Harmonic has announced EyeQ, a real-time video compression optimisation solution for internet-connected devices while reducing OTT bitrates by approximately 50%.
“OTT services for both the first screen and mobile devices are becoming increasingly important. Viewers now expect a first-screen quality of experience on every device, with increased video resolution and no buffering, despite network conditions. To make matters even more challenging, accelerating consumption rates are driving up storage and delivery costs,” said Bart Spriester, SVP, video products, at Harmonic.
“Harmonic understands compression better than any other video infrastructure provider and we are excited to unleash the power of EyeQ to ensure happier viewers. And when viewers spend more time in front of the screen, there’s more opportunity for content monetization. By lowering CDN and storage costs by half, EyeQ has the potential to help deliver significant CAPEX and OPEX savings, and increased profitability, for operators.”
The product of a multi-year research effort and several filed patents, EyeQ delivers bandwidth savings using existing AVC-based codecs with no requirement to upgrade existing client devices. Artificial intelligence embedded in the solution leverages the mechanics of the human visual system to continuously assess video quality in real time and focus bits where and when they matter most for the viewer.
Unnecessary bits can be eliminated, allowing content providers to consistently meet video quality targets at the lowest possible bandwidth. EyeQ’s video compression optimization delivers consistent, superior video quality with overall bandwidth usage significantly reduced versus constant bitrate encoding schemes.
Harmonic will demonstrate EyeQ at IBC2016 at stand 1.B20.