And just like that… our 30th year comes to an end.
In 2023, and throughout our last three decades as a business, we have been showered with a multitude of opportunities, partnerships, successes, and triumphs that are beyond our wildest dreams. In this blog post, we’ll look through our successes from our 30th year and look forward to what is yet to come from MainConcept.
MainConcept Live Encoder 3.4
In 2023, we released the latest version of our Live Encoder, Version 3.4, with an astronomically successful launch. The newest version is designed to transform the way in which broadcasters and OTT content providers distribute live video and streamline their workflows. In the natural progression of live video, codecs have a vital part to play, and the launch of Live Encoder 3.4 demonstrates how crucial it is to have codecs such as HEVC and AVC natively built-in to broadcast workflows while also planning for the future, which is a key reason why Live Encoder now includes VVC/H.266 as well as LCEVC. This new and exciting progression for our product is one that sets the stage for success in 2024, introducing game-changing prospects for the world of broadcast workflows and live video content delivery.
Taking NAB and IBC By Storm
The MainConcept team exhibited at NAB Las Vegas and IBC Amsterdam, the biggest broadcast and media events of the year, and certainly the most inspiring. At MainConcept, we take pride in our attendance at industry events and trade shows, grasping the opportunity to proudly showcase our work from throughout the year. NAB and IBC 2023 were no different; with the biggest industry names in attendance, the positive outlook towards 2024 stood out and there are plenty of new and upcoming trends to keep an eye out for. It was an honor to spend time networking and connecting with our friends in the industry and to speak about our predictions and trends for the year ahead. We’re already in the swing of things, getting everything prepared for 2024 events, and we can’t wait to be back in the room with the future of broadcast and media.
Making a Buzz at Inter BEE and SET Expo
This year, Japan and Brazil opened their doors once again to the broadcast and media industry with Inter BEE in Japan and SET Expo in Brazil. Our teams were on the ground at both shows, meeting with a multitude of keen and upcoming members of the industry, showcasing the latest and greatest from MainConcept in its 30th year. It was a pleasure to once again attend both shows, taking the opportunity to connect with the industry and see what is new and upcoming in the broadcast equipment sphere. We’re really looking forward to attending again next year and networking with some of the biggest names in the broadcast and media industry.
In Conversation with IABM and Blackmagic
Our 30th year has provided us with the opportunity to continue working with some incredible partners such as Blackmagic Design. Earlier, we had the opportunity to speak with IABM alongside Blackmagic Design about our partnership. I had the pleasure of joining Bob Caniglia, Director of Sales Operations for North America, Blackmagic Design, to discuss how our companies paths crossed in the industry. Together, the similarities of both organizations have explored unmet user demand and created some industry first solutions. It was at an event with MainConcept and Blackmagic Design that the plugin for DaVinci Resolve Studio was originally conceived, ushering in the beginning of a long running partnership at a dynamic and fast-moving point in the broadcast and media industry.
Making Headlines
This year, the team at MainConcept have been making headlines in some of the best-known broadcast and media publications. Earlier this year, SVP and General Manager, Deacon Johnson, was featured in an article for TVB Europe titled ‘The Changing Face of the Video Industry’ where he discussed the future of the video ecosystem and the everchanging demand for content as media companies continue to experience the pressure for high-quality video at a lower cost. Deacon discusses the drastic change in viewer habits and the growing demand for content in a fast-paced broadcast industry, touching on what content organizations can do to succeed on the path for the future.
Thomas Kramer, VP of Strategy and Business Development, MainConcept, was also featured in an article for IABM Journal earlier this year. In the article, titled ‘Can Codecs Improve Ad-Engagement’, Thomas discusses the relationship between codecs and ad-engagement, exploring the idea that codecs can positively impact the effectiveness of ad-engagement in long term applications. Alongside this overall discussion, Thomas goes into the details of server-side vs client-side ad insertion, the differences and how this can be improved on in the future of the broadcast and media industry.
It has been a wonderful, eye-opening experience to be featured in some of the biggest industry publications this year, and we look forward to many more opportunities like this in 2024.
Delving Deeper Into Ad-Tech & Low Latency
2023 has seen the release of two whitepapers from MainConcept, both of which discuss up and coming concepts that are sure to rocket in popularity in 2024. In the whitepaper ‘how can video 
providers improve engagement and deliver highly targeted and personalized ads?’ MainConcept discusses the pressures felt by many video providers as they look to maximize ad revenue without compromising on distribution quality. The paper considers how content delivery organizations can look to improve engagement whilst also delivering personalized and high-quality advertisements. This release coincides with the developing progress of MainConcept’s codec-based ad-tech, which already addresses much of these issues.
Alongside this paper, MainConcept also released another titled ‘how can media streaming come 
near to the live broadcast experience?’ where it discusses the increasing popularity of streaming, and what this means for those who are missing out on the real-time experience as a result. It is becoming increasingly clear that latency needs to improve for streaming to come anywhere near the real-time experience that live broadcast delivers. The paper discusses low-latency options, homing in on CMAF as a viable option for this issue.
Looking to the Future
As we look back on our 30th year in business, we have nothing but the highest hopes for MainConcept and its impact on the future of codecs and live content distribution throughout the broadcast and media industry into next year and beyond. One of the biggest topics to hit 2023 is sustainability, and the importance it holds for organizations everywhere involved in content delivery. With ever advancing codec efficiency along with our recent implementation of LCEVC, conversations surrounding sustainability in the codec industry are quickly moving from conceptual to factual. This prospect is one that we are hopeful will have a strong foundation in 2024, and we will likely see the further development of new and exciting sustainability factors for content distribution. We published a blog on this topic earlier this year, and it is something we are hoping to develop further.
