Techfastly May 2022 by Techfastly

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w w w. t e c h f a s t l y. c o m

Streaming

Technologies THE NEX T REVOLUTIONARY TREND

Streaming Technology: The New Buzz of the 21st Century by Rehan Hussain

Into The World of

Metaverse A Deep Dive into the 'Virtual Future' p54

How Are OTT Platforms Changing The Landscape of The Media & Entertainment Industry? by Aftab Alam

Technology is Shaping the Future of Streaming Services by Toulika Das

What’s Inside p.4

Why Streaming Media Could be the Next Revolutionary Trend in Entertainment?

p.36 How are OTT Platforms

Changing the Landscape of the Media and Entertainment Industry?

by Saipriya Iyer

p.12 The Streaming Technology,

The New Buzz of the 21st Century

by Aftab Alam

p.44 Amazon Prime Video's

Business Model and Strategies

by Rehan Hussain

p.28

Technology is Shaping the Future of Streaming Services by Toulika Das

p.68

by Yash Modi

p.54

Into the world of Metaverse, A Deep Dive into the 'Virtual Future' by Yash Modi

DataStax, The Real-time Data Company, Unveiled “Change Data Capture” (CDC) for Astra DB by Rahul Kumar

p.72

How Netflix's OTT Architecture Functions? by Pallabi Das

p.80 Apple TV+ Makes History

as First Streaming Service to Win Best Picture at Oscars With 'CODA' by Utsav Mishra

p.88 Where is Streaming Data

Stored Temporarily? The Role of Storage in Streaming Media by Baba Nadeem

Editor’s note

Dear Readers, The metaverse intends to completely change the way connect with one another on the internet, allowing them to communicate in ways that were earlier only pictured in science fiction. The Metaverse technology now allows us to have a considerably more intimate environment, online. Users are allowed to use an avatar to access the internet, or the web will appear in front of you in an augmented reality scenario. Virtual Reality (VR), or augmented Reality (AR) as we see it today, can be heavily used in the metaverse to submerge people in an 'alternative world'. Although this unique technology is still being refined, businesses such as Meta claim to be developing and upgrading these systems. In the past few years, the online streaming industry has grown lot in terms of popularity, and their subscribers. Streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are gaining a lot of traction. This growth is likely to persist as streaming technology improves, permitting advertisers to communicate with customers in newer and more innovative ways. From DVD rental company to OTT (Over-the-top) service, Netflix has set a prime example of how technology is shaping the video streaming landscape. Examining the probable future of internet streaming might help you to determine how your company can communicate with prospective consumers. Viewers can now enjoy the same episodes on their smart phones or laptops, tablets, etc. just as they do on big TVs, thanks to the improved performance of mobile streaming. With more and more viewers subscribing to Netflix or Amazon's services, some original titles' appeal grows. Generating original material allows streaming providers to produce shows that are tailored to their specific requirements. Like always, we hope you enjoy reading the articles in the May issue of Techfastly magazine. As always, we welcome your feedback on the topics discussed in this issue. We hope you enjoy reading it!

Srikant Rawat

Chief Operating Officer, Techfastly

Missed an Issue? Subscribe and access our Digital issues anytime. www.techfastly.com

Why Streaming Media Could be the Next

Revolutionary Trend in Entertainment? by Saipriya Iyer

MAY 2022

In an era where technology has taken center stage, the influx of new software to make entertainment more accessible is on the rise—until a few years ago, watching movies on television or a multiplex had been rather commonplace.

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With the advent of the streaming process, though, every type of media is available to be accessed virtually on devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Media streaming has emerged to be a trendy business sector, with a host of companies vying against one another to offer the best streaming services possible. Recently, in fact, The Roku Channel added 16 new channels to its linear TV catalogue, thereby providing users access to more than 275 total live linear channels.

What is Streaming Media? Let's begin with what streaming is – for the layman, streaming is simply the transmission of files from the server-side to the client-side. Streaming occurs when users listen to podcasts or watch television on internet-connected devices. Essentially, the media file played on the client-side is stored remotely, and is transmitted over the internet, a few seconds at a time.

Streaming media comprises any kind of multimedia – audio-video files like podcasts, television, movies, etc.

The words 'streaming video' and 'streaming movies' are not used interchangeably, even though they are the same at a technical level. It is to be noted that while all streaming movies are streaming videos, all streaming videos are not streaming movies. For instance, YouTube and Netflix are both streaming media. Streaming a video from YouTube is not that different from streaming a movie from Netflix, since the user is basically accessing a video file stored on the server and playing the same on an internet-enabled device. However, a YouTube video does not necessarily need to be only a movie – it can just be a short/long video, while one can only stream movies and television series on Netflix and similar platforms.

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Downloading and Streaming Compared

Examples of Streaming Media Some of the most well-known examples of streaming media are as follows:

Streaming and downloading are two major processes enabling users to access entertainment media online. Streaming essentially represents a process that allows users to browse across all types of content on a server while downloading will enable users to browse and store the media files on their device. In essence, while streaming, a user can watch any type of video without possessing the file in a physical format – the device's storage will not be impacted. On the other hand, downloading helps the user get hold of the physical contents of the file – the downloaded file can be accessed even without the internet.

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These streaming media applications are extremely popular and offer a host of services to users. Most of these streaming services offer encoding, ondemand streaming, numerous channels, content protection, access to innumerable movies and television series, membership and subscription benefits, etc. There are two types of streaming that are commonly known: genuine and pseudo streaming Both the types of streaming work with Flash as well as HTML5 players such as Flowplayer or JW Player. In addition, they also natively work on iOS and Android devices. However, genuine streaming is more compatible than its counterpart since it is delivered over numerous protocols such as RTSP, RTMP, and HLS. Another major pointer differentiating the two types is that of local caching. In the case of genuine streaming, a video file is not cached to the user's local cache, while in pseudo streaming, a video file is cached to the viewer's local cache. While genuine streaming buffers only chunks of the video from the CDN requested by the user, pseudo streaming buffers the entire remaining part of a video file with respect to the viewer's Internet connection speed. Pseudo streaming is more like progressive downloading – this one is like a mixture of traditional downloading and streaming. It is usually easier to implement than genuine streaming. A huge part of the video file the user is watching gets automatically downloaded into their web browser's cache while their browser plays it simultaneously.

How Real Streaming Works? From a layman's perspective, audio/video files are broken down into smaller data packets for streaming to work. These packets are sent to the browser, where the audio/video player identifies the type of file. The browser begins to play the audio/video file as soon as it receives substantial packets.

are received over a strong Broadband connection and stored in buffers. The data is decompressed and transferred to a wave driver, where audio-video streams are generated in digital format. A digital to analog converter is then used to convert these waves from digital to analog form.

Now let's understand this with a bit of technicality. The streaming process essentially comprises transmission and reception.

While understanding the operational process of streaming, it is vital to understand what buffering is. In simple terms, streaming media players usually load files a little ahead of time so that user can watch/play them uninterrupted. This is what buffering is – it ensures that videos run efficiently and smoothly for a long time. Technically, suppose the buffers with stored data are not as full at the reception end. In that case, the content isn't transmitted fast enough, the buffering process slows down, and the audio/video is not played fast enough.

Analog waves are converted to digital content at the transmitting end using an analog-todigital converter. Further on, the digital data is compressed for better transmission and then transmitted by a server onto the user's device. At the receiving end, the digital data received is converted to analog. Data packets 10

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What's Next For Streaming Media? It is not a surprise anymore – steaming media is here to stay. With conventional TV becoming a thing of the past and more and more streaming service providers cropping up, the growth of online streaming media has been exponential. While the initial years saw the launch of a few select platforms, in recent times, this number has considerably increased due to rising viewership. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a huge contributor to this growth – with the imposition of nationwide lockdowns and rising social distancing measures, the masses were condemned to staying at home for longer periods. Video and

audio streaming online became a popular means of entertainment, substantially increasing the demand for streaming services the world over. As broadband speeds increase with the arrival of 5G, the number of streaming media platforms is set to rise at an appreciable rate. Although some of these seem unaffordable for a certain demographic at the moment, with the advancement of technology, the affordability rate will go higher with customized content becoming the norm.

The Streaming Technology The New Buzz of the 21st Century by Rehan Hussain Live broadcasting via the internet has risen in popularity over the last decade. This is primarily due to the rapid advancement of the technology that enables live broadcasting. Live streaming is beneficial to broadcasters in various sectors and has many use cases. This is especially relevant given that live content has been shown to retain viewers' attention up to 20 times longer than on-demand content.

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What could be better than content that maintains your audience's interest?

Since the first moving picture was developed in 1888, video technology has advanced significantly. Today, with a few taps on your laptop or phone, you can share a video with millions of viewers worldwide. Each person watches around 16 hours of video every week (a 52 percent increase over the previous two years). Video streaming protocols are a critical component of being able to send and play video on your device. With the introduction of 5G technologies, video streaming has become easier and smoother.

Streaming Protocols v/s Codec One frequent source of misunderstanding in streaming video is the distinction between a protocol and a codec. To put it simply, a "codec" is a word that refers to a video compression technique. Different streaming codecs are logically employed for distinct reasons. Apple ProRes, for example, is frequently used in video editing. H.264 is the most extensively used video codec for web video. As with the phrase "codec", the term "format" can be perplexing when used with video streaming protocols. Frequently, the term "format" refers to the container format of a video file. The most often used container formats are .mp4, .m4v, and .avi. In its simplest form, a container format is a "box" that typically comprises a video clip, an audio file, and metadata.

