Streaming Video Alliance releases caching requirements and QoE guidelines

Streaming Video Alliance Releases Open Caching Functional Requirements and Streaming Quality of Experience Industry Guidelines

FREMONT, CA — The Streaming Video Alliance (SVA), an industry forum comprised of leading companies from the online video ecosystem, today convenes in New York City at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square for its quarterly member meeting. The Alliance today publicly released the Open Caching Systems Functional Requirements and QoE Industry Guidelines, which have been approved unanimously by SVA members and are the culmination of extensive collaboration and input from the SVA Open Caching and Quality of Experience (QoE) Working Groups.

The requirements and guidelines, approved and released today by the Alliance, help define new industry architectures and contribute to building best practices across the streaming video ecosystem. Over the last 18 months, members of the Open Caching Working Group have been focused on producing a clear set of functional requirements for open caching technologies. “The Open Caching Functional Requirements mark a significant step towards helping network operators optimize network utilization and quality of experience while helping the ecosystem as a whole improve the delivery of streaming video,” said Jason Hofmann, VP of Architecture, Limelight Networks. “As we continue to collaborate as a group, we plan to develop a comprehensive library of best practices and standards for open caching that will accelerate adoption worldwide.”

Using a similar collaborative approach, the SVA QoE Working Group has spent the past year working toward development of guidelines, which were released today. “In order to align the industry on the definition, measurement, reporting and optimization of streaming quality, the QoE Working Group is taking the initiative to ensure all members of the end-to-end value chain are in agreement on terms and metrics for streaming video quality,” said Thomas Edwards, VP of Engineering and Development at FOX Networks Engineering & Operations. “The QoE Guidelines are the first step in the process – allowing members to focus on future deliverables that allow streaming video to continue scaling to millions of viewers without sacrificing video quality.”

Over 40 companies across the streaming video ecosystem are members of the Alliance. At today’s meeting, the SVA welcomed several new members including MediaMelon, Nagra, Nice People at Work and System73.

“The Streaming Video Alliance allows us to have a direct impact on the evolution of OTT and streaming video,” said Ferran Gutiérrez, CEO & co-founder at Nice People At Work (NPAW). “NPAW is dedicated to providing the online media industry with the business intelligence technology to ensure that consumers receive the highest quality video during their streaming experience. We look forward to using our unique insights into this data to collaborate across the industry and shape the future of TV consumption across the globe.”

Members of the Alliance include: Beamr, Cedexis, Charter Communications, Ciena, Cisco, Comcast, Concurrent, Conviva, Encompass TV, Ericsson, FOX Networks, Hughes Satellite Systems, IneoQuest, Intel, Irdeto, Korea Telecom, Level 3 Communications, Liberty Global, Limelight Networks, MediaMelon, MLB Advanced Media, Mobolize, Nagra, NBCUniversal, NeuLion, Nice People at Work, Nokia, Nominum, PeerApp, Qwilt, Sky, System73, Telecom Italia, Telstra, Time Warner Cable, Ustream, ViaSat Inc., Verimatrix, Verizon, Vubiquity, Wowza Media Systems and Yahoo.