10 Video Streaming Technology Trends You Can Not Miss in 2022

The video streaming industry has seen a boom in the last couple of years, and its consumption is still on an upward trend. Technology has connected the world, simplified streaming experiences, and made it possible to reach audiences everywhere with top-notch video content that they can view without downloading. Thanks to innovations like VR, 5G, multiview, super-resolution, and advances in low latency, streaming viewers can now enjoy a highly engaging experience.

Thanks to the stay-at-home orders due to the pandemic, video streaming and content consumption have been positively impacted. Statista reported a 90% penetration rate amongst internet users across all devices. With so many players in streaming marketing looking to make it to every screen, and consumers keen on the next big thing in the industry, content creators need to watch out for the evolving trends.

Those likely to prevail are forward-thinking providers that merge video recording and content with the latest streaming technology innovations that subscribers are excited about. The video streaming technology trends in 2022 appear to be driven towards optimized video delivery, monetization, and enhanced viewer experiences. We look at the top 10 trends to watch out for in 2022.

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How Does Video Streaming Work?

The science of video streaming is still being optimized. Technology has made it possible for viewers to attend events and engage in activities without leaving their homes. It has revolutionized the way we consume media, do business and learn.

Video streaming technology has become a must-have connector in the entertainment sector, at work, and even at religious gatherings. It is now one of the most influential mediums through which marketing, advertising, communication, and data sharing in a video file format are done. The platforms, devices, and video streaming technology connecting consumers and brands have also significantly transformed.

With streaming technology, a lot goes on behind the scenes depending on the tools used. However, a typical setup looks like this:

• The raw video is captured on camera.
• The recorded video is sent to the encoder via hookup or capture card, where it is converted into a digital file.
• The digital file (video) gets ingested into online video platforms, from where it is then distributed to the video player through the content delivery network.
• Viewers with an internet-enabled device can then stream from the video player.

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10 Video Streaming Technology Trends to Watch in 2022

1. Adoption of Popular Streaming Protocols

Streaming protocols are standardized methods through which media is carried from one point to another across the internet in the video streaming process. Some of the essential video streaming protocols whose adoption is expected to pick momentum in 2022 include:

• RTSP: Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) carries commands (i.e., play, forward, pause) from users to the video player. It allows users to access video content before downloading, enhancing the viewer experience.
• RTMP: Real-Time Messaging Protocol is a protocol used by broadcasters for RTMP ingest. It transports videos from the encoder to the content delivery networks or online video platforms.
• MPEG-DASH: This is an open-source standard structured to allow viewers to access streams automatically according to their internet speed. MPED-DASH operates with the help of TCP, so people with slow internet don’t experience interrupted viewing from buffering and excessive lagging.
• HLS: HTTPS Live Streaming protocol founded by Apple to deliver media to the user-facing player from the content delivery network. It works with the HTML5 video player but can also ingest media to online video platforms from the encoder.
• SRT: Secure Reliable Transport is expected to gain momentum in its adoption. It is a responsive, low-latency, reliable streaming protocol that adjusts its carrying speed according to the internet speed to avoid failure, buffering, and lagging. It brings high-quality videos even from the worst networks like the public internet. Its streaming capability matches the level of RTMP and HLS combined.

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2. Immersive Video Streaming

Immersive video streaming is a hot streaming technology that captures video from the viewer’s point of view, making them feel like they are in the video. It comes in different types like 360 video streaming which is easy to create and access, and Virtual Reality (VR), which is more advanced and requires a special handset to consume and experience. There is also the emergence of metaverse use that aims at making the internet more vivid, social, natural, and immersive by merging the physical and digital world.

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3. Low Latency Is Critical

For video streaming technologies to work seamlessly, everything has to begin with reducing lag. Thanks to the pandemic, everything from public safety, business continuity, and day-to-day activities depends on low-latency video streaming as the critical requirement. Many content distributors will aim to achieve sub-second latency in 2022 and beyond for hybrid environments and interactivity. Connectivity is only as fast as the streaming protocol and the network used to deliver the live stream.

