A recent survey on the most popular streaming devices revealed internet-connected TVs are the most popular streaming devices in American homes.

What’s more insightful is that nearly a third of these households access streaming video with 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) Smart TVs, a market that saw a 12% increase in purchase from 2019 to 2020.

The 4K market is forecasted to continue its growth through 2025 as these more desirable TVs drop in price and consumers come to enjoy added benefits like Dolby Digital sound alongside higher resolutions. But TVs are not the only devices in which consumers expect 4K viewing experiences; smartphone, gaming console, and computer manufacturers are all ramping up their technology to take advantage of this emerging trend.

If you are offering video products and services, it is important to understand how the growing 4K market affects you, where the 4K market is moving, which devices to prepare for, and the best ways to allow your users to enjoy high quality 4K content on your streaming platform.

The 4K market is forecasted to grow to a 213.93 billion dollar market by 2026 as more consumers come to expect a highly defined pixel experience in the comfort of their homes as well as on their personal devices. In addition to customer demand, the decline in manufacturing costs has driven many players into the market, making the landscape extremely competitive and fragmented.

While TVs dominate the US market with nearly 31% of the share, mobile devices, Amazon, Roku, Apple TV devices, and gaming consoles also make up a considerable portion of streaming device market share, all of which have 4K capabilities.

Entertainment and media are the primary holders of viewing for the 4K market, but consumers are also showing strong preferences for 4K across gaming.

Microsoft and Sony, respective makers of the Xbox and Playstation consoles, have also released 4K enabled devices to provide more immersive gaming experiences, meaning consumers young and old will be enjoying 4K quality viewing experiences if they are playing these games on 4K screens.

These viewing capabilities are only available if gaming manufacturers utilize the technology, and some gaming services have taken it upon themselves to apply the 4K bitrate to their games, like Fallout 4 (2015), God of War (2018), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), and Assassin's Creed Valhalla (2020).

4K Market Share: Which Devices Should I Prepare for?

Regardless of all the advances 4K technology is making, it is still only available to devices tailored to 4K streaming.

From low-cost devices from Walmart (yes, really), Amazon, and Roku, to Nvidia and Apple on the higher end, there’s something for every type of budget.

Mobile devices are plentiful in 4K technology as well. Sony, for example, has made many of its Xperia phones capable of 4K resolution. And it is not only cell phones --computers and TV sets are available that offer 4k for a variety of devices and budgets..

There is a multitude of computer monitors available with 4K capability from ASUS, BenQ, LG, Dell, and Acer. While some of the offerings may be on the pricey side, with time they will shift towards a cheaper market price. For now, it is possible to get a 4K monitor in the $150 range, with the most common pricepoint hovering in the $300 to $500 range.

The market is welcoming these changes, and brands like Microsoft and PlayStation are getting involved too. 

Playstation introduced their new PlayStation 5 with 4K technology, but their PS4 promotes 4K as well.

Microsoft's Xbox consoles Xbox Series X and Series S both hold the standard of high-quality 4K streaming.

The most effective ways to stream high-quality content in 4K all depend on the original size of the rendered files. If the file was rendered with a low frame rate then you would have to upload it with a matching bitrate.

Naturally, every streaming platform you can upload to doesn't always have the functions required to keep the quality content you upload, especially with 4K, but there are the standard settings.

The standard bitrate for platforms like YouTube vary based on resolution. While there is no set bitrate limit required for uploads, there are two important numbers you will want to focus on - target bitrate and maximum bitrate. It’s best to think of the maximum bitrate as the ceiling for your video file and the target bitrate as the average maintained throughout the video.

Various streaming platforms have mixed preferences on settings, so the best way to optimize your video quality is to set the rate to correlate with your video's frame rate. 

For 4K SDR (Standard Dynamic Range), this can be between 35-45 Mbps for frame rates between 24-30fps and 53-68 Mbps for frame rates between 48-60fps. For 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range), this can be between 44-56 Mbps for frame rates between 24-30fps and 66-85 Mbps for frame rates between 48-60fps.

Now that will be how your maximum bitrate turns out, your target bitrate for a 4K video should be set to up to 90% of the maximum bitrate. That will not always lower your content's quality.

