Video Takeaways from CES 2017
Last week was CES, arguably the biggest tech conference of the year. While the show featured everything from self-balancing motorcycles to e-ink watches, we obviously focused on the world of video. Hulu has a new live TV experience, Razer managed to build a gaming laptop with three giant 4K screens, and some amazing TVs are coming to market, including the 2.5mm thick W7 and a screen that’s 40% translucent, both from LG.
CES is not just about the demos on the show floor, though. It’s also about the conversations happening when companies from around the world in every aspect of tech converge in one place at one time. What were some of the key themes we heard at CES 2017?
Some Key Takeaways from CES 2017
1. Dynamic Ad Insertion.
As the TV ecosystem continues to shift, no one can afford to ignore the direct to consumer play. The big question everyone is struggling with is the best way to monetize content, not only in today’s viewing environment, but tomorrow’s. That’s why a lot of providers are experimenting in dynamic ad insertion and mixing monetization models. It’s increasingly clear that a key to success is taking demographic and individual data and refeeding that into the ad serving environment.
2. Analytics
In a related point, building analytics feedback loops is going to be critical going forward. When consumers are increasingly sophisticated and the ecosystem changes quickly, building smart systems that learn and adapt will be a major key to successful video monetization.
3. 4K
Razer was onto something. This may well be the year of 4K. Pretty much all the TVs on display are now 4K resolution; 4K Ultra HD is now the new standard. Content creators, take note.
4. VR
As we confirmed with our incredibly well-attended webinar on VR last month, Virtual Reality is finally starting to live up to its promise. The amount of excitement—not only in entertainment but also in enterprise and education—is off the charts. With tons of new products and content making their debut, CES was buzzing with VR and AR news.
It’s already shaping up to be an exciting year in online video.