We will cover what live streaming is and how it works in this post. We will also discuss some critical live streaming hardware and software that broadcasters utilize to bring their feeds to life. Let us discuss the differences between the different streaming protocols, and another fantastic technology that is being flaunted in today’s world.

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Assume you are a merchant carrying bulk apparel (the clothing symbolizes the video content). The streaming codec is analogous to the machine that bundles garments together to conserve space.

As a broadcaster, you want to ensure that your live video material works with a codec, container format, and streaming protocol.

Preferred Video Streaming Protocols

Now that you understand the function of video streaming protocols let's begin our comparison with a list of the most popular video streaming protocols available today.

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HTTPLiA>eSA&eami A ngbHLSc Apple first launched this protocol in 2009 to eliminate Flash from iPhones. HLS has since surpassed HTTP as the most extensively utilized streaming protocol. This is for a variety of reasons. To begin, HLS is supported by desktop browsers, smart TVs, and Android and iOS mobile devices. HTML5 video players also enable HLS streaming natively. This enables a stream to reach the most significant potential number of viewers, making HLS the safest protocol for scaling a live feed to huge audiences today. For instance, you may use this protocol to broadcast live video on your website by simply embedding it.

In terms of capabilities, the HLS standard also offers adaptive bitrate streaming, which dynamically delivers the most excellent video quality possible at any point in time. This standard has been updated to include the advanced H.265 codec, which provides double the video quality at the same file size as H.264.

At the moment, the only disadvantage of HLS is that latency might be rather significant. There are, nevertheless, techniques for minimizing HLS latency.

2 Protocol for Real-Time Messaging (RTMP)

The RTMP protocol was invented by Macromedia in the early days of streaming and is still frequently used today. Nowadays, RTMP is used chiefly to ingest live streams using an RTMPenabled encoder. When you configure your encoder to deliver video to your streaming platform, the video will arrive over the RTMP protocol. Subsequently, that material is sent to the end-user through another protocol, most often HLS. RTMP is no longer as widely utilized as it once was as a viewer-facing video streaming technology. That is because it relies on the Flash plugin, which is now defunct.

"Web conferencing," is one of the most prevalent WebRTC use cases.

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WebRTC

Web Real-Time Communications (WebRTC) is a free and open-source video project that enables real-time video streaming. This project was created to allow for VoIP, and Google acquired it to power Google's video conferencing products. Technically, WebRTC is a streaming initiative, not a streaming protocol. However, it is frequently conflated with recommended procedures due to overlap. WebRTC is advantageous in streaming configurations that demand zero latency. Peerto-peer streaming sometimes referred to as "web conferencing," is one of the most prevalent WebRTC use cases. Snapchat, Facebook, WhatsApp, and other prominent social media platforms that offer video chatting are examples of popular software and apps that employ WebRTC.

Reliable and Secure TAanADAB&aA&iAnbSRTc

SRT is a relatively recent streaming protocol developed by Haivision, a market leader in the internet video streaming sector. This open-source protocol is renowned for its exceptional security, stability, interoperability, and low-latency streaming potential. Streaming with SRT is currently limited since alternative streaming devices and software have not been developed to support this protocol. SRT is the protocol of choice for many SRT Alliance's members. This is a consortium of technology and telecoms businesses committed to advancing SRT to the forefront of the live streaming market. Haivision, the firm that invented the protocol, created the SRT Alliance. Microsoft, Telestream, Alibaba Cloud, Comcast, Eurovision, and AVID are all prominent members of the SRT Alliance.

Protocol for Real-Time SA&eami A ngbRTSPc Real-Time Streaming Technology (RTSP), a lesser-known video streaming protocol, was initially released in 1998. RTSP was created primarily for controlling streaming media servers in entertainment and communications networks. In 2016, RTSP 2.0 was upgraded. In general, it is referred to as a video streaming protocol used to initiate and regulate media sessions between endpoints. RTSP is comparable to the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol discussed below. However, RTSP cannot send live streaming data on its own.

Rather than that, RTSP servers frequently collaborate with the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) and the Real-Time Control Protocol (RTCP) to offer media streams.

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HTTP Dynamic Adaptive SA&eami A ngbMPEGnDSHc A Finally, but certainly not least, we have MPEGDASH. While this protocol is not extensively used, it offers some significant advantages. To begin, it is capable of adaptive-bitrate streaming. This ensures that viewers receive the highest possible video quality supported by their current internet connection speed. This fluctuates on a second-by-second basis, and DASH can keep up. MPEG-DASH resolves several long-standing technical delivery and compression difficulties. Additionally, MPEG-DASH is "codec agnostic," which may be used with virtually any streaming encoding standard. Additionally, it supports Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) and Media Source Extensions (MSE), which are standards-based APIs for managing digital rights in the browser (DRM). www.techfastly.com

Content Delivery Network A content delivery network (CDN) is a collection of geographically spread computers that accelerates online content delivery by bringing it closer to users. Around the world, data centers employ caching, which temporarily caches copies of information to enable you to access online material more rapidly via a server near you using a web-enabled device or browser. CDNs store material such as web pages, photos, and video on proxy servers near your physical location. This enables you to perform tasks like watching a movie, downloading software, checking your bank balance, posting on social media, and making transactions without waiting for content to load. Consider a CDN in the same way as you would an ATM. With a cash machine on nearly every corner, money can be obtained quickly and efficiently. There is no waiting in large bank lines, and ATMs are conveniently located across the city. CDN services were developed to alleviate network congestion caused by delivering rich online content such as graphics and video across the internet — akin to a traffic jam. It took too long to provide material from centrally situated servers to individual users. CDNs have expanded their capabilities to cover anything from text, images, scripts, and media files to software downloads, documents, portals, e-commerce, live streaming media, on-demand video streaming media, and social networking sites. 21

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What Exactly Is a Live Streaming Application? Any software or gear that enables you to transmit live video to a video platform is considered a live video streaming tool. This platform can now be any of the following: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. With its capabilities, the finest live streaming tool can significantly improve the quality and appearance of your live videos. The primary tools are as follows:

Cameras

All right, now we're going to speak about videos. A video camera is a critical piece of live streaming equipment. However, selecting one might be complex, with many live streaming cameras.

Equipment for Audio Live Streaming

Consider the following scenario: you're broadcasting live, and the video stutters. What is going to restore your grace? Naturally, reliable audio output is required. Video streaming is much more than providing a fantastic watching experience for your viewers. You must also check that the audio is caught correctly. I'd recommend starting with an entry-level video camera if you're a newbie. These may provide pretty decent video quality under optimum lighting circumstances. Additionally, such a live streaming arrangement will not break the bank. 23

However, do not expect them to be featurerich—for instance, entry-level camcorders, smartphone cameras, and action cameras. Similarly, professional live video cameras include built-in microphones that provide audio of moderate quality. You may enhance it further by adding a USB or a more sophisticated 3.5mm microphone.

A condenser microphone on a desktop stand is suitable if your broadcast is relatively static and free of background noise. 24

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Equipment for Mixing Live Video Streams

An audio mixer is another crucial component of any live streaming setup. Apart from enabling you to incorporate various microphones and audio sources into your stream, it also allows you to alter sound levels, EQ, compression, and gain - giving you complete control over your audio output. While mixing your live streaming audio arrangement is optional, it is necessary if you are broadcasting with several cameras or if you want to improve the quality of your live movies but cannot afford studio equipment.

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Encryptors

To begin, keep in mind that the correct encoder may make all the difference regarding live video streaming. Encoders reduce video data while maintaining their quality by converting them from one format to another - for example, turning RAW video files from your camera to digital files. Therefore, if you've ever been upset by instant buffering when streaming a video, you should know that encoding can help alleviate the problem. Additionally, it may modify the resolution of a video, convert it to a format suitable for your tablet, smartphone, or computer, and convert old files to new forms.

Equipment for Live Video Streaming

Whether you're starting from scratch or want to enhance an existing system, you will need some accessories to add value to your stream. From a dependable webcam and a selfie stick to a sturdy tripod, a smartphone tripod mount, a green screen, batteries, and LED lights, you will need all of these and more if you're looking for the best video streaming quality possible. Therefore, include these to your list of the top live streaming tools you require to get started. Live streaming is essential for corporations, schools, and professional groups.

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How is Immersive Video DeASnedP

Immersive video, which is frequently used in conjunction with virtual reality (VR) technology, is a video material intended to create the illusion that the spectator is inside the video. The goal is to provide viewers with a realistic perspective. Immersive video material is frequently delivered using virtual reality goggles. Users may experience the simulation by donning the goggle-like gear. Specific VR experiences are more interactive than others in that they allow viewers to engage with objects in virtual reality rather than merely see them.

Virtual reality experiences will use immersive video and VR technology to transport viewers into the virtual realm as observers.

The virtual reality experiences that allow for active involvement require more development. This post will use immersive video and VR technology to transport viewers into the virtual realm as observers. Immersive videos, like conventional videos, may be submitted to streaming services. What makes it immersive is primarily how it is filmed and the technology utilized to access it.

Final Thoughts

Live streaming is essential for corporations, schools, and professional groups. It enables companies to communicate with their viewers in real-time, allowing for the creation of highly engaging content. Additionally, it will enable virtual event streaming. Online video streaming is critical for businesses and organizations that want to engage their existing audiences and expand their reach to new ones. While some of the live streaming software technologies discussed in this piece may appear difficult or perplexing, most broadcasters can get by with only understanding the fundamentals. When you utilize a professional streaming solution, such as Diecast, a large portion of the "backend" technology is configured automatically. Having a broad understanding of how it all works, on the other hand, can assist you in making informed judgments along the process.

