Another challenge that broadcasters now face has been created by the proliferation of different screen types, according to Kon Wilms, chief architect at AIIDigital. Broadcasters are moving from a tightly controlled distribution chain in which they need to better support multiple file formats and screen resolutions for mobile devices.TVs, computers, and editing requirements.One key consideration for broadcasters lies in making their content in many different formats to support various types of devices, says Wilms. Each type of devices has different characteristics in terms of media consumption and screen aspect ratio. "For us it is about being able to deliver to all of those devices, some of which are over satellite." Wilms expects MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) to grow in importance as broadcasters move more content over the Internet.The protocol allows a broadcaster to store their video content in such a way that it can be scaled up or down in resolution and quality as network conditions change. The technology has received backing from Microsoft, Adobe, and Apple, which have developed proprietary adaptive rate formats. Additionally, it promises to improve the ability to automatically stage content on the Internet for varying qualities of service. "A lot of the media servers are gearing up with DASH, and Microsoft has recently published the source code for it," Wilms notes.
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