4K is designed to be the highest quality possible, so long as you edit your content with the proper settings and preparations.

When it comes to the bandwidth, it depends entirely on the pixel breadth of your device. 

The most efficient way to view 4K is through a 3840 x 2160p screen as it was specifically made to view all the pixels of a 4K stream. That means at least a 65" screen, which may not be realistic for every consumer.

This does not mean 4K is off the table, the quality will just adjust to the screen of the device it is viewed on.

Streaming with the optimal resolution is a combination of your high-quality footage and an editing software's rendering. If you stream in 4K and render it properly with the H.264 format, quality will convert with the device it is viewed on.

You can't, however, force 4K on a device with 480p when it should be viewed at 2160p.

Part of the solution is adaptive bitrate streaming, creating smoother stream performance while optimizing the bitrate. This does not affect the device in any form as it is designed to be consistent with the quality of the device and high-quality 4K video.

As the name suggests, it is adaptive to your content, based on the profile ladder used, as well as the  end user’s bandwidth and devices. With this form in practice, 4K has a promising future with continuous innovations enforcing positive change, streaming will become more concrete.

The challenge with 4K is the limits on devices that are capable of streaming with 4K resolution. This is being addressed with new products aimed at high-quality streaming and it’s only a matter of time before more consumers get their hands on them.

For video streaming providers, trying to make sense of all the video file formats, codecs, and bitrates can be confusing. This is why Zype built a platform that allows publishers to optimize their video library no matter what device, or bitrate, they are capable of using. Our VOD encoding product takes your existing digital video content and translates it into a variety of formats and quality levels that allows users to enjoy your content anywhere— in their living room streaming from a set-top box or on the go using their mobile device on a cellular network.

If you are looking to remodel the way you stream your content with better 4K implementations then check out Zype's Solutions. We have several services that can enhance your content and introduce you to unique methods of optimizing your content for more of your clients to see. 

4K Bitrate Video: The Outlook for 2021 And Beyond

Streaming technology is continuously innovating. Here's the outlook for 4K bitrate video in 2021.

Staying up to date on all the tech talk in streaming video is no easy feat. From new video codecs to platform-specific lingo, it can leave you feeling lost. 

That’s why we’ve put together this glossary of video engineering terms to help you make sense of some of the more technical (and a few non-technical) video acronyms and words you may come across in discussions around streaming. 

AAC, or Advanced Audio Codec, is the follow up to MP3, consider it MP4 for audio :).  It is more efficient than MP3 so you get better sounding audio at the same rate (usually 128 or 192kbps). It is very widely supported in almost all devices.

ABR Streaming (Adaptive Bitrate Streaming)

Adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) is a method of streaming video over HTTP.  The source content is encoded at multiple bitrates (renditions), which are small segments or chunks of the overall video content.  Segment size can vary anywhere from 2-10 seconds.  The streaming client is alerted to the available renditions by a manifest file - .m3u8 playlist for HLS and MPD (Media Presentation Description) for DASH.  The client requests a segment rendition based on the available bandwidth of the end-user device on a scaling ladder, starting with the lowest bitrate.  As bandwidth increases, a higher bitrate segment will be requested, and conversely, as bandwidth decreases, a lower bitrate segment will be requested.  To the end-user, content plays back smoothly without interruption, and bitrate changes may even go unnoticed. 

Audio Codecs (IMF, MXF, AS02, MP4, TS containers. J2K, ProRes, MP2,. ATMOS, Dolby E, AC3, EC3)

All of the terms here are different containers,  and containers are the thing that “contain” the codec, and have instructions on how to play the video file. An example is the container says where the metadata is for the video vs the actual video components themselves, vs the audio components like stereo and 5.1, etc.  Some of the above are intended for studio use only and are made for editing very large files, while some of these are consumer facing and you play them on your iDevice every day.

Bitrate is defined as “ the number of bits per second that can be transmitted along a digital network.” but what it really means in video is the amount of data I can send you reliably for you to watch the video.  If you want to watch a video in HD, it will take a higher bitrate than SD, but a lower bitrate than 4K because of the amount of information that’s trying to be sent to you. To put it another way, a 1080p stream will have a higher bitrate compared to a 720p stream because you’re sending much more information per frame.  In general, you might see a 3Mbps bitrate on the 720 but a 6Mbps bitrate on the 1080 one.