Technology is Shaping the Future of

Streaming Services by Toulika Das

he media and entertainment (M&E) business has always been shaped and altered by technological advancements, and this trend is expected to continue. Over the top, (OTT) platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime are taking the lead in providing online streaming services for paid viewers. In this article, we will look at how technological advancements are leading to consolidation in M&E companies, how it affects business practices, and where we go after that with the substantial changes in the streaming industry. The TV and video industry is very flexible and characterized by a large range of factors, including digitization, growing market offerings, and competition by digital businesses. Furthermore, in the age of video-on-demand and mobile content consumption, customer expectations and consumption habits are fast shifting.

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Netflix is an intriguing illustration of a company that has effectively modified its business model numerous times and grown massively as a result.

Netflix began by renting boxed items (CDs, DVDs, etc.) through a postal service throughout the United States. Later on, they started providing on-demand entertainment that caters to a wide range of demands around the world. Netflix's 'all-you-can-eat' membership allows you to watch your favourite shows whenever and wherever you choose.

The future of OTT in sports is an intriguing one as well. The way sports leagues negotiate and distribute rights has been primarily focused on optimizing broadcast output. That is where conventional largescale profits have flourished. With the development of OTT, creative ways are fast emerging for monetizing streaming content and new distribution models. This is only the warm-up of a massive global change.

Demand and Market for Downloading Material is Shrinking, While That of Streaming is Increasing Due to technological restrictions in the early years of television, only a few channels could be aired. As a consequence, these stations tended to broadcast a diverse range of programmes with something for everybody. On the other hand, streaming permits almost endless channels to be broadcast for a minimal cost, with expenses likely to decline as technology advances. Since content producers would no longer require a broad audience to stay successful, we should see an explosion of extremely particular channels focused on specific markets as a result of the lower prices.

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We have effectively mastered the art of ondemand and file-based content distribution in the streaming era. Streaming echoes some of the most recent media developments in certain respects. The bulk of streaming video is time-shifted, and the market has focused on the issues of disseminating it in volume. As per the latest data published by Cleveland. com, Netflix stands at 221.8 million global subscribers, followed by Amazon Prime Video at 175 million members.

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Emerging technical breakthroughs, including the use of blockchain technology in video streaming and the application of AI or artificial intelligence to increase the quality of the video, will undoubtedly drive market demand throughout the forthcoming years. In addition to this, the expanding use of cloud-based video streaming technologies to expand the availability of video content directly impacts the increase. This pattern may be seen in the North American and Asia Pacific areas. Rapid digitization, increased usage of mobile phones and tablets, and the growing popularity of online video streaming are all factors contributing to the market's rise.

The Mechanism Behind Streaming Technology The ongoing delivery of audiovisual data from a host server to a consumer is known as streaming. Streaming is just what occurs when people watch TV or listen to music or podcasts on Internet-connected devices. With streaming, the media file being played on the client device is saved elsewhere and transferred over the Internet just a few seconds at a time. To understand the technology behind the popular streaming services, we may take up the case of Netflix. Netflix employs Amazon's

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AWS CDN technology (content delivery network). This, in turn, caches, streams data from the POP, and limits the data it requires from cloud hosting providers. In this approach, the streaming titan lowers its overall operating costs. Communication between devices has improved dramatically over the last decade, and it is now feasible to send several highquality broadcasts to viewers at the same time.

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Ingestion

Utilization of Digital Transformation and Cloud Computing For Streaming Streaming services may use cloud computing to increase their bandwidth, which improves the overall viewing experience. It takes care of this for each and every device as well as each and every network system. OTT streaming can be broadly classified into five different steps, namely

Transcoding

Management

Delivery and Playback

Chaos Engineering 33

Ingestion

Video streaming may be done with either prerecorded or live video. The material is collected and broadcasted live at the same time in the case of live streaming. This is called ingestion.

Transcoding

Next comes the part of transcoding the video stream. This essentially means that it is converted from one file format to another.

Management

If you use an ad-based revenue model, management covers things like content protection, digital asset and rights management, as well as dynamic ad placement.

Delivery and Playback

The finalized video stream is then transmitted via the Internet to consumers on a variety of devices. A transcoding device takes an encrypted video stream and decodes it into raw video, which is then modified and re-encoded, yielding numerous versions.

Furthermore, there is an encryption standard, and video files should be encoded uniquely for each platform to which they are sent. Depending on the devices to which it is sent, a single video stream can be wrapped up to 20 times or more.

Chaos Engineering

Netflix is more than simply a place to watch popular TV series and movies online. It also gave birth to chaotic engineering as a subject. Netflix used the phrase chaos engineering to describe doing chaos experiments on a system to identify and resolve minor problems from escalating into ones that may take a subscription service offline. It is a well-known method for improving the robustness of current and complicated technological architecture. Netflix's infrastructure has changed over time to support increasingly sophisticated operations, especially as its client base has grown to over 190 countries and over 100 million users.

In a Connected World, What Does The Future Hold For Streaming Enterprises? The digital revolution is being driven by technology, and people are rapidly adopting novel media consumption methods.

By 2027, the worldwide streaming market will be valued at more than $180 billion. According to Grand View Research's market research report, the worldwide streaming industry was valued at $42.6 billion in 2019. By 2027, it is predicted to increase at a rate of more than 20% per year, reaching a total of $184.3 billion. People can now be online practically anywhere and at any time. They may listen

to music or podcasts, and watch television shows on the move, thanks to the increased availability of a variety of gadgets such as smartphones, smart speakers, linked automobiles, and smart houses. This foundational shift in user behaviour and technical innovation is propelling the massive development of music and video streaming and the increasing relevance of data and its capacity to influence the creation and distribution of all media forms. Most significantly, technological advancements will continue to enhance the user experience. From expanding exploration capabilities to delivering increasingly tailored and curated material, the virtual world has the ability to entertain people in previously unimaginable ways.

How Are OTT Platforms Changing The Landscape of The

Media & Entertainment Industry?

OTT television, which generates around $25 billion in yearly revenue worldwide and is mostly driven by a handful of large US-based global firms such as Netflix, Amazon, and Google's YouTube, is at the heart of this transformation.

by Aftab Alam

More than a half-trillion dollars are at stake as a result of the digital revolution. The vast and fast-growing advances of the internet and overthe-top (OTT) video platforms are transforming television and filmed entertainment, mainly traditional TV broadcasts.

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The US will continue to be the world's largest OTT market, increasing at a 10.3 percent CAGR from $14.5 billion to $23.7 billion during the next five years, up to 2023.

How is OTT Changing the Principles of Content Creation and Distribution? Space shifting, place shifting, and time-shifting are three revolutionary changes in video content creation and streaming.

Space Shifting

The most significant change in the video value chain is facilities-based distribution such as cable and satellite, which are no longer the sole way for consumers to receive content. The music business serves as a good example. Walmart, the world's largest retailer, sells over 60,000 music tracks in its physical stores. Digital music subscription services, such as Spotify and iTunes, on the other hand, have infinite "shelf space" and may make up to 30 million tunes available to subscribers.

OTT has had a similar influence in the media/ entertainment industry. Content makers and aggregators are no longer constrained by the restricted distribution "bandwidth" available on a fixed (though vast) number of TV channels supplied over the air or by cable, fibre, or satellite transponders. The distribution of content is no longer a zero-sum game. The internet has abolished the restriction of shelf space in all marketplaces. Almost any video maker or storyteller—basically, anyone with a high-speed mobile or internet connection— now has access to billions of potential viewers.

Place Shifting

The expansion of mobile and streaming access as well as portable media devices with ever-larger and higher-definition displays has given customers more control over what they watch (planned programmes vs streaming video) and when and where they view it (at home or on the go). Reports suggest that US adults spent around 20 hours per week watching content in 2022, with virtually all of the growth coming from viewing that is not tied to traditional facilities-based TV.

Time Shifting

Nonlinear or time-shifted viewing, whether linked or untethered to traditional facilitiesbased delivery, now accounts for nearly a quarter of all viewing hours. Because nonlinear viewing supports some material types better than others, time-shifting has altered what people watch and how they watch it. Certain types of entertainment, such as serialised dramas, encourage bulk viewing (also known as binge-watching) because it is simpler to keep track of several characters and narrative threads. Furthermore, some viewers prefer watching shorter content rather watching content that takes months to complete. 39

How OTT is Changing the Media Industry? The rising popularity of OTT media platforms has also made it the preferred choice for OTT broadcasters to offer their content to a specific audience. The use of mobile phones and smart TV gadgets has increased tremendously as internet penetration has risen globally, and internet subscriptions have become more inexpensive. According to a recent estimate, worldwide mobile data traffic will exceed 77 exabytes per month by 2022, up from 28 exabytes in 2019—a threefold growth in three years. The adoption rate of smart TVs has also increased from 11.5 percent in 2013 to 32 percent in 2019. These figures climbed to around 50% in some countries in 2021.

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OTT platforms is the future and will soon rule the media and entertainment business

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The OTT Platform Helps in the Formation of Direct Connections with Users

Broadcasters have traditionally relied primarily on cable and DTH systems to provide their programming to end viewers. The introduction of OTT media streaming has made it quicker and easier for broadcasters to directly exhibit their content to end consumers, eliminating the need for any middlemen in the process. The finest part is that it allows them to establish a direct interaction with the OTT platform's users. It also assists them in developing a strong brand image and improving brand recall. Furthermore, broadcasters may gain precise information about their users and how they interact with their programming. This will assist them in creating what the target audience wants rather than simply imposing it onto them.

