Q&A With Technicolor's Mark Turner: Over-the-Top Providers Poised to Reap Rewards From New Video Technologies, But Challenges Remain
12/02/2018
Higher Dynamic Range (HDR), wider color gamut and 4K UHD are terms well entrenched in the lexicon of advanced video technologies. But what challenges and opportunities do these game-changing capabilities pose for Over-The-Top (OTT) providers? We recently caught up with Mark Turner, Vice President, Partnership Relations and Business Development at Technicolor to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing OTT providers now.
What challenges do OTT providers face as they grapple with the impact of adopting new video technologies today?
Turner: There has been a lot of confusion about higher dynamic range and wider color spaces because these are completely new technologies for distribution, for consumers, and for content creators. That's why we need to work together to determine a common way of describing these technologies to everyone in the value chain. All of these technologies need to be resolved and presented to the market in a rational manner in the next few months and years.[subscribe_reminder]
Specifically, what do OTT providers need to know about the impact new technologies like Higher Dynamic Range (HDR) and Wider Color Gamut (WCG) will have on their business model?
Turner: HDR and WCG are going to have a huge impact on consumers -- and therefore on the economics of the OTT business -- globally for the next few years. These technologies will change the viewing environment and have tremendous impact on what consumers are watching and where they're watching it. And OTT providers have to be ahead of that curve.
OTT providers live in an Internet-driven world, as new video technologies, device types, app development formats and upgrades in the Internet infrastructure emerge. What are the biggest challenges for OTT providers now?
Turner: If you're an OTT provider, you already have a challenge because you're coming on an unmanaged network, dealing with variable bandwidths and very different devices. People are watching on everything from a cell phone through a tablet to a big-screen TV -- and you have to deliver to all those different environments. Any change is therefore a challenge. We're talking about changing the picture, the most fundamental part of what you're streaming.
What is the good news for OTT providers?
Turner: The good news about being an OTT provider is ---you have a lot of choice. The down side is--- you have a lot of choice. Our prediction at Technicolor is enhancements like Higher Dynamic Range, Wider Color Gamut - they're going to come a lot faster than 4K did, because they're a lot more impactful for consumers. When a consumer sees it, they're going to be very attracted to the image and they're going to expect it on a lot more content.
What about the impact of standards?
Turner: OTT providers don't have to worry about broadcast standards, which vary from region to region. They define their apps, they write their apps, they deliver over the internet where there are fewer rules, and they do all their own encoding and delivery. They are the only end-to-end ecosystem that does not have to rely on any standards body to tell them how they have to deliver, when they have to deliver by, what they have to change in their infrastructure. They control their own destiny.
Given the wide range of choices that they have, what do OTT providers need to know when they move forward with these technologies in their business strategy?
Turner: If you're an OTT provider, we've already established these things are going to move fast. The question is how do you make the decision of when to leap -- and which of these technologies do you adopt? The good news is your consumers are going to tell you. You're going to know that consumers are more attracted to a certain kind of content that has a higher dynamic range, a wider color space or is somehow more impactful because you can see that they are watching for longer, they're turning off less, they are transacting more often for that content when they see that it's available in a new video technology. Those are your key metrics. OTT providers live by metrics, so you're going to know what is impactful for your business line much faster than anyone in the broadcast world or Pay TV world. That's the good news.
What's the bad news?
Turner: The bad news is that they have a lot of work to do and can't be certain about which technology to pick. At Technicolor, we can help with that, we can do consumer research, we can try different technologies out on different pieces of content, see what is resonating, and then do some joint work with OTT providers. This work is important, because whatever we do to the content, we must remember that much of it is going to last for the next 50 or 60 years so. If you're shooting content now, you need to assume that the world is going to keep moving on - and shoot and prepare for that world.
Do OTT providers' investments in technology pose a barrier to adoption of HDR?
