买家指南:在线视频平台
本文刊登在…的二/三月号 流媒体 杂志，年度 流媒体行业资料手册. 在这些买方指南文章中, 我们并不声称涵盖某一特定类别的所有产品或供应商, but rather provide our readers with the 信息 they need to make smart purchasing decisions, sometimes using specific vendors or products as exemplars of those features and services.
Online video platforms (OVPs) encode, publish, and monitor on-demand and live video content. 如果你的出版需求是直接的, 任何OVP都可以, 价格可能会影响你的决定. 然而，一旦你超越了基础，这个领域就变得狭窄了. 在本文中, I’ll focus primarily on the advanced features now available from a limited group of OVPs. I’ll include a checklist so you can identify the features important to you and track whether the OVPs you’re considering offer them.
上传和摄取
实际上，所有ovp都提供基于浏览器的单个或多个文件上传. 更高级的功能包括上传前压缩功能, 在上传带宽有限的情况下，哪种方式更好. 其他便利功能包括从拖放文件夹上传, FTP-driven上传, and the ability to write to the OVPs application programming interface for automated upload from your content management system. 如果移动用户能做出贡献, 你需要一个接受移动上传的服务, 如果上传成为一个持续的瓶颈, 考虑通过以下技术实现上传加速的OVP 粗线公司.’s fasp.
视频管理
这里的标准功能包括简单的文件管理, 例如删除或元数据编辑, 以及手动将文件分组到播放列表中的能力. 除此之外, 如果您有多个组上传到同一个帐户, each group needs the abilities to manage its own content separately and to establish rights for the various users.
手动播放列表很好, 但是动态播放列表是基于受欢迎程度的, 内容类, 或者标签通常更有用. Some OVPs now offer basic editing capabilities that let you set cues for chapter points and 广告 insertion; some OVPs offer the ability to trim and join multiple clips together into a single clip. 如果你正在使用授权内容, you may need the ability to restrict viewing by geographical location or to roll out your content geographically over a fixed schedule, 在你的网站和那些嵌入你内容的网站上.
视频播放器
大多数ovp允许您选择和自定义播放器模板的大小, 包括播放控制, and colors; they also let you select how and where playlists are displayed. 更高级的ovp可以让你完全重设玩家的皮肤, 调整大小, 并为品牌添加空间, 广告, 还有隐藏式字幕. 用于计算机回放, 你需要一个统一的, 可定制的Flash和HTML5播放器, 而对于移动播放, you’ll want templates that include interface controls and gesture support optimized for mobile viewing.
The well-heeled player of 2012 needs links to social media sites so your viewers can like and tweet to their hearts’ content. Ratings and comments are wonderful interactive tools for building stickiness and community too. 如果你支持508条款的话, 一定要检查这个, 如果你想通过广告赚钱, 玩家也必须支持这一点.
出版
到目前为止，大多数ovp都支持Flash和iOS设备的单流播放. 尽管自适应流媒体在这一点上还远未普及, 如果你选择2012年的总统候选人, 所有支持平台(Flash)的自适应流媒体, iOS, Android)应该在其短期路线图上, 如果没有的话. 为Flash, 基于rtmp的动态流对于较小的站点是可以接受的, 尽管较大的站点也应该提供基于http的动态流.
To implement the multiple device support discussed in the 视频播放器 section, the OVP must be able to query the remote viewer to determine playback capabilities and then direct the viewer to the proper set of streams. 如果你为普通的移动平台设计应用程序, 询问OVP是否有针对你的目标平台的应用工具包. 超越iOS和Android, you should be able to identify and reach most other current mobile devices via HTML5 support, though that’s single stream only until a standard such as DASH is widely implemented.
除了发H.264流, iOS, 和Android发行, in 2012 you may need to reach some desktops or mobile devices with the WebM codec, 所以关于WebM的支持是值得询问的. 这取决于你的分销策略的广度, you may also need to produce for over-the-top distribution or to support the TV Everywhere initiative.
如果安全是一个问题, 询问加密和访问控制, 例如RTMPE和HTTPS加密协议, or limiting viewing to certain IP address ranges or geographical restrictions. 如果您的视频将在多个平台上观看, 安全措施必须跨越所有平台, 在企业环境中, it’s useful to integrate access control with other corporate IT systems and LDAP/Active Directory portals. Your OVP should provide plug-ins for uploading and embedding into content management systems such as Drupal, 黑板上, and WordPress; corporate portals such as SharePoint; and various learning management systems used in the corporate environment.
把消息传出去, the OVP should offer modules for video search engine optimization as well as modules for integrating playback with Facebook and Twitter. It should also offer a streamlined function for syndicating your videos to YouTube and other UGC sites.
最后, 许多大型ovp也支持实时流, which is a great way to present live and on-demand content in a unified player. 在理想的情况下, live support should include all the 广告- and security-related features of on-demand content as well as specific live features such as DVR playback, 闲谈，聊天, 以及与Facebook和Twitter的实时整合.
盈利策略
如果你打算将你的视频货币化, make sure that your candidate OVPs support pay-per-view and subscription viewing and offer full support for all 广告 networks on all relevant target platforms. OVP应该支持所有类型的广告, 比如preroll, midroll, 和postroll, 而玩家应该支持所有相关的显示广告尺寸. 一些ovp还在视频期间提供可点击广告, which can significantly increase click-through rates in product-related videos.
分布
实际上，所有ovp都与一个或多个cdn签订了分发合同, 尽管许多较大的ovp允许您选择自己的. Enterprise publishers with significant distribution within the firewall should check if the OVP has a strategy for enterprise delivery, 比如通过公司局域网传送内部内容, perhaps even using peer-to-peer delivery to cut internal network congestion.
其他的考虑
大多数ovp以软件即服务的形式提供, though some are also available for installation behind the firewall or in a third-party cloud. If on-premises operation is critical to your application, ask about this early in the process. 如果你需要拥有代码, ask about this as well; there are some open source providers that provide access to source code for safekeeping or customization.
Last but certainly not least, reporting and analytics are critical to successful video publishing. 此时此刻, 大多数ovp提供标准报告，例如内容丢失, 视频观看次数, 诸如此类, but you should scan through the standard reports to make sure that they’re sufficient for your needs. Also ask if there’s a programming interface to create your own reports and plug-ins to communicate with other third-party analytics programs or corporate portals. 如果你需要高度专业化的报道, such as the ability to track if an employee watched a certain video all the way through, 有几个ovp可以支持这一点, 但它肯定不是普遍的.
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