A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a distributed platform of servers that helps minimize delays in loading web page content by reducing the physical distance between the server and the user. A Video CDN is a specialized server network that delivers live and on-demand, high-quality videos to connected devices through caching--temporarily storing content on multiple servers so when a viewer request is made, the nearest server that has cached the content can deliver the video. 

DRM is a way for companies to know that their video is not being pirated.  Before DRM, if a video leaked, it could be uploaded and played by anyone. With DRM, content owners can decide who/when/how/what gets played.  If they only want you to be able to watch something for a week, they can. Not watchable offline? No problem. Can’t watch outside the US? Done.  DRM is also able to be used down to the user, so the same file can work for one login and not for another. It's very powerful but expensive, so mostly the valuable content (movies, TV Shows, etc.) gets DRMed.

Encoding is the process of taking a video signal (usually from a camera or mixing board) and “encoding” it into a stream of data.  Think of it like taking the camera signal and putting it through some very impressive mathematical formulas so we can digitize it. One other goal of encoding is to reduce the amount of data in the signal yet still have it look great.  For example, we might take a camera signal that's 1 gigabit per second of data and compress it to only 10 megabits per second of data. The encoder is the thing that is converting that video from analog to digital.

FFmpeg is a piece of free software that does the actual encoding.  You type all of the settings that you want into a command line command, and then it runs and produces the finished video.  It is very powerful but has a steep learning curve. The training wheels version of FFmpeg is called Handbrake and uses a GUI.

FPS is a measure of how many times per second a video frame is made. So if you consider a rate of 24fps, this means that each second of video is showing 24 distinct images. 24fps and 30fps are the most common rates used, whereas a rate of 60fps would be considered slow motion. 

H.264 is a video codec, and is the most widely used one today.  Almost every device (TVs, Mobile Phones, iPads, etc) can playback H.264 video files efficiently.  It has been surpassed by a more efficient technology called H.265 or HEVC, but HEVC has been hampered by patenting issues.  If you needed to encode a video to stream online, this would be your best bet to reach as many devices and users as possible.

H.265, or HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Codec), is the follow-up to H.264 and is the current “new thing” in Codec’s.  Apple has provided support for it, which should help its adoption and usage, has a very complicated patent/license setup that makes it expensive and scary to put your whole video library into.  Technically, H.265 can produce 2x as good of a picture at the same bitrate, or and equivalent picture at half the bitrate, when compared to H.264. This is due to the encoding complexity, it takes much more CPU to encode and decode H.265 vs H.264.

HTML5 allows you to embed videos directly onto a webpage with specific player adjustments, such as autoplay or automatic mute. Prior to HTML5, a plugin like Adobe Flash was required to play videos in a browser. HTML5 video format capabilities include three options to play: MP4, WebM, and Ogg.

Adaptive streaming means the same video is produced in different quality levels that the user can change between based on their bandwidth at the moment.  If you’re alone in a coffee shop on the wifi you will probably get the highest quality stream. If a group of gamers come in and start using up all of the bandwidth then your quality level might drop and the video won't look as good.  This way we don't have to try and pick a one size fits all approach, you can watch a video on your phone while on the bus and then when you home finish watching it on a big TV and both will look good.

HLS, or HTTP Live Streaming, is an HTTP-based media streaming communications protocol implemented by Apple Inc. as part of their QuickTime, Safari, OS X, and iOS software. It works by breaking the overall stream into a sequence of small HTTP-based file downloads, each download loading one short chunk of an overall potentially unbounded transport stream. As the stream is played, the client may select from a number of different alternate streams containing the same material encoded at a variety of data rates, allowing the streaming session to adapt to the available data rate. At the start of the streaming session, it downloads an extended M3U playlist containing the metadata for the various sub-streams which are available.

Latency in live streaming refers to the delay between the time a video stream is requested versus when it is delivered, or in other words, the delay between the time the video is captured and the time it appears on your screen. Low latency is typically defined as less than 100ms, at which speed, the delay is not noticeable by humans. 

