Letter from the Editor - April 2014

By: Tim Young

“The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.”
- William Gibson

Gibson, whom I trust many of our readers will know as the author of Neuromancer, The Difference Engine and Count Zero, is known for being prescient when it comes to future trends. He wrote of an immersive form of the Internet, which he called "the matrix", back in the early ‘80s. He wrote about cybercrime and reality television long before either was ubiquitous.

He’s really a geek’s Nostradamus.

I quote him above because I think this particular sentiment applies to the current video content climate especially well. The ways in which people are receiving content are changing every day, and are increasingly complex and potentially disruptive. However, the full scope of these changes is hard to determine, as there is a tremendous lag among so many consumers.

The division is partly generational and partly geographical and partly socio-economic, though it’s not entirely clear how these different factors interact to determine the wide variance in content consumption preferences. Whatever the cause, habits are changing and the power dynamics of content producers, service providers, over-the-top players and end-users are shifting. As these changes continue to become more widely distributed, we have a complex, exciting and potentially frustrating future to pick apart.

In this issue of Pipeline, we explore some of the latest advances, shifts and opportunities in video and content delivery. We explore the promises and pitfalls of TV Everywhere, discuss video quality of experience optimization and examine the evolution of gaming as a revenue generator. We also check out the coding challenges of meeting the demand for higher quality video images, discuss the role of content delivery networks, give some guidance on next-gen content platforms and figure out how to pay for it all through native advertising. If that isn’t enough to bring you on board, we are also profiling a pioneer of the multi-screen experience and, as always, bringing you the latest in communications IT news and opinion.

Enjoy! And while you’re here, check out the most recent news on our upcoming 2014 Innovation Awards. Nominees have been announced, we've added a prize for Most Innovation Technology provider worth over $50,000, and there’s still time to get involved before our big reveal on Sunday, June 1^st.

Best,

Tim Young
Editor-in-Chief