This year’s edition covers topics such as future codecs, scalability, and latency in live streaming – areas where we have a lot to show for. Request a time slot below, or ping us to meet up.
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Apr 25, 2022RealSprint enters partnership with NETINT Technologies to provide next-generation live streaming
RealSprint announces partnership with NETINT Technologies to establish new standards for ultra-low latency live streaming. During NAB 2022 in Las Vegas, RealSprint’s CEO Daniel Alinder met with Alex Liu, NETINT Technologies co-founder.
The global market of live streaming is seeing tremendous growth as well as an accelerating demand for solutions that retain high-quality video and synchronized playout without sacrificing latency. Our Vindral streaming solution augmented with NETINT Technologies hardware encoding is a way to fuel further growth by reinvigorating the live streaming industry, thus moving beyond the capacity of contemporary, real-time-based alternatives. Recent development in verticals such as sports betting, with in-play gaining ground, further emphasizes the need for sub-second latency and – more notably – viewers being kept in sync. Our Vindral streaming solution augmented with NETINT Technologies hardware encoding is a way to fuel further growth by reinvigorating the live streaming industry.
RealSprint is dedicated to leading the field on a global scale, and the partnership with NETINT Technologies reinforces this commitment.
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Apr 21, 2022Meet us at NAB show in Las Vegas
RealSprint will be joining in on the NAB Show 2022, taking place on the 23-27 of April in Las Vegas. The NAB Show is an annually recurring event showcasing leading trends in media and entertainment together with breakthrough innovations. The NAB events have been around for almost a decade, and since the very beginning, consistently attracted thousands of industry professionals, covering the whole content spectrum – from creation to distribution. Hence, offering unlimited access to interesting discussions as well as a gateway to discovering future partnerships. As a non-profit organization, NAB has been reinvesting in broadcasting to spur further growth and innovation.
As for RealSprint, we have a lot in the making that we are excited about and eager to share. Request a time slot below, or ping us to meet up.
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Apr 1, 2022Meet us at ICE London
ICE London will be taking place at ExCeL during 12-14 April and RealSprint will be participating – reach out and book a time to meet up!
After a two-year-long interruption following the breakout of Covid, the Ice London event is finally back on track, showcasing the latest innovations and delivering limitless business opportunities. The event, organized by Clarion Gaming, centers around the gaming industry, attracting operators from 45+ countries – offering a useful gateway to find partners and form long-lasting industry relationships.
Live streaming is, to an increasing extent, about upholding stability as video qualities approach 4K while networks start to fluctuate. Simultaneously, there is an increase on the demand side for sub-second glass-to-glass latency solutions, pressuring live streaming operators to deliver on a satisfactory level. Within the iGaming industry, operators need to offer crisp quality, and a widened window for betting as it allows players to place their bets closer to the action, leading to a more seamless experience. We’re eager to show how Vindral overcomes industry-wide obstacles, delivering unmatched performance globally.