OTTGiA>eAieADV ?eAADa Consistent Viewing Experience

OTT services have long sought to make it easier for viewers to stream and watch content. It gives individuals the necessary freedom to select and view the information they want at their leisure. A unified watching experience across numerous devices and platforms is essential for OTT platform owners looking to establish a loyal following and audience base. Broadcasters must also reconsider their strategies for engaging multiscreen viewers.

It has Multiple Monetization Options One of the most admirable aspects of OTT platforms is that they provide broadcasters and content creators with different revenue opportunities to capitalize on their skill and hard work. Some of the most frequent monetization approaches are subscription videos on demand, transactional video on demand, advertising videos on demand, third-party ad integrations, and so on. The subscription monetization model and the advertisement monetization option are the most dominant in the industry.

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OTTiADChangingA&heGame The most crucial reason broadcasters are transitioning to OTT platforms today is because it is the future and will soon rule the media and entertainment business.

If you are a broadcaster or a content provider, you should understand how critical it is to ride this wave if you do not want to become unimportant in the long term. Viewership of OTT solutions is continually increasing, and you must not miss this excellent opportunity to showcase your services to the end viewers immediately.

Becoming a First-Choice Option for Top Advertisers You may be surprised that the overall ad spend for OTT platforms in 2020 was nearly USD 990 million. As OTT platforms gain popularity among audiences, advertisers seek to promote more on these platforms in order to receive quality traffic and a relevant audience. This improves their marketing ROI and leads to increased conversion rates. Advertisers now have greater freedom to promote their products and services depending on customer actions and interests.

In today's environment, everyone is placing a large bet on the usage of OTT technology to provide content. Traditional media outlets and broadcasters are finding new methods to enter the OTT arena and make their content available online via Over-theTop platforms. The OTT entertainment environment has become much more competitive. To thrive in this competitive environment, you will need to develop a solid strategy. OTT video platform behemoths have already found a technique to keep their 'Original' material enthralling their audiences.

Amazon Prime Video's

Business Model and Strategies by Yash Modi

Amazon is among the largest and, undoubtedly, one of the most successful businesses in the world. In addition, Amazon continues to lead the e-commerce market in America and other parts of the world. Amazon's revenue totalled 136 billion dollars in 2016, and the company now has a market capitalization of 470 billion dollars.

products. It's nearly impossible to find anything that Amazon will not sell these days. This and other factors have contributed to Amazon's extraordinary growth. Amazon has a market capitalization of $1.605 trillion as of April 2022, which remains the most significant retail company in the United States in terms of sales.

Furthermore, the rate of growth is exponentially high. Amazon.com debuted in the summer of 1995; ever since the company has grown to become the largest online retailer globally.

Amazon Prime is one of the most innovative and revolutionary ventures of Amazon. It is giving tough competition to Netflix, HBO, and other subscription-based OTT services. As per Amazon Prime demographics, it had more than 175 million unique viewers in 2021.

As of 2021, Amazon's brand value is estimated to be $683 billion in US dollars, beating out Walmart, Ikea, and digital competitors Alibaba and eBay in terms of value. The company has grown from a virtual bookshop to a behemoth of web-based

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By 2026, Amazon Prime Video is predicted to have over 180 million users worldwide.

Photo via Konigi.com

Business Model of Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video (formerly known as Amazon Unbox) debuted in 2006 as an ondemand rental service. Since then, Amazon has expanded the branch into a complete sports and entertainment SVOD service, including a la carte rentals; the program also provides premium channel add-ons from third-party companies like HBO, Hotstar and live games streaming. Prime Video has become a go-to destination for elite TV and film companies, competing with Netflix in the past few years. It's difficult to say how much Amazon makes from Prime Video because the streaming service's revenue is combined with the

company's overall membership statistics. The central concept behind Amazon Prime's business model, FastTrack, was established in 2002 to speed up order fulfilment and lower delivery times. The percentage of consumers who see a product as eligible to be shown in Prime is tested by FastTrack, a crucial performance measurement system for vendors. Jeff Bezos, the wealthiest man on the planet right now, always has been a visionary. He wanted to make Amazon Prime's business model become a logical manner of "locking" consumers into Amazon's ecological system of goods and services.

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Amazon Prime Video is an outlier among SVODs. The absence of a conventional membership fee is yet another distinguishing feature. Instead, Amazon Prime Video relies on a large number of yearly Prime members. They pay $119 per annum to receive all of Prime's perks:

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Ad-free access to playlists, stations, and millions of songs/ albums is included in the Prime Music subscription. The most recent blockbusters, award-winning Amazon originals, and TV shows from India and around the world are all available on Prime Video's unlimited video streaming service. Check out the Prime Reading collection for eBooks, comics, and more. Kindle E-readers or the free Kindle reading apps for Android, iOS, PC, and macOS can be used to access them.

As per reports, Amazon Prime Video used to have 96.5 million active users at the end of 2019. Some key stats about Amazon Prime: • There are more than 200 million Amazon Prime members. • In 2021, Amazon Prime Day sales totalled $11.79 billion. • Amazon Prime is used by 95 million people in the United States. • As of October 2021, Amazon Prime is offered in 22 countries. • Retail subscription fees bring Amazon annual revenue of $25.21 billion. • eMarketer predicts that by 2022, there will be 157.4 million US Amazon Prime members. • There are five product categories where Amazon has a 90 percent or greater share of the market.

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million million

Amazon Prime Video even allows you to rent films and shows for a limited period of time. It is not like services such as Netflix and HULU that include all of the content with just one subscription. Amazon prime video enables subscribers to pay for items not included in their premium membership. TVOD, or transactional video on demand, is the term for this. Prime Video is a comparatively small branch among the brand's numerous subsidiary companies in terms of operating expenses. That's also constantly evolving, with Amazon rapidly increasing the Prime Video group in fifteen offices around the world. In addition, Prime Video's utilization of Amazon Web Services (AWS) may be its greatest important asset for broadening its online video streaming software. This same application can now stream live video and undisrupted NFL matches this season to stay competitive with the significant television stations because of AWS.

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How Amazon Prime ideA V AiDUacA A&ing the Audience?

Content strategies of streaming services are indeed reshaping how we perceive content and what is really driving its creation. While Netflix is a bulk creator looking for programs that appeal to a broad audience instead of massive hits, Amazon prime is the total opposite. Amazon prime video creates and develops content to satisfy the Amazon Prime client base, so it isn't available just for its sake. Instead, content is available to help establish that prime ecosystem. Amazon is expanding Prime Video's content offerings by incorporating original content and a la carte associates networks. Is the vast amount of content readily accessible, however, being able to engage audiences? Amazon prime

millio

million

video is putting a lot of effort into maximizing the volume of available channels in order to cover each category and genre of content that a subscriber might desire. New competition such as Disney and Apple TV are presently posing a threat to Prime Video. So, for the time being, Amazon is keeping commercial-free streaming and positioning this as a premium function inside its huge media package, which even contains songs and e-books. These one-time rentals, however, do not include complete access to the platform's massive selection of original and certified content, something that account holders get as a perk. As a result, Amazon Prime Video's marketing strategy is a combination of TVOD and SVOD (subscription video on demand). Amazon networks currently offers 120 different content services.

The organization is still working on adding to that list. It is widely speculated that it is in talks to acquire large numbers of smaller cable channels. The most exciting television networks are those that offer content with unencumbered rights (aren't tied to exclusive agreements). As part of networks, Amazon can immediately release them to a worldwide audience. Amazon is not really sitting around waiting for some other major corporations to fill in Prime Video's content blanks. It is effectively working in collaboration with businesses to complete key genre classifications.

For instance, cartoon video content creator Genius Brands International is collaborating with Amazon to create a kid's channel. 49

Amazon understands the importance of building a substantial library of content as a part of the membership. So, it provides its consumers with a no-risk chance to visit the video platform. Amazon could then use its advertising clout to persuade people to sign up for certain other content. This is why it has pledged to invest $400 million in original and quality content this year. It's making investments in various genres, including drama, crime, and comedy. It's also branching out into the world of high-end sporting activities. This season, Amazon users will be allowed to watch 10 Thursday football matches, beginning with the Bears vs. Packers game.

Revenue Models

SVOD, TVOD, and the AVOD model All the OTT platforms choose one of the 4 monetization strategies to make money. These are the revenue models:

SVOD Subscription Video on Demand is the acronym for this service. The OTT apps generate income in this method by charging customers a membership fee to consume the content. The cost of a premium membership varies depending on the platform. Amazon, Prime, Netflix, and Sony Liv are among the organizations that have implemented this concept.

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AVOD

AVOD stands for Advertising Video on Demand. Subscribers or users can consume the content without any fee with the help of this model. These platforms make money with the help of the ad revenue method. They take money from brands and businesses for displaying advertisements on their platform and between streaming videos.

Voot and MX Player both use this AVOD model. Hybrid model

This model combines SVOD and AVOD features. The OTT app generates revenue in this system by providing both free content and paid subscriptions to its customers. Zee5 and Hotstar Plus both use this model. In the EST or Electronic sell-through model, consumers have access to data permanently, but the Download to Rent (DTR) model allows viewers to rent content for a short period of time for a low charge.

Amazon Prime Videos makes money from SVOD, TVOD, and a hybrid model. Android, Amazon Fire TV Stick, iOS, Smart TVs, Web, and Playstation are some devices that support Prime Video.