Turner: It's not a big investment that needs to be made all at one time. You can test the water with small, incremental steps. You can try one season of a TV show in HDR and see what happens to the numbers. Do the same thing with a few movies. I'd actually recommend going back and picking a few similar titles out of the library - from similar time periods, shot on similar film stock, re-grade those in HDR, put them out and see which ones do better. Then you have to ask: Can you actually see the difference in viewership or transaction numbers when you improve the viewing quality? Based on the answer to that question, you can form a business case to go back and choose which ones to do from the library.
It sounds like OTT viewership data is l
LINK: | https://www.technicolor.com/news/qa-technicolors-mark-turner-over-top-... |
See more stories from technicolor |
More from Technicolor
13/06/2022
Join Us at Annecy Festival 2022 - the Animation Event of the Year
WEDNESDAY 15TH JUNE Dont miss the opportunity to meet the Mikros Animation team during two recruiting events: Mikros Animation Recruitment Talk - 9:30 to 10:...
28/10/2021
It's Our Annual Halloween Fun and Fright Fest
To see more of MR. X's scarily good work, check out Night Teeth also on Netflix; Antlers, in theaters now; Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City exclusivel...
16/09/2021
Our Fashion Week Round-Up of Fashion & Beauty Work Across Technicolor Creative Studios
Discover Luna Rossa Ocean, the New Fragrance by Prada Mikros MPC teams provided ...
30/07/2021
Celebrate the Games With Our Round-up of World-class Spots for the Olympics
Mikros MPC France Television - Sumo' Mikros MPC takes you on a journey to Japan in this Olympic ident - Sumo - working in close collaboration with St ph...
19/08/2020
Series Make It to the Finish Line by Color Grading Remotely with TechStream
The Stranger, one of the first episodic series on the mobile-first streaming platform Quibi, had been using TechStream to provide mobile color-grading sessions ...
26/06/2019
In Honor of WorldPride 2019, Technicolor Recognizes 50 Years of Pride With a Parade of Noteworthy Films
The Boys in the Band (1970) Though of its time, The Boys in the Band is consid...
01/05/2019
Technicolor London's Kevin Horsewood Wins His First BAFTA
Technicolor London Senior Colorist Kevin Horsewood picked up his first BAFTA Craft Award for Special, Visual & Graphic Effects for his work on Troy: Fall of a C...
21/12/2018
Christmas Day Releases: Past, Present and Future
The Thief of Bagdad (1940) Directed by Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell and Tim Whelan Color by Technicolor This multi-award-winning film, including three Osc...
21/11/2018
More Than Just a Spot! These Merry Ads Are Memories-in-the-Making as They Herald the Holidays and Dazzle Audiences Worldwide
Heathrow "Making It Home For The Holidays" The Mill has worked on three consecu...
17/11/2018
Technicolor's Maxine Gervais and The Mill's Adam Scott Win 2018 HPA Awards for Outstanding Color Grading
OUTSTANDING COLOR GRADING - FEATURE FILM WINNER Alpha Technicolor Maxine Ge...
17/10/2018
Ghoulish & Ghastly Ads That Get Us Into the Spirit of Halloween
Ikea Ghosts VFX and Color Finishing provided by MPC In this delightful spot for Ikea, MPC provided VFX and color finishing on a group of drab ghosts, who ha...
28/09/2018
Technicolor, MPC, and The Mill Talent Receives Five HPA Nominations for 2018
OUTSTANDING COLOR GRADING - FEATURE FILM Alpha Technicolor Maxine Gervais Avengers: Infinity War Technicolor Steven J. Scott Charles Bunnag...
19/09/2018
Technicolor Talent Earn Six Emmy Nominations for Sound - and a Win for Their Work on Stranger Things (Again!)
WINNER - OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR) Str...
16/09/2018
Technicolor's MPC and FX Networks Partner to Create a Visually Stunning Global Campaign for American Horror Story: Apocalypse
FX Networks has a long-standing creative relationship with Technicolor creative ...