Pulling off real-time streaming is challenging since the interactive environment is prone to jitter, failure, and buffering. A smooth, low-latency video stream delivery requires that the distributor has substantial digital infrastructure in place. A project like WebRTC from Google is one such kind of technology with ultra-low latency capabilities and is now being used in various video conferencing apps.

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4. Hybrid Everything

In 2022, forget about on-site workplaces. Businesses are shifting to “hybrid by design” work arrangements. Retail, education, fitness, and other imaginable sectors will embrace hybridization, blurring the remote and on-site dichotomy. Entertainment and media sectors will combine one-way broadcasting and real-time interactivity with holding watch parties instead of sharing the couch. The hybrid model will become standard, serving interactive experiences in all sectors of the economy.

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5. Combination of Video Streaming and Sports Betting

The sports industry appears set to move towards interactive streaming-based video distribution as legal sports betting spreads. By leveraging in-build technology in the gaming platforms, one will be able to wager, access stats, and replay within the primary broadcast. The revenue from live in-game wagering on real-time games broadcast without latency matters more. We are headed to a point where it will not matter where the game is played. What will matter is how that game will be televised.

Sportsbooks will transform into media outlets complete with quality journalism, behind-the-scenes content, and pre-game analysis. Sports like horse racing and golf already have viewership from this trend.

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6. Video Analytics

With technological advancements, there is now more data than ever before. This data requires automation to analyze and act upon it effectively. Otherwise, it will just be digital clutter. Data from the digital video streaming supply chain is a goldmine that can be utilized to improve the quality of experience (QoE), gain real-time observability, and deliver targeted ads. It all starts from adopting a proactive, analytical strategy to all the digital information floating around.

The streaming ecosystem required integrating various disparate systems and vendors for end-to-end visibility. This calls for integration between the player, content delivery network (CDN), and the encoder. Streamlining communication and observability in the workflow will allow for the dynamic serving of targeted ads.

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7. AI-Powered Technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed various aspects of the video business, like AI video encoding and recommender. AI is getting smarter, and its impact is expected to increase exponentially in 2022. We will likely start seeing AI-generated content streaming, with the AI video quality being good enough to be almost indistinguishable from human-generated content.

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8. Video Streaming On All Devices

Most consumers have been streaming content on their televisions, laptops, and smartphones. The highest percentage of internet users prefer mobile channels as their video delivery medium, partly fueled by the rush by mobile networks to offer LTE and broadband services. The future of video streaming lies in having video streaming compatible across multiple devices.

The best video player technology should allow viewers to access a video stream on any internet-enabled devices like tablets, smartphones, and gaming consoles. Of the options in the industry, the HTML5 video player appears set to be the industry standard since it is very compatible, secure, and easily customizable.

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9. Popular Video Codecs

For raw video files to be converted into digital files, the still frames that produce the video need to be checked for duplication and compressed for transportation. A codec is a technology that makes this happen. Codecs pack up video files, throws out unnecessary data, and transport them through the streaming process. Essentially, a codec reduces the sizes of digital files and keeps the contents compact for easy internet travel.

There are many codec types used in the streaming of videos, but 2022 is likely to see a rise in the use of these two:

• H.264: A common video codec most preferred for online video and live streaming. The reason for this is that all devices support it.
• VP9: A free, open-source video codec developed by Google. Although it isn’t widely supported by devices for live streaming yet, its performance is better than that of H.264, and it is expected that its popularity will grow in 2022.

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10. Live Streaming on Social Media

The live streaming trend on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram began as a non-interactive process. However, these messaging apps have now established two-way traffic in their live streaming to allow audiences to communicate with the broadcaster. The interactive process has seen live streaming become popular amongst consumers and businesses.

Ecommerce companies now recognize the value of live streaming and are conducting live events to market their products and improve end-user experience. Businesses need to adopt the latest social media management software tools like Facebook Pages Manager, HubSpot Marketing, and Zoho Social to fully leverage social media marketing processes.

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Endnote

Video streaming technology has been changing from time to time, and the future is expected to follow the same trend- keep evolving. There are considerable opportunities in low latency, but the most successful businesses will prioritize user experience and viewer engagement in technology adoption.