TVOD

It stands for transactional video on demand. Consumers pay for only a particular piece of content, such as a single episode or season of a Television program, as implied by the TVOD description. As a result, the above revenue model is also known as pay-per-view. Evidently, it is far less expensive than SVOD. Publishing companies should look at whether the application has an integrated payment gateway that allows users to buy video content conveniently for improved operating simplicity. Audiences who want to purchase ('electronic sell-through') or rent ('download to rent') studio-quality films flock to TVOD services. Google Play and iTunes are two platforms that use the TVOD method.

OA&heABeneASA&ADfmaAMAn Prime Subscription

Without cost, one-day shipping and video streaming are two of Amazon Prime's most notable features. However, a Prime subscription gives you access to much more than delivery and streaming. Here are some of the benefits that Amazon Prime has to offer:

Streaming Music

A significant advantage of Amazon Prime is Prime Music, which allows you to stream millions of excellent quality music. In addition, it provides ad-free, limitless songs, playlists, and radio stations from all over the world. You can listen to your favorite songs on any of your devices, and you can even download them for offline listening.

Reading

Amazon Prime subscribers have accessibility to over 800,000 complimentary e-books and a function that enables them to purchase 1 book a month with no deadline. The said feature is handy for all avid readers.

Amazon Web Services

Amazon Prime members have access to cloud storage, AWS, where they can store their photos. Cloud technology is secure, and you can connect and access your media from any device, including your phone and computer.

Pantry

Amazon provides a flat delivery discount on low-cost household necessities through this service. So unless you spend below $35 on your purchase, you will receive free delivery. This facility is present in multiple countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and India.

How Successful is the Business Model? Amazon doesn't estimate the number of people watching the Prime Media content it provides. Fortunately, we can use several other sources of information to evaluate how it is performing. Clearleap mentioned the previous year that 75 percent of Amazon Prime subscribers watch content available on prime video. On the other hand, many people consider Prime Video to be a good perk rather than an important reason for subscribing. Nevertheless, if a large percentage of Prime's members use the streaming apps, it's an excellent win for Amazon. Regrettably, engagement continues to struggle compared to different online video services. This information clearly indicates that Amazon Prime members look for videos elsewhere before turning to Prime Video. To be successful, Amazon would have to establish Prime Video as the first place users go if they want to watch entertainment videos or movies.

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Conclusion

To conclude, it's fair to presume that Prime Video will continue to exist as long as Amazon does. Prime Video's rapid expansion is apparent, with experts forecasting more than double sales in the coming year than this year. Amazon's subscription video on demand and hybrid strategy has been established as a tried-and-tested business model. Amazon is attempting to assert Prime Video as the go-to channel for Premium subscribers who want to stream anything.

INTO THE WORLD OF

Metaverse A DEEP DIVE INTO THE 'VIRTUAL FUTURE' by Yash Modi

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It will change how we live, operate, and interact with one another. Despite this, the term "metaverse" lacks a basic definition and is largely misunderstood. So, what exactly is the Metaverse?

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WHT A C EXA Y TL IS THE V AMET ERSE?

Envision a world where you could have a seaside meeting with your co-workers, take meeting minutes while also flying around a space station, or teleport from your Indian office to LA, all without leaving your house. The Metaverse is a platform of three-dimensional digital environments where users can communicate, do business, and form social contacts through their digital avatars, roughly comparable to how the world wide web currently works.

What is Metaverse? "Metaverse" is a broad term and usually refers to typical online interactive virtual ecosystems that users can access. The time applies to digital environments that have been enhanced with virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR).

The time applies to digital environments that have been enhanced with virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR).

A few people use the term metaverse to refer to game reality in which gamers can wander around and communicate with other gamers. Also, there is a form of Metaverse that uses blockchain-based technology. Visitors could use cryptocurrencies to purchase digital property and other virtual content.

Numerous sci-fi novels and movies are set in fully developed metaverses – digital worlds that are impossible to distinguish from the actual ones. However, it's still a work of fantasy. Most digital environments, as of now, resemble the inside of a computer game rather than reality. Metaverse is the latest keyword trending on social media and making its way onto the covers of magazines that are not always about technology. All of this is due to Mark Zuckerberg's heavily corporateleaning presentation on the subject with his company's rebranding from Facebook to Meta. Adshares is a Web-3 mechanism for monetizing Metaverse space. Users can rent space inside the Metaverse, blockchain games, NFT exhibits, and websites using the Adshare platforms. Advertising in the Metaverse will operate as it does elsewhere. Simply great. More comprehensible. Significantly more inventive. Other famous references involve Illy & Lana Wachowski's movie, "The Matrix," launched in 1999, and Star Trek's holodeck. While all these films raise awareness of the Metaverse, we will see in the following discussion that they all have features that differentiate them from the Metaverse's characteristics and concept.

The Origin of Metaverse

The word "metaverse" was coined by writer Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel "Snow Crash." Metaverse is composed of the phrase "meta," which means "further than," and the word "verse" comes from the universe. Spatial internet, the multiverse, and the omniverse are other terms often used to represent Metaverse, but nothing has gained wide acceptance. Although the Metaverse is in its infant stages in so many ways, it has unexpectedly been adopted by big companies like Meta (formerly Facebook), Microsoft, Epic Games, Roblox, and many others organizations are attempting to create their virtual reality environments or metaverses.

Source: Wikipedia 58

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Open Metaverse and Web 3

You can't get much in a Metaverse conversation without hearing that somebody wishes for or believes in an "Open Metaverse." You might wonder, what does that even mean? Many people are concerned that the Metaverse that is presently forming will indeed be controlled by giant organizations, who will use the same resource extraction methods for financial purposes as they do

today. This is accompanied by a loss of control and constraints on information and digital asset movement among digital environments. This is usually described as a dystopian photo of the Metaverse. The concept of an "Open Metaverse" is the total opposite of something like this. One in which authenticity, information, and digital products can move quickly between the various digital environments that comprise the Metaverse. The Metaverse is likely to be

constrained (much like in actual life); this must not be confused with the 'closed metaverse,' which is constrictive in all ways. This debate is deeply entwined with Web 3.0 fundamentals, which emphasize enabling individuals with full sovereignty of their own data. It is in direct contrast to Web 2.0, in which tech firms profit from your data via centralized monitoring, marketing, and data centralization.

Because of the current confused state, it's essential to clarify what the Metaverse isn't to specify what it is.

It doesn't have a specific task (therefore is not just entertainment

It isn't pre-recorded; it grows spontaneously due to the actions of people's activities that are not insubstantial. They have their own set of consequences.

It can't be stopped for a moment or rebooted

The number of participants in the Metaverse is not constrained, either in a combined amount or at any particular time.

Possession, handover, and communication of information and digital resources are unrestricted. This is not possessed or owned by a centralized company or person.

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This is not a single location controlled by a single system of regulations.

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The Functionality of Metaverse How Does it Work? What's the best way to get to the Metaverse? Numerous recent workplace metaverse approaches only require e desktop, mouse, and keypad. However, a VR-enabled headset is typically needed for the whole three-dimensional surround experience. Even so, fast progress is being made in computer-generated holograms, which eliminates any need for headphones by using simulated watching screens to generate three-dimensional presentations from photos and images or using the specifically made holographic capsules to project humans and pictures into real locations at gatherings or conferences.

Meta is one of the first firms to promote haptic gloves, which allow users to interact with 3D virtual elements and feel sensory experiences like motion, texture, and force.

Meta is one of the first firms to promote haptic gloves, which allow users to interact with 3D virtual elements and feel sensory experiences like motion, texture, and force. You can form friendships, raise simulated animals, style virtual clothing and accessories, buy virtual property, participate in events, and make money by selling art in the virtual world. However, the repercussions of the evolving Metaverse for the working world have received relatively little attention until recent times.

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What Role Does Blockchain Play? Despite the cryptocurrency market's division and uncertainty, the fundamental blockchain technology offers the Metaverse with the construction blocks it requires to grow as an open and transparent digital economy. A functional economy necessitates asset ownership, transfer mechanisms, and forms of payment. These operations may be performed in a non-centralized and permissionless way, thanks to blockchain technology. Furthermore, several of the geographical frictions in the fiat payment system are eliminated. In its place comes a publicly available type of payment that is configurable and has near-instantaneous settling.

Why Do We Require the Metaverse? This topic must be answered by advancing the internet and technology themselves. We used to write and send mail to connect with folks who lived far from us a few generations earlier. Afterward arrived the introduction of phones, which allowed people to interact with each other over long distances with no difficulty. With the invention of the internet, this interaction process was elevated to a whole new degree of realism. This enabled us to use technologies like video chatting, which allows us to see and speak to anyone from the comfort of the home. This provides us with a somewhat realistic simulation of engaging with somebody. Now, coming to the Metaverse, envision visiting a virtual space where you may counter with people from all around the world as if they were in the same place as you. We can communicate with them, see them, and sense their actual presence. Not only does the comfort and accessibility of communicating enhance as technology progresses, but so does the overall standard of living.