A linear livestream is a series of videos stitched together into a single stream and it essentially provides the same experience as a traditional TV channel, but it is delivered over the internet. When you tune into a linear livestream, you're watching whatever is live at that moment (as if you had turned on your TV). You cannot fast forward or skip through. 

Metadata is the information about a video, such as title, year made, genre, etc.  It can be made very rich and can help a lot with searching for videos based on keywords.

DASH is a container, and contains a CODEC, usually H.264 or H.265.  The benefits of DASH over things like HLS is in the complexity of the manifest that is delivered with the video chunks.  DASH made some great improvement over HLS, but is more complicated and therefore hasn't taken off as much as expected. Also, Apple has kept up HLS so it has stayed the dominant container.  The largest companies use DASH, and so about 50% of internet video traffic is in the format.

An MRSS feed is a media feed of data that's used to syndicate videos from one company to many others.  So if MTV wants to send our their videos for other people to watch on their site, they would send an MRSS feed and that’s how people would know where to get the video and all of other metadata (name, year,etc).

OGG is an open source and free version of MP3, so you don't need to pay any licenses to use it,  it’s not as good as MP3, nor AAC. it has some device support but should be an option and not the only option for audio on your project.

OTT, or Over The Top video, is the idea of not using the cable box to send video into the home.  It might seem weird in today’s world, but it used to be that if you wanted to watch things at home without a VHS/DVD player, you needed to watch it through your cable box.  When the internet got fast enough, we started to see video delivered “over the top”, meaning not through the cable wire going into your home, but through the internet wire instead.  This was a big problem for the cable companies, who wanted to be your only link to the video in your home.

RTMP is a streaming protocol that is primarily used to deliver content from an encoder to a video host. In order to deliver streams smoothly and transmit as much information as possible, it splits streams into fragments, and their size is negotiated dynamically between the client and server. It began as a proprietary protocol, owned by Adobe, but has since been opened up for public use.

SCTE 35 is a standard created by ANSI and the Society of Cable and Telecommunications Engineers that lays out guidelines for inline cue tone insertion in streams. Also referred to as markers, these signals indicate where content distributors could insert or splice content into a stream. For example, if a local news station received a stream from a national news broadcaster, the stream might be marked in areas where the station could replace national ads with others that were more relevant to the community.

SSAI, also referred to as DAI (dynamic ad insertion), is a means of dynamically inserting ads into video content. 

Transcoding is the practice of converting a video from one format to another.  For example, you have to create a certain file format to use on Apple devices, so a transcoder might take something created for XBOX and convert, or transcode, it for use on Apple devices.  You can think of encoding as getting a signal from analog to digital, and transcoding from digital to digital.

VAST is a way for ad servers and video players to be reading and writing from the same playbook.  It makes a standard for ads to be delivered so that the ad companies know the video player has all the information it needs, so there is no finger-pointing.  Before VAST, everything was a custom implementation and things were much slower to get done.

A Video Content Management System is a tool that media companies use to tag and manage their video so they can find things easily and approve/deny things for air in the same system.  They are very powerful and at the enterprise level can be set up to approve or deny a cable company or even individual user from accessing content based on date and last payment.

Video API is an umbrella term for any API that relates directly to the streaming and facilitating of video content. The API that a company elects to integrate with their video player or application will be the key determining factor that will dictate the quality of the end user’s viewing experience. There are many different types of video APIs with different purposes. A few examples are video platform APIs, content rule APIs, player APIs, authentication APIs, and video analytics APIs.

A Video Origin is where a media company keeps their video files.  Some people keep them in a data center that they own and control, and some companies keep them on the public cloud, but it's the place that the CDN's go to receive the content from the content owner

Encoding codecs are the different formats that the analog to digital conversion can end up in.  Examples are H.264/5, VP9, ProRes, etc. All of these have pros and cons that are a little out of scope, but generally, there is a trade-off between how much CPU it takes to encode/decode and how much power is available. For example, a CODEC might take lots of CPU to encode and decode but have a very small file size.  The problem is your cellular phone only has so much battery, so while the picture looks great it's eating up all of your juice to watch it. The goal is to find a midpoint between CPU cycles and file size.

vMVPD (Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributor)

vMVPDs aggregate live and on-demand video content and deliver this content in the form of a linear channel over the internet. The user/viewer experience resembles traditional cable TV where you can browse through a TV guide or flip through channels to see what is on. A few examples of vMVPDs are Pluto TV, Youtube TV, and Sling TV.

