VideoWorldInsider Week in Review

As ever, it was a huge week in news in the streaming video sector, and as such, VideoWorldInsider had a lot of topics to cover this week. With so much waiting in the wings, it's best we just jump right in, so pop your popcorn, ready your favorite couch, and let's check out what happened this week with our Week in Review coverage!

First there was news on an update to Chrome, specifically the beta version of Chrome 23, which provided a lot more support for video. Developers would get a variety of new tools to work with, like the PeerConnection API that allowed for real-time audio and video calling in apps without the need for a plug-in. Additionally, there was new support for HTML5 video, as well as the MediaSource API that kept buffering to a minimum and also reduced start-up delays on video regardless of conditions in the network or on the computer itself.

Next we got an update on the Simple.TV, a device that was looking to shake things up as far as the OTT--over-the-top--video market goes. Seemingly geared more toward the cord cutters out there, the Simple.TV system has been described as a combination of Slingbox and TiVo (News - Alert), it not only allows users to record shows with the addition of an external hard drive connected via USB port, but also allows users to more readily take their television shows with them on the road via streaming. Though the Simple.TV seems to have a few significant downsides associated with it, it was also offering plenty of advantages.

Then, we got a great look at the recent record-breaking event YouTube (News - Alert) was part of, providing live streaming of Felix Baumgartner's stratospheric jump. The event brought in fully eight million streams, which surpassed both the Royal Wedding and portions of the recently-concluded Olympics. Any event that can bring in eight million viewers is a major event, and for those who weren't convinced that YouTube has the potential to compete alongside pay-television providers, this should change some minds.

Next, we got a look at “Nordic Netflix”, as Netflix looked to make a push into Sweden, complete with local flavor from distributors like Nordisk Film Distribution, AB Svensk Filmindustri, and several others. Since the Scandinavian countries—Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark—represent the fourth-largest television market in Europe, it was clear to see why Netflix wanted to get a little more personal in that market, and attempt to break off some of the market for their own content.

Finally, we took a closer look at entertainment spending in general, and the news for entertainment providers was good indeed. Consumers were expected to spend around $800 billion US on mobile gear, but another $210 billion on video entertainment. The total number for the overall market in which those two featured, called the digital information and entertainment market, was $2.1 trillion worldwide. Since video entertainment commanded roughly ten percent of the overall total, that was a reason to sit up and take notice. Of course, the mobile access revenue market was substantially larger—around five times larger—but it was still likely to be a good year for entertainment vendors.

That was the week that was in streaming video. Lots of news kept our global online community hopping to bring out all the stories you could ever ask for, so be sure to come back next week for still more news, and as ever, every weekend for our Week in Review!