06/09/2018
From Battlefields to Gardens, Technicolor London Recreates Victorian England for Vanity Fair
Technicolor London provided Picture Post, Sound Post, VFX and used Pulse during ...
17/08/2018
Alpha Director Albert Hughes Recreates the Ice Age with Technicolor's Maxine Gervais
From Maxine Gervais, Senior Colorist: Albert's a visionary who brings a lot...
15/08/2018
The TEC premieres HP Mars Home Planet: The VR Experience at SIGGRAPH 2018, a Peek into Life on the Red Planet
The Experience The year is 2176, and you are the newest resident of the thriving...
31/07/2018
Color and VFX Stand-out Big in Ant-Man and the Wasp
Technicolors Steve Scott, a Marvel veteran, collaborated for the first time with renowned cinematographer Dante Spinotti. Deliverables from the color finishing...
31/07/2018
Making the Color Just a Bit Off Foreshadows Odd Happenings in Castle Rock
For the 10-episode Castle Rock, Technicolor provided On-Location Services/Dailies and Color-Finishing - including an HDR component. Technicolor Marketing Servi...
18/07/2018
Technicolor Talent Earns Six Emmy Nominations
OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR) Stranger Things (Netflix) Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer Joe Barnett, Re-Recording Mixer ...
13/06/2018
Join Technicolor as Global Cable Industry Gathers at CableLabs Summer Conference 2018
As CableLabs celebrates 30 years of innovation, join Technicolor at the CableLab...
16/05/2018
Discover Your Next Generation Network at BBWF With Technicolor
Broadband World Forum is the largest and only event in the world focused exclusively on networks and infrastructure. Join Technicolor at BBWF 2018, and be among...
09/05/2018
Meet Technicolor in Japan at Cable Tech Show 2018
Technicolor to showcase advanced Cable TV solutions at Cable Tech Show. Cable Tech Show is the largest cable TV technology exhibition in Japan where companies ...
03/05/2018
Join Technicolor at Cable-Tec Expo 2018 for a Vision of the Future
SCTE's Cable-Tec Expo is the event where you can connect with Technicolor and other industry leaders to learn about the latest cable and telecommunications ...
25/04/2018
Come Push the Boundaries of Entertainment With Technicolor at IBC 2018
Technicolor Connected Home will be present and pushing the boundaries of entertainment for another consecutive year at IBC, the foremost annual event encompassi...
25/04/2018
Technicolor Joining NCTC at The Independent Show - Coming to Disneyland This Summer
With its theme of Experience the WOW,' The Independent Show provides Exhibi...
20/04/2018
Technicolor Projects With Emerging Artists Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival 2018
The Tribeca Film Festival has a become a mecca for storytellers and film lovers ...
14/04/2018
Technicolor Film and Advertising Projects Make a Splash at FMX
Trey Harrell from MR. X discusses the Special Visual Effects that earned his team a BAFTA nomination for The Shape of Water. MPC Film's Axel Akesson and Da...
22/03/2018
Technicolor Captures Classic 70's Cinema Look and Feel for CBC Series Caught
Technicolor Toronto's creative team built upon the 70's era look shot by the DP, Philip Lanyon. The in-houseVFX team delivered more than 170 VFX shots ...
14/03/2018
Technicolor Heads to SXSW With Cool New Immersive Experiences and Hot Topic Speakers
The TEC collaborated on two can't-miss immersive experiences having their wo...
14/03/2018
The Four Worlds Is An Immersive Journey of Visual and Sonic Splendor
The TECs Artists-in-Residency program offers guidance from immersive creatives and thought leaders, as well as access to cutting-edge technology for an accelera...
07/03/2018
Technicolor Congratulates Oscar Winners Who Pushed the Boundaries of Entertainment
Technicolor teams provided VFX for Oscar winners that brought animated creature...
18/02/2018
MPC Takes Flight at VES Awards With 3 VFX Advertising Wins for Samsung Ostrich'
The MPC team went above and beyond, completely upgrading their feather system to...