Future of Metaverse The Metaverse's future appears more significant than ever, with major tech companies such as NVIDIA, Epic Games, ROBLOX, and others spending substantial amounts of cash in the Metaverse. Even Facebook has renamed itself to be 'Meta' to emphasize its interest in the Metaverse. Mark Zuckerberg stated that the Metaverse is indeed the internet's future in a recent conversation. Organizations would begin to require employees with the ability to establish or manage a Metaverse as it develops. Many people would be able to take advantage of new employment opportunities. We will need some digitized form of payment for financial operations as the virtual universe develops. In the Metaverse, NFTs and cryptocurrency will become essential means of transactions. The value of investments in domains aided by the Metaverse will skyrocket. Games, online retail, and other related areas would grow to unprecedented proportions. 63

HAA?MeA&aA>eAADeWillInATA+enceHAA?eWW AkP There are also indications that the Metaverse may soon become intertwined with the future of work. They go further than virtual connections to become a platform for meaningful applications wherein the decentralized personnel are linked in live time and have access to assistance and information no matter where they are.

3D Digital Twins

As IoT technologies make operational technology (OT) standard in the industry, the economics of producing new 3D models are opening up chances to connect the two, giving access to a tangible asset via a simulated one. Thanks to the widespread use of low-cost 3D cameras and compact 3D scanners, it is already happening.

See the Unseeable

It also provides us with an intriguing opportunity to peer inside digital environments where we can see things that our eyes can't perceive on their own.

The possibility of 3D digital twins allows workers on-site to operate on an object in the actual world, whereas others engage in a virtual experience.

A Layer for All Connected Assets

Virtual worlds may utilize simulated digital twins enabled by OT and IoT, allowing organizations to replicate complicated processes and check the status of real-world assets in 3D. In a virtual environment, the ability to see and visualize progress in real-time and form parallel dynamic views of a business element is conceivable.

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How Various Industries Can Adopt It? Real Estate

With the assistance of the Metaverse, buying a property can be made much easier and much more straightforward. Instead of visiting a range of properties to figure out what you like, you can merely put on your Virtual reality headset and experience the real estate like you're there.

Travel

Metaverse allows you to visit all of the locations you've always needed to call without incurring the high costs associated with transportation. Plan trips with your family members and friends inside the Metaverse, then use the Metaverse to make the journey to those locations in a couple of moments.

Education and Work Is it not monotonous to take classes and meetings via videoconferencing? That is no longer the case. You can join courses of your favourite professional educators from around the world as if you were seated in the same space with them, thanks to the Metaverse. You could even attend meetings inside the Metaverse from home comfort, saving time on transportation to and from the workplace.

There are advantages and disadvantages to anything in this universe, and the Metaverse will be no exception.

Need For Expensive and Advanced Technology

To join the Metaverse, you'll need powerful and sophisticated advanced technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality and high-speed internet service. So, several people will not be able to afford or obtain such items.

Identity Theft

Because you engage in the Metaverse with your Avatars, it's effortless for anyone to imitate somebody else.

Privacy Invasion

There will always be the threat of being hacked with just about any tech, resulting in confidential material infiltration. Humans may become so engrossed in the Metaverse that this harms their lives outside of the Metaverse. 65

A Possible Dystopian Future of HA+maniA&AEhDeA>AidAAfGenA+ineCAnA&acA& For the time being, anything in the Metaverse appears fantastic, and we already appreciate it. However, how many of you have pondered that there are two aspects to it for us? Many people began to believe that the Metaverse could be extremely addicting to its members. Addiction to it would bring physical harm to humans. Is that all? So the only issue we'll have to deal with is social media addiction? Not. That is precisely what the public desires. There's no denying that it has the potential to be addicting. It provides us with something we will never have. We will undoubtedly make extensive use of it, as all items that make life easier may be highly addicting. The goal, as Zuckerberg stated, is not to use social networks more. The aim is to improve its functionality to use it more effectively. We've all become dependent on the internet. The harms that Metaverse will cause are not limited to social media addiction. For us, the Metaverse appears to be a portal to something more than our wildest dreams. For all of us, it's a different world, a type 66

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of alternate dimension. A universe that continues to evolve as ours does becomes increasingly astounding. But could it have the same impact on us as our daily lives? Could it be likely that we will one day get to a point where people want to live in the virtual environment instead of the physical one? Is it imaginable that our existence will resemble the Matrix cinema in the coming century? It is scary because you can foresee a day when we as a community lose everything we have now. One day, the internet will be the only method we connect. Even to this day, we're attempting to avoid using social networks. Consider how terrible it could be if you have no means of avoiding it. Suppose that you must complete the majority of your tasks in the Metaverse. We will undoubtedly do this because it is simpler, and everyone usually follows what is more straightforward. There will soon be no more actual conversation. We will enter a stage of our life where we don't even recognize each other's faces, just the avatars. Isn't it terrifying? www.techfastly.com

Are We Living in A Metaverse, The Simulation Hypothesis? Before we conclude, there is one further point about the simulation idea. Sure researchers, including Nick Bostrom, feel that humans are already utilizing and a part of the Metaverse. In his 2003 paper "Are We Living in a Computer Simulation?", Doctor Bostrom claimed that there is a potential that we, along with the rest of the planet, maybe a computer simulation.

Metaverse when all we need to do is look around us to see how it seems. Despite the term's enthusiasm, it is still in its initial phases of development. Most of those programs and organizations are currently receiving widespread attention from the media. We don't know whether the Metaverse

He believes that future generations may feel obligated to replicate their forefathers with the necessary technology in place, including machines with sufficient computational capacity, and we may be a part of that simulation. With this hypothesis in mind, and considering the events of the last several years and how unreal they appear, one would ask whether we are not wasting our time dissecting the

will be beneficial or harmful to humankind. Nevertheless, the Metaverse has begun to emerge fast due to enabling technology, standards, and ideas. The future looks promising. 67

DataStax

The Real-time Data Company, Unveiled “Change Data Capture” (CDC) for Astra DB by Rahul Kumar

This new technology will enhance the streaming and run seamlessly on Apache Cassandra.

The real-time data company DataStax unveiled a new capability to its multi-cloud database named "change data capture" (CDC) for Astra DB. This new technology will enhance the streaming and run seamlessly on Apache Cassandra. The best part about the new CDC for Astra DB is that it's now powered by advanced 68

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streaming technology and is built on the latest Apache Pulsar.

It uses the event streams to process and deliver database changes in real-time.

CDC for Astra DB Image source: www.datastax.com

This real-time data changes then becomes available for use across data lakes, search, artificial intelligence, data warehouses, and machine learning.

fuel today's data-intensive applications with the best solutions for a seamless workflow.

With this advanced and powerful integration of event streaming with high-performance, high-scale Astra DB multi-cloud databases, any organization gets enabled to build more reactive and smarter applications. Applications that are fueled by real-time or, we can say, connected data.

Currently, only a fraction of real-time data is being leveraged, even though businesses have a huge urgency to use it. This is major because of the failure of legacy architectures that cannot meet the performance and scale requirements of real-time data processing. Due to this, we see the final result as data uploaded in batches which ultimately creates chronically stale data.

According to the chief product officer at DataStax, Ed Anuff, the CDC for Astra DB is an entirely new and unique concept. The major areas it taps for the performance of the world's most scalable database and combines with the next-generation event streaming. Undoubtedly, working with the nextgeneration event streaming technology will

In regard to this, the enterprise architect of Alpha Ori Technologies, Praveen Viswanath, said that Alpha Ori Technologies develops real-time data solutions for maritime shipping. Also, he added that they are extremely excited about the availability of CDC for DataStax Astra DB. This will help real-time analytics by providing a real-time source of streaming data.

He said CDC help our maritime clients save money on fuel, mitigate maintenance-related risks, and reduce carbon emissions by enabling them to alert and deliver analytics rapidly. According to the report made by McKinsey, one of the seven characteristics predicted to define data-driven enterprises is the Data-Driven Enterprise of 2025, where data is processed and delivered in real-time. However, companies often choose between speed and computational intensity, which can delay more sophisticated analyses and inhibit the implementation of real-time use cases. WorkJam is the place of the business governor for actual forerunner orchestration: plan, duty administration, activities, communications, staffing, and several others. The director of the R&D at WorkJam had earlier stated in an interview that they're always hunting for different means to simplify their functions and operations with the help of Change Data Capture (also known as CDC). This will allow them to produce smarter and more responsive connected applications; live data would power. With the help of Change Data Capture for Astra DB, companies could homogenize on the enormous scalable with no downtime Astra DB whatsoever. Apart from this, any modifications to the database are distilled and furnished in 70

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real-time to different portions of the data system without having any sort of downtime between rate, scale, and accessibility. This smooth incorporation facilitates corporations to initiate their real-time data to raise accumulative business significance from regions encompassing e-commerce, crime detection, consumer satisfaction, trades, stock and transport, and logistics.

Through the CDC, Astra DB also unites functional and streaming data to evolve to be a bidirectional data center for live data. The principal analyst at DBInsight stated that Through the CDC, Astra DB also unites functional and streaming data to evolve to be a bidirectional data center for live data. He added that the CDC would enable their consumers to combine Astra DB with cloud analytic places such as the Snowflake or the junction for Android application with further limited resistance. DataStax is a live data corporation. Through DataStax, every business could be able to www.techfastly.com

muster live data and rapidly construct the smart, top-notch apps needed to come to be a data-driven firm. DataStax Astra DB differently mixes the strength of Apache Cassandra—the highly scalable database across the globe—with the developed Apache Pulsar streaming tech in a harmonious bunch provided as assistance on any cloud. Several giant corporations, comprising names such as ESL Gaming, Verizon, Audi, and several others, depend on DataStax to express the strength of real-time data to provide instant

virtual experiences that could gain a victory in modern markets and shift businesses. Apache Cassandra, Apache, Cassandra, Apache Pulsar, Pulsar, and Apache Kafka are either enrolled brand names or brands of the Apache Software Foundation or its associates in the Canadian region, the United States of America, and several different regions. 71

HAA?NeA&ATiADSAD OTT Architecture Functions? by Pallabi Das

ith so many OTT platforms in the market today, Netflix has managed to capture a majority of the audience on a global scale. Netflix has become the go-to source of so much entertainment for consumers in less than 20 years.