VP9 is very similar to H.264 but was bought by google and is used on some YouTube videos because it takes less time to encode into VP9 vs H.264.  It has been superseded by VP10/AV1.

AV1 is based on VP10, but is also the new codec du jour in the industry.  It is royalty free and very efficient, although very cpu intensive. Expect to see this in products from Google/Facebook/Amazon etc.

The 2021 Video Engineer Dictionary

A glossary of common technical video terms and acronyms

Media consumption continues to skyrocket. Video streaming is more engaging than ever, with potential customers at your fingertips. 

Surely you want to provide the best video streaming to keep users engaged. To do this, you need to consider how and where your viewers will be consuming your content. In almost all scenarios, HTML5 is your best option when it comes to video streaming. 

But what is HTML5? To better understand how HTML5 can make your life easier, keep reading this handy guide to HTML5 video format! 

Over the years, HTML has had many iterations. The version most people "grew up" with is HTML 4.01. Throughout the 2000s, CSS and Javascript functionalities revolutionized the HTML world. 

Now, since 2011, we have had HTML5. This adds the ability to include audio and video in a webpage with a single tag. 

In the 90s, developers had access to the very first version of HTML (HyperText Mark-up Language) invented by Tim Berners-Lee. While not a coding paradigm, many techies could start their journeys into digital development with HTML.

HTML5 is holding firm in the modern-day world full of constant change. For a more detailed history, learn more here. 

The structure of HTML has always been one of the more simple options for web design. In fact, it is not even considered a coding language. Instead, it is a markup language. 

It defines data through tags, such as <video> or <audio>. A web browser can "read" what the HTML describes and display headers, video, and more accordingly. 

Along with the added audio and video capabilities, HTML5 has brought a whole package of new advantages. Just some of the benefits include:

Cleaner code with the new version of markup language

Improved accessibility through display improvement 

Geolocation - cater content specific to a user based on location

It's clear that HTML has gone through many iterations over the years. But where did it really come from?  

Since 1993 with the first rudimentary HTML, capabilities have consistently improved. Early web creation tools such as Dreamweaver, FrontPage, et al. made web design more accessible. Forward to today, where the design tools most are familiar with are WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, and Wix.  Website creation need not be a source of consternation.

A PWA, or Progressive Web App, is a way to deliver content in an app-like format via the web. Essentially, it ensures a webpage can be viewed on any platform that uses a common browser, especially desktop and mobile. This is achieved through the now core functionalities of HTML, CSS, and  Javascript. 

HTML5 has far-reaching applications. Due to PWA, it's clearly useful for web apps. But it also has Smart TV app capabilities. 

In particular, it is now possible to use HTML5 in video streaming. Let's look at how that works! 

Streaming a video means that a video will begin to play - and keep playing - while the file downloads. There are three options when it comes to streaming video. One is HTML5, and the others are proprietary formats and intermediate players. 

It's essential to know the differences between these other options, so let's go over them quickly. 

The first of these other methods involves using a proprietary format. This method isn't used often in this day and age as browsers have improved their video-playing capabilities. HTML5 does not natively support .mov, .rm, or .wmv files so if you must play this file format, proprietary formats may still be useful.

The second option is an intermediate player. Intermediate players are like YouTube. It's a middle ground where you can upload videos. You can then view these videos through an embedded player specific to the original uploader.

So, to play a YouTube video, you would need a YouTube-specific embedded player. 

While players like YouTube are still trendy, they aren't necessary for playing videos. HTML5 could be a better option for you now that modern-day browsers already have embedded video players. 

The HTML5 video format player is versatile and native. It allows a scriptwriter to make many adjustments. From autoplay to automatic mute, you can be assured that your video will play as you intend it to. 

The ability to upload secure and high-quality videos even for those not well-versed in the tech world is revolutionary. There are also some distinct advantages over the other video streaming options. You don't need to worry about third-party branding, dedicated players, or sharing difficulties. 