18/02/2018
Black Panther Leaps Into Superhero Action With Technicolor
Technicolor not only did the color-finishing but VFX work, home video mastering, trailers, and Marketing Services for Marvel Studios' Black Panther. Theatr...
12/02/2018
Q&A With Technicolor's Mark Turner: Over-the-Top Providers Poised to Reap Rewards From New Video Technologies, But Challenges Remain
Mark Turner, Vice President, Partnership Relations and Business Development at T...
12/02/2018
Technicolor Adds Live Super Bowl Shots Into Post-game Episode of This Is Us
In addition to the Super Bowl episode of This Is Us, Technicolor provides picture and sound finishing for NBC's hit weekly series. Technicolor worked on th...
12/02/2018
Create a Better - More Immersive Future - With Technicolor at MWC 2018
Whether OTT or HDR, open gateways or intelligent Wi-Fi, Technicolor has the solution for the mobile industry. For more than a century, Technicolor has united c...
12/02/2018
Technicolor Establishes Mill Film, a New VFX Company in South Australia
Paris (France), 6 February 2018 - Technicolor (Euronext Paris: TCH, OTCQX: TCLRY) today announced the launch of Mill Film, a new VFX studio for the theatrical/f...
12/02/2018
Technicolor Worked on 5 Best Picture Nominees; Additional Oscar-nominated Films
Technicolor's industry-leading experience and creative talent enables filmmakers to push the boundaries of entertainment and immersive storytelling. Hollyw...
12/02/2018
From the Winter Olympics to ATSC 3.0 Standards, HDR Is Ready for Full-Scale Production in 2018
The broadcast industry put High Dynamic Range (HDR) through the prerequisite hoo...
12/02/2018
Ultra HD Blu-ray Support for The Latest High Dynamic Range Technology Delivers a Premium Home Viewing Experience
The Blu-ray Disc Association's (BDA) recently announced support for Technico...
12/02/2018
How Dynamic Metadata Adopted by the Blu-ray Disc Association Makes for Better HDR in Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs
The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has adopted HDR technology that will enhance ...
12/02/2018
How Open Platforms Drive Roll Out of Streaming TV and Other Services -- Like Foxtel Now in Australia
As traditional network service providers (NSPs) explore opportunities with strea...
12/02/2018
Technicolor Develops The Look of Black Mirror
Technicolor London provided picture post on all new Black Mirror episodes and also contributed cinematic-level VFX work. MPC also provided VFX work on Crocodile...
17/01/2018
Spielberg Enlists Trusted Partners for His Thrilling Drama The Post
January 15, 2018 Technicolor performs dailies and color finishing for Steven Spielberg's The Post, starring Hollywood heavyweights Meryl Streep and Tom Han...
05/01/2018
Technicolor Goes All-In for Sorkin's High-Stakes Molly's Game
January 04, 2018 Technicolor's long industry experience and leadership proves crucial to meeting the demands of the tight schedule and rapid-fire dialogue ...
18/12/2017
Technicolor Film and TV Projects Reap Golden Globe Nominations
December 18, 2017 Awards season heats up with The Shape of Water, The Breadwinner, and Stranger Things among the frontrunners, along with a host of other nomin...
13/12/2017
Award-Caliber VFX by MR. X Ripples Throughout The Shape of Water
December 12, 2017 Technicolor's MR. X reunites with director Guillermo del Toro - adding seamless visual effects and creature animation to his heightened-r...
09/12/2017
Sharp Visual Contrast Brings Light to Darkest Hour
December 08, 2017 Technicolor's Peter Doyle found stylistic inspiration reteaming with the director and DP - and from studying photography and color proces...
07/12/2017
Telstra Launches Largest Deployment of Wireless Doctor
December 07, 2017 Technicolor's Wireless Doctor service intelligently manages 1.5 million gateways and monitors over 11 million Wi-Fi devices for the Austr...