This streaming of exclusive and original content without any ads makes Netflix arguably the world's most loved source for entertainment. It can even be said that Netflix revolutionized the world of entertainment. Furthermore, Netflix's popularity is attributed to the fact that it allows users to share their accounts with multiple individuals. However, if you look at Netflix's popularity by a number of registered users, you can see how rapidly it has grown since just a few years ago. To be able to support and deliver an enormous volume of high-definition videos while scaling a system that can serve many customers requires robust engineering methodologies.

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Here, you will discover what tools, processes, and architecture Netflix uses to deliver its content globally through advanced technology and cloud infrastructure.

The Birth of NeA&ATiADSADOTTSAEAD&em Architecture Netflix stored databases and applications in on-premises data centers that it owned and rented. Netflix used these data centers to track customers, maintain inventory, and bill customers. Ten years ago, Netflix revolutionized the way the service works by overhauling all the apps to work within a microservices architecture- this means that each application, or microservice, has its own resources and code. Netflix used an API that withholds a particular set of rules that both programs can understand and work with. The engineering teams at Netflix can implement changes to any part of the application and can introduce new changes quickly while ensuring that they will not affect other aspects of the services as a whole. By 2008, this streaming giant switched from on-premises servers to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and started using cloudbased infrastructures to run its applications. In fact, Netflix and Amazon's collaboration ended up being a huge win for both companies. The streaming company proved to be AWS's most advanced customer. Netflix has continuously innovated on how to best use the servers AWS offers for various purposes and has pushed the limits of all their capabilities to the extreme. With AWS, Netflix has the ability to rapidly improve its services and maintain stability. 74

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RAAleAAfNeA&ATiADSAD Cloud Architecture In order to scale Netflix's streaming service and eliminate on-premises data centers, AWS teamed up with Netflix, which then shifted the focus to developing its streaming capabilities. Netflix utilizes two clouds, AWS and Open Connect, to provide the best videos to Netflix subscribers. Together they form Netflix's backbone, and both contribute greatly to the company's success. The application consists of a client, Open Connect or Netflix CDN, and a backend database. Netflix clients are devices used to browse and play Netflix videos. These include TVs, Play stations, laptops, and mobile devices. A Netflix's content delivery network (CDN) consists of Open Connect servers, which are central to Netflix's global distribution system. These servers are located

in ISPs and IXPs around the world to provide Netflix's content to users. In addition to platform-specific code, Netflix's web application is built using reactJS, which is heavily influenced by a number of factors such as startup time, runtime performance, and modularity. All functions that don't involve video streaming are handled by the backend, such as onboarding the latest content, distributing videos to servers located all over the world, and managing network traffic. With the power of AWS organizations and account units, Netflix can organize their engineering team to lunch resources on short notice. This enables Netflix to develop features rapidly and without waiting for approvals from various parts of the company.

Ultimately, video content must be converted into different formats for optimal viewing on different devices. Desktop videos are transcoded differently from mobile videos due to differences in screen sizes, resolutions, and network availability.

Image source: openconnect.netflix.com

NeA&ATiADSADSA&eami A ngchiA&ecA&A+eA Netflix uses a personalization algorithm to help identify videos based on a customer's prior viewing history to encourage customer engagement and retention. The company achieves this through the use of data streaming technology like Kafka and NoSQL databases like DynamoDB. These applications each use a Fronting Kafka cluster to isolate sinks for each Kafka producer. The producers can change topic routing and sink configuration at runtime without restarting application processes, as dynamic configurations drive them. Kafka clusters can be migrated across this way so that things like traffic redirection can be accomplished. Using all of these data, Netflix engineers can generate personalized videos using

Amazon DynamoDB

Amazon EC2

HAA?DAeADNeA&ATiAD Handle Cloud Cybersecurity?

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applications deployed on AWS EC2 OR AWS Lambda to compute customized videos. On the other hand, instead of storing all data in a database, Netflix employs Hadoop to aggregate different data types and move them into data warehouses and other databases within the company. These data are sifted by data science teams at Netflix, who use them to do business analytics like calculating the number of customers watching a particular movie pr the likelihood of someone unsubscribing. Additionally, Netflix invented a tool known as Spinnaker, which allows development teams to test small changes, then roll them out with automated testing before going live to a definite audience.

Amazon S3

As a publicly accessible cloud, AWS makes use of multiple sets of credentials and access for users, which makes the company a pioneer in cloud security. Netflix uses cloud-based DRM solutions to prevent the blocking of certain content based on region. For example, a movie on Netflix only owns the rights to the United States and cannot be viewed in other countries. Even if cyber attackers gain access to Netflix's assets in the cloud, it won't be possible to do much damage because they lack access to the entire set of assets in the cloud. www.techfastly.com

TechAD&ackUADedbAENeA&ATiAD Understanding a tech stack is necessary before learning about the one Netflix uses. The list of all the technology services used to build and run one application is known as a technology stack, technology infrastructure or data ecosystem. Your stack includes tools that create, analyze, and ingest data and for each of them to run efficiently; they must be linked to each other.

hand, provides tooling support for other programming languages.

Netflix manages its engineering tasks with Jira software and the documentation with Confluence. Since managing passwords is difficult with such a large workforce, Netflix uses single-sign-on technology like OneLogin to make it way simpler. The Netflix technology stack is Java, JavaScript, Python, Kotlin and Swift. Python, one of the fastest-growing programming languages, is used for security and scalability. It handles the entire workflow of content for Netflix. Kotlin, on the other

While providing great user experience (UX), Netflix provides fully comprehensive libraries designed to enhance user experience. Netflix's Per-title Encode Optimization was a major breakthrough in improving UX in its continual efforts.

In addition, Netflix's OTT architecture supports ML and AI for innovations such as data-economic encoding and use personalization, ensuring a unique user experience and content tailored to each individual's preference.

The company also uses GitHub for code collaboration and version control. Their execution and mobile error monitoring is performed by tools, namely LogicMonitor and Apteligent.

Conclusion Each Netflix service is composed of hundreds of microservices or separate programs. With robust engineering techniques, Netflix downloads the exact file for each show to play on your particular device for a specific quality based on how fast your internet is at that time, according to the Netflix app or website you're using to watch. As a company with an ambitious innovation team that develops video on demand and serves millions of dollars in cloud computing and strong architecture, Netflix is an excellent example of how to keep up with technological advances.

Apple TV+ Makes History

as First Streaming Service to Win ‘Best Picture’ Award at Oscars With 'CODA' by Utsav Mishra

Apple has beaten the competition to become the first streaming service to win the 'Best Picture' award in only its second year of eligibility. CODA also won 'Best Adapted Screenplay' (Troy Kotsur) award.

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Cinema is said to be the mirror of current society, and we witnessed this during the Oscars '22. What was different about the Oscars' 2022? Do you know which movie won the award for the best picture? If you guessed "CODA", then you are right. CODA was released online on a streaming service and bagged a lot of awards at the Academy. In this article, we would talk about CODA winning the Oscars and how it could be a revolution in the field of streaming services.

Image source: Wikipedia

The Academy Awards ceremony was first broadcasted by radio in 1930 and was televised for the first time in 1953. Do people watch the Oscars just to support their favourite movie or actor/actress. Is that all about the Oscars? Is it for this that the Academy hosts this award show every year? No, it is much bigger than that. It is about the celebration of cinema above everything else. The Oscars ceremony was held on March 27 this year, and the award show has been the talk of the town since then, not only because of the award winners but also for several other reasons.

What Was CODA All About? It was about a deaf family, and all three deaf characters were played by actual deaf cast for the first time in history. Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the sole member of a deaf family who can hear and is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). Every morning before school, she works on the family's stricken fishing boat with her father and older brother, and acts as an interpretor for her parents (Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur). When Ruby joins her high school's choral club, she discovers she has a gift for singing, and she is instantly captivated by her duet partner Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo). Ruby is torn between her responsibilities to her family and her ambitions, as her zealous, tough-love choirmaster encourages her to apply to a prestigious music school (Eugenio Derbez).

CODA and Apple: The Relation

CODA was streamed in August 2021 on Apple TV+ and wasn't quite a contender for the Oscars. Apple has beaten the competition to become the first streaming service to win the 'Best Picture' award in 81

Even though Apple TV+ subscriber numbers are still slowly increasing, the firm has received significant award recognition in television (mainly owing to the comedic hit Ted Lasso) and now cinema, thanks to CODA.

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only its second year of eligibility. CODA also won 'Best Adapted Screenplay' (Troy Kotsur) award. CODA was a festival hit when it premiered at Sundance 2021, and Apple paid a recordbreaking amount of $25 million for streaming rights. Although Apple attempted to purchase worldwide rights, the film's distribution rights had already been sold to regional distributors in some countries before the Sundance bidding war, which is why CODA is not available in all markets on Apple TV+. Despite this, the picture was hardly a sure thing to win an Oscar from the start. Although it did well at Sundance, critics' reviews were mixed. Apple released the picture in August 2021, months ahead of the usual timeline for studios to release films aiming for Academy Awards.

