Frédéric Pasquier, VP of engineering at Ateme, explains how the company is focusing on two critical concerns in the streaming industry; optimising Quality of Experience (QoE) and reducing carbon emissions from video streaming.
What impact has the pandemic and its continuing aftereffects had on the company’s approach to R&D and product development?
The pandemic has led the company to prioritise sustainability in R&D and product development, focusing on reducing carbon emissions. Remote work has necessitated enhanced collaboration and communication tools, while efforts are made to maintain social cohesion and team building in a virtual environment. The company invests in energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies, adapting to the fragility of global systems. These changes aim to create a responsible approach to global challenges and foster innovation, resilience, and a sense of belonging within the company.
What are the biggest challenges you are facing in R&D and product development/deployment in the current landscape?
One of the biggest challenges in R&D and product development/deployment in the current landscape is balancing the need to reduce the carbon footprint with maintaining high-quality standards in the competitive media industry. Striving for sustainability while delivering a superior user experience requires innovative solutions and efficient project management. Rapid product development cycles and compliance with regulatory requirements related to carbon emissions add complexity to the process. The company must find ways to integrate sustainability considerations without compromising quality, adapt to evolving technologies, and stay ahead of competition in a rapidly changing market.
Where do you see the most opportune areas for innovation in your area of the market, and what tech/solutions will drive that development?
Ateme sees opportunities for innovation in two key areas: sustainability in streaming and enhancing social interaction. Optimising encoding based on consumption patterns can make streaming more sustainable, requiring a feedback loop between CDNs and encoders. To enhance social interaction, we seek the convergence of media with gaming and social media platforms, creating interactive and social experiences. Technologies such as data analytics, AI, AR, VR, and interactive streaming platforms drive this development. By focusing on these areas, we aim to provide a more engaging and environmentally conscious streaming experience, leveraging advances in technology and user interaction.
What are you working on currently that excites you as a product team, and what can we expect to see at IBC 2023?
Ateme will showcase its Audience-Aware Streaming solution, which aims to address two critical concerns in the streaming industry; optimising Quality of Experience (QoE) and reducing carbon emissions from video streaming. By creating a feedback loop between the Content Delivery Network (CDN) and the encoders, the solution dynamically adjusts the streaming profiles based on viewing requirements, reducing bitrate, saving resources, and lowering costs. This approach not only meets viewers’ expectations for video quality but also allows operators to minimise their environmental impact. Ateme’s end-to-end solution offers sustainable streaming while optimising the quality of experience for service providers.
