2018年在线视频行业预测

Our editor Eric just asked me to never again use the words “Wild West” to describe our industry. He rolled his eyes and said I’ve used it too much over the years. 罪名成立. So, with one hand on my heart and the other raised in the air, I hereby promise not to use that term again or talk about why it applies to streaming video—at least after this article.

I keep saying “Wild West” because we work in a “make it up as you go” industry. And while some companies bounce into the frame and then roll out like tumbleweeds, there’s no question that the industry moves forward not by chasing trends but by the hard work of incredibly smart people—“gunslingers” with great ideas. 而且发生得很快.

I remember at the end of 2016 pitching Eric that I felt HDR would be a really big deal in 2017. 当我在2017年12月初写这篇文章时, I just saw streaming industry veteran Ben Waggoner post on social media that Amazon Prime is streaming about 100 shows in HDR10+. 那没花多长时间! I think the first time HDR turned my head was when Tim Siglin interviewed 流媒体 West 2015 keynoter Corey Smith, who was then with Microsoft’s Xbox Live (go2sm.com/corey). 当时史密斯说, “I believe that 1080p60 with HDR will actually have a better customer adoption than traditional 4K just because of the lack of content on the market.” Our June issue in 2017 carried the cover story “HDR: Blackest Blacks” (go2sm.com/smjune17) and well, here we are, problem solved. I’m scared that my next prediction will be solved before this article even gets published!

The pace of our industry is getting even faster, but we have to be careful to not take steps backwards by overpromising—that’s how you wind up on Boot Hill. 第二屏任何人? How many years ago did you see HEVC solutions on an expo floor? 我不会说的, 因为这有点尴尬, since it really didn’t become a big deal until Apple decided to be the “play out” for HEVC. 是的, we are making up this industry as we go along, and there are lots of ideas being pushed—some reasonable and some a bit far-fetched, 但是,嘿, 这就是燃烧的痕迹. My job isn’t to tell you what’s going to happen next, but if you look closely at what we do here at 流媒体, the clues are there—we only publish the important stuff. And if you haven’t looked at our editorial calendar for this year, well, maybe you should (go2sm.com/edcal). 我们不会把它藏在表格后面. I’m happy to go over it with you—shoot me an email, or better yet, call me.

但是我离题了. Enough about us and enough about the Wild West. My intro to this section is meant to introduce those “gunslingers” who really can tell you what to keep an eye on. Pay attention, because a gun plus three of a kind always beats three of a kind.

请参阅下面的链接文章或 download this PDF as the section appeared in the January/February Issue of 流媒体 杂志.

乔尔Unickow

副总裁/出版商|流媒体