CODA, progressively accumulated nominations and victories at other industry awards ceremonies, and has emerged as an Oscar favourite, contending against Netflix's compelling, if more controversial, feature The Power of the Dog. It appeared that 2022 would be the year that the Academy's anti-streaming stigma would finally be lifted. CODA was, indeed, victorious in the end. After this award, Apple will undoubtedly be pleased to have achieved the milestone of Best Picture before any other service. Even though Apple TV+ subscriber numbers are still slowly increasing, the firm has received significant award recognition in television (mainly owing to the comedic hit Ted Lasso) and now cinema, thanks to CODA. The series of events bring us closer to the curious case of Apple TV+.

What is Apple TV+? Apple TV+ is Apple's exclusive movie and show streaming service. It began with a tiny batch of unique programming in 2019 and has slowly expanded its repertoire since then. Apple TV+ has drawn millions of subscribers by presenting outstanding, award-winning, original programming at an inexpensive pricing point, despite its content selection being limited in comparison to other streaming platforms. When it comes to pricing, Apple TV+ is one of the most affordable options. A basic subscription costs $2 less than Hulu, and the platform gives the longest free trial of any of the services listed when you buy an Apple device (it's only seven days if you don't). In comparison, there aren't any offers or bundles that include Apple TV+, such as the Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu packages. However, that affordability comes at the cost of a limited content selection. Apple TV+ currently only has its original content, which is far smaller than what Hulu, Disney Plus, or Netflix have to offer. However, neither the Emmy Award-winning Ted Lasso nor the top Oscar-nominated CODA can be found on those channels. Notably, according to a recent IMDB research, Apple TV+ has the greatest streaming quality of any 4K streamer.

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When it comes to pricing, Apple TV+ is one of the most affordable options. A basic subscription costs $2 less than Hulu

Apple TV+ Subscription Apple TV Plus costs $5 per month or $50 per year, making it one of the most affordable streaming options. On the other hand, Disney Plus costs $8 a month and has a much larger selection of movies and series than Apple. In the United States, Netflix, the world's largest subscription streaming service, charges $15.50 a month for its most popular plan; other tiers cost $10 and $20 per month. Apple is now bundling Apple TV Plus with its Apple Music student discount plan, making 86

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both streaming services available for $5 per month. Apple TV Plus is included in the Apple One service bundle, which offers a discount on a variety of services. Apple One costs $15 to $30 a month, depending on how many memberships you have. All grades of Apple One feature Apple TV Plus. Apple One packages may additionally include Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple News Plus, iCloud storage, and Apple Fitness Plus guided workouts, depending on the tier.

Conclusion

Streaming services were just considered a source of entertainment until this historic event of 'CODA winning the Oscars'. The event wasn't that significant if we look at it from the award show perspective, but if we look at it from the perspective of an online streaming platform, it's huge. This embarks the future of the streaming platforms and makes Apple TV+ stand in a different queue. So, cheers to this new beginning. The world is now ready for all the things that are going to come to a streaming service. In the coming years, more and more movies are going to come up and with them, more and more streaming services will create such histories. It began with Apple; let's see who's turn will it be next. 87

Where is

Streaming Data Stored Temporarily? The Role of Storage in Streaming Media by Baba Nadeem

THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE between big data sets composed of static, archived files and big data containing business-critical streaming media files. These two types of big data are often known as big data at rest, and big data in motion.

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Many organizations across various industries now store hundreds of terabytes of data, known as big data. Still, there is a big difference between big data sets composed of static, archived files and big data containing business-critical streaming media files. These two types of big data are often known as big data at rest, and big data in motion. It's important to consider how files will be used when deciding what type of storage will be used for a big data set. In addition to object storage and scale-out network-attached storage (NAS), companies that rely on data in motion should consider high-performance storage options like solid-state drives (SSDs).

It's important to consider how files will be used when deciding what type of storage will be used for a big data set. 89

What is Media Storage Device? A media storage device can store large media files and access them quickly with a high amount of bandwidth and is also used to store data in real-time. Based on your application requirements, its storage capacity ranges between 28 terabytes and multiple petabytes. Data can be transferred at the rate of 2 GBPS, 4 GBPS, or higher and can be accessed using a LAN cable. There are also various media storage devices that can be accessed via fibre cable. Fibre cable, on the other hand, adds to the complexity. It has a higher bandwidth than conventional cables and can carry data across longer distances. Much of the world's internet, cable television, and telephone services are supported by fibre cable connections.

A multimedia storage system plays a crucial role in the performance and scalability of streaming media apps.

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Data placement, scheduling, file management, continuous data delivery, memory buffering, and prefetching are challenges faced by multimedia storage systems, as are storage and retrieval of data from storage devices.

The Nature of (Streaming) Media Files Due to the size of media files, modern browsers and protocols allow them to begin playing after only a tiny portion of the file has been downloaded. They also allow you to skip ahead to a certain point in the music. While this is going on, the data that will be played in the following few seconds or minutes is buffered ahead of time so that the user can have a smooth, uninterrupted playback experience. While some protocols, like HLS, effectively break a video stream into small distinct segments (files), this necessitates a CPU-intensive conversion step, which adds even another complexity. While this is still an option in some cases, as long as the file is in a current media format, the major focus is on serving the original content in the most efficient way possible without any processing.

Because of the growing speed gap, researchers are looking for new storage structures and file system storage and retrieval algorithms.

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Role of Storage in Streaming Media A multimedia storage system plays a crucial role in the performance and scalability of streaming media apps. As users increasingly access on-demand multimedia streaming apps on a daily basis, new storage solutions are required to handle the additional server load. Data placement, scheduling, file management, continuous data delivery, memory buffering, and prefetching are challenges faced by multimedia storage systems, as are storage and retrieval of data from storage devices. Storage systems have long been regarded as a significant bottleneck in high-data-rate multimedia systems for two reasons. For starters, multimedia apps place a far greater demand on the storage system than prior applications. Second, storage devices have only become modestly quicker despite improved processor and network performance. Because of the growing speed gap, researchers are looking for new storage structures and file system storage and retrieval algorithms.

Features of Using a Media Storage Device

Some of the main features of using a media storage device:

Large storage capacity measured in petabytes

A petabyte is equal to 1,000 terabytes, which is roughly one quadrillion bytes. The majority of today's smartphones have storage capacities ranging from 32GB to 512GB. On the other hand, computer storage discs come in much bigger sizes, which leads us to the next unit.

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We are able to store a surprising amount of video, images, audio, and other data on our phones and computers that would have been unthinkable just a few decades ago as storage technology has advanced rapidly. You won't be able to buy a storage drive that's measured in petabytes or larger for a while, but you now have a rough idea of how much these devices can hold.

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High data transfer rates of tens of gigabits per second

The data transfer rate (DTR) represents the amount of digital data that is transferred from one location to another in a given period of time. In other words, it is the speed at which data is transferred from one place to another. The higher the bandwidth of an existing path, the higher the transfer rate. Data transfer in telecommunications is usually measured in bits per second, so an internet

connection at low speed will likely be 33.6 kilobits per second (Kbps). Ethernet local area networks can transfer data at speeds of 10 megabits per second; network switches able to transfer data in the terabit range are in development. In older systems, data transfer was measured in characters or blocks (of a specific size) per second, and the amount of time it takes data to travel between a CPU or RAM and such devices as a hard disk or CDROM is typically measured in milliseconds.

SAAlidhADA&aA&edAiA>eADbSSDcaAealADAaA>ailablefA improved performance

Solid-state drives (SSDs) store data persistently using integrated circuit assemblies and are usually incorporated into computers as secondary storage in the computer storage hierarchy. Even though SSDs lack the physical spinning discs and moving read-write heads seen in hard disc drives (HDDs) and floppy discs, it is frequently referred to as a semiconductor storage device, a solid-state device, or a solid-state disc. SSDs are often more resistant to physical shock, run silently, and have higher IOPS and lower latency than electromechanical drives. Data is stored in semiconductor cells in solid-state drives (SSDs).

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RAID protection is supported

To preserve data in the event of a drive failure, RAID (redundant array of independent disks) stores the same data in numerous locations on multiple hard discs or solid-state drives (SSDs). However, there are several RAID levels, and not all of them are designed to provide redundancy. RAID improves performance by distributing data across several discs and allowing input/output (I/O) processes to overlap in a balanced manner. Because storing data redundantly increases fault tolerance by increasing the mean time between failures, employing multiple drives is recommended.

Disc drive failures could be disastrous if there is no data redundancy.

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Component redundancy is also available

Data security and high-availability computing are based on the notion of redundancy. Without redundancy, there would be no way to recover from even the smallest mistake or component failure, such as a disc drive failure. A data centre with tens of thousands of disc drives can expect drive failures on a frequent basis during normal operations. Each of these disc drive failures could be disastrous if there is no data redundancy. Device failures, of course, are only a small fraction of the overall demand for data redundancy. Large-scale disasters do happen, and they must be prepared. Using storage networks, you can store redundant data at another sufficiently removed location from the primary storage to protect data from threats that may impact the primary storage or processing.

Without redundancy, there would be no way to recover from even the smallest mistake or component failure, such as a disc drive failure.

Conclusion

Storage requirements in the streaming media industry will significantly expand due to continuing technological innovation, more usage of computer-generated and computeraltered imagery, and a higher demand for highdefinition films. Preserving key data and media assets is essential for ensuring the continuity and stability of your data centre and network infrastructure during normal business operations. The objective is that your company will not need to utilize disaster recovery for its data and media files, similar to insurance. Worse yet, you don't want to find yourself in a situation where data loss is a real possibility without a backup plan in place. 99

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