Can DivX Plus Streaming Survive in the Crowded ABR Space?
Colin Dixon, Senior Partner, Advisory
September 1, 2011
Today Rovi introduced a new adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) solution based on the DivX video technology. DivX Plus Streaming (DPS) is targeted at the premium movie market and in particular aims to drive the delivery of rental, purchase, and subscription movie content. The technology enters the market just as the field of ABR technologies was beginning to thin out. HLS, Apple’s ABR technology, has begun to dominate the market while other vendors, such as Move Networks and Widevine, have fallen by the wayside. As well, establishing a new streaming technology is fraught with problems, as it is very difficult to establish all the necessary parts of the delivery chain in order to be successful.
But do we really need another ABR technology and does it stand any chance of success?
As anyone that has watched a Netflix movie on an iPad or Roku box will tell you, the quality of the experience is as immersive and enjoyable as watching TV. But if one was expecting a quality more akin to a Blu-ray disc experience, the assessment would likely be very different. With long waits for the movie to start, less than perfect HD quality, and clumsy fast-forward and rewind, today’s ABR streaming experience has a long way to go before it matches a Blu-ray disc. This is precisely the area of the market that Rovi has chosen to tackle with DivX Plus Streaming.
Upon introduction the technology claims support for 1080p HD, fast video start, and smooth fast-forward and rewind. It also brings additional features with which other solutions struggle. For example, subtitles are supported, as are multiple language tracks (both areas for which Netflix has received a black-eye). As well, DPS provides the ability to resume playback across devices. So if you want to pause a movie in the living room and finish watching it at Starbucks on your iPad, you’re covered.
There are, however, a few items not supported in this first incarnation. You cannot insert ads into the video stream, for example. Although the DPS specification handles live streaming, it has yet to be deployed. As well, DPS has not (yet) been approved as an Ultraviolet delivery mechanism, although Corey Ferengul, EVP Products at Rovi Corporation, says that this will soon be remedied.
Can Rovi get all the parts of the content delivery chain lined up behind DPS quickly enough to make it successful?
Probably the biggest ace the company has up its sleeve is DivX itself. With a wealth of devices on the market supporting DivX playback, the company has already overcome the greatest barrier to the introduction of any video delivery technology. Among the most processor-hungry tasks to implement in software is video decoding. Since DPS delivers a DivX video stream, a device’s built-in video processor can handle decoding, thus avoiding the burden of software-based decoding. Moreover, a relatively modest processor can assemble video from the DPS stream. And, again, because there are so many DivX-enabled devices in consumer homes, there is a good chance that just about any connected video device can support DPS with a simple software upgrade.
There are, of course, many other pieces of the puzzle that need to be in place in order for DPS to be successful. But with Rovi’s central position in the industry, the company is as well placed as any to take on these challenges.
With DivX Plus Streaming, Rovi has introduced a product that brings immediate benefits to premium online movie services. As well, the technology requires much less channel disruption than is normal for a new video delivery technology. Whether the benefits delivered outweigh the channel disruption caused we shall have to wait and see.
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