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Siraj Syed covers CommunicAsia 2017, Post-event reportage, 03: Brightcove Unveils Ground-breaking Technology

Brightcove (NASDAQ: BCOV) announced at BroadcastAsia2017 (held in conjunction with CommunicAsia in Singapore, May 2017), the beta availability of Context Aware Encoding, a new video compression technology that lowers the total cost of ownership and improves video quality. Context Aware Encoding uses machine learning and deep video analysis to achieve optimum quality for each video with the fewest bits necessary. This patent-pending approach to trans-coding enables Brightcove customers to maximise visual quality, while reducing storage and delivery bandwidth requirements, by up to 50 percent.

The release of Context Aware Encoding addresses two mandates in Brightcove’s Manifesto for Transforming the Experience and Economics of Online Video in 2017. First--the technology radically improves the user experience publishers can deliver to their viewers by improving video experiences for users in situations where bandwidth is limited. Unlike other encoding solutions, the Brightcove technology takes into account the broader context of the video experience, creating a custom encoding profile tailored to the combination of each individual video’s content complexity and viewing environment. The result for viewers is a higher quality video that starts up faster and buffers less.

Second--reducing video operations and delivery costs by up to 50 percent is another focus for Brightcove in 2017. For Brightcove’s media customers that are managing hundreds of videos and millions of streams, the cost savings on storage and bandwidth are relevant. By reducing the number of renditions created and automatically adjusting the bitrates, Brightcove estimates that, for many customers, cost savings on storage can approach 50 percent, and, on average 40 percent, on bandwidth.

Context Aware Encoding analyses each individual video and optimises it for the target device and bandwidth profiles. The technology then optimises video parameters, such as resolution and frame-rate, and codec parameters like bit-rate, codec profile and level, and creates the appropriate adaptive bit-rate (ABR) ladder from this. By contrast, content-based approaches perform analysis to choose a more optimal bit-rate from an existing ABR ladder.

“Context Aware Encoding provides more bang for the bit to Brightcove Video Cloud customers,” said Anil Jain, executive vice president and general manager, Media Business Unit, Brightcove. “In keeping with the manifesto that we’re living by in 2017, we’re proud of this new technology that simplifies the trans-coding process and delivers on the promise to greatly enhance the user experience and significantly cut operational spend.” A twenty year veteran of the technology industry, Anil joined Brightcove in 2014 as part of the company's acquisition of Unicorn Media, Inc. Anil leads Brightcove's Media Business Unit and is responsible for the overall go-to-market strategy, media product portfolio and the delivery of innovative solutions to Brightcove's broadcaster, publisher, OTT and Internet Media customers around the world.

About Brightcove

Brightcove Inc. (NASDAQ:BCOV) is a leading global provider of powerful cloud solutions for delivering and monetising video across connected devices. The company offers a full suite of products and services that reduce the cost and complexity associated with publishing, distributing, measuring and monetizing video across devices. Brightcove has thousands of customers, in over 70 countries, who rely on the company’s cloud solutions, to successfully publish high-quality video experiences to audiences everywhere. In March, Dekkho, a streaming video service specialising in delivering premium content from India’s top content creators, has selected Brightcove to power its OTT service. The service, which debuted, in February 2017, was built on Brightcove Video Cloud, enabling Dekkho to leverage an industry-leading online video platform to offer consumers VOD access to 12,000 hours of programming, across desktop and mobile applications.

Dekkho provides its customers with a curated, high-quality video experience, with video content ranging from three to 45 minutes. It partners with leading content producers such as Sony Music, Zee Music, Culture Machine, Times Group, and OML.