Perhaps most importantly, you now won't have to worry about requiring Flash. Flash is no longer in development by Adobe, nor is it supported by most browsers as of late 2020, and it's best to avoid it if possible. HTML5 already loads faster and is easier to implement than the Flash plugin was. 

For more about building your digital video infrastructure, we offer a complete guide to building and scaling your digital strategy. 

Embedding an HTML5 video tag requires only a few lines of code to create a native video player. Simply using a <video> tag will create the video player. To change the video format, simply change the video/mp4 to video/ogg or video/webm.

To give an example of what your code might look like: 

You should be aware that the <video></video> tags will be displayed if the browser does not support HTML5 video. However, none of the additional lines of code should show. 

Along with embedded videos, you should consider other factors for how to make your webpage more engaging. Consider adding Embedded Code Sharing. 

Some of the most important adaptations you can make to your video plays are listed below. 

Setting the width and height is crucial; otherwise, when the page loads, it may flicker. This results in a less than optimal viewing experience.

HTML5 allows the script-writer to add functionality through the controls attribute. This includes the added capability for users to pause, play, and adjust the volume of the video. 

By changing the "controls" tag of the code to "autoplay," your video will play automatically. To make sure it is also automatically muted to avoid user annoyance, simply add "autoplay muted." However, you should be aware that most Chrome-style browsers do not support autoplay. 

Beyond these main features, the following are also settings you can alter to your liking: 

HTML5 Video Format for Desktop and Mobile Streaming 

The HTML5 video format capabilities include three options to play: MP4, WebM, and Ogg. You should note that the Safari browser does not support Ogg, WebM is supported by only 58% of browsers, and MP4 is disabled by default in Firefox 24. 

Due to the fact that the three options are not always natively supported by every browser, it is a good idea to have a backup. At a minimum, you should include in the source tag an MP4 with H.264 with AAC/MP3. This is currently the most widely supported desktop and mobile HTML5 video format.

By adding in a second video source in Ogg or WebM in your code you can avoid almost all issues. Both options are fairly equally supported in different desktop browsers. 

Similar to the situation on a desktop, not one single video format is universally supported. MP4 is the most supported, supporting Android, Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer browsers to recent versions.

Beyond browsers, MP4 is also supported on iOS and Android. 

It’s good to note that you don't generally have to worry about having a second different HTML5 video format for mobile. For most modern mobile devices, the same video file you use for the web. 

Beyond MP4, WebM and Ogg are both supported on Android 2.3+ and most modern Android devices. For older devices, you will have to consider 3GP/MPEG4.

What Else Should I Know About Video Streaming? 

Now you understand how HTML5 works and what the best HTML5 video format is. To add to this knowledge, you should consider learning how video streaming can help you in other areas. 

Zype's HTML5 web player provides a fast, high-quality video playback experience for viewers across desktop and mobile web. If you want to learn more about the Zype player, you can do so here.

The Complete Guide to HTML5 Video Format for Desktop and Mobile Web

The complete guide to HTML5 video format for desktop and mobile web.

Building a successful onboarding experience for globally distributed teams is certainly not a new topic in the HR arena. More than a year into a pandemic that forced most teams to be distributed, there are organizations still struggling with facilitating an Onboarding System that accomplishes its main goal successfully: integrating a new employee into company culture, as well as providing new hires with all of the resources and information needed to become a productive member of the team.

For Zype, remote work began before the global pandemic. Zype already had Zypesters globally distributed in March 2020, and was taking steps to incorporate more distributed team members. The new reality brought on by COVID-19 accelerated the process, reinforcing the confidence that it can be done successfully with the proper tools, procedures and buy-in from stakeholders.

Having personally been through the onboarding experience over the past three months as Zype’s new Director of People Operations, I was able to see first hand the importance of this program. I was able to live it from multiple perspectives simultaneously, as a peer of new hires, as well as the leader responsible for onboarding in our PeopleOps team.

This also gave me the opportunity to share my perspective on our Onboarding program, with 14 new Zypesters joining in 2021 so far!

So, how do we onboard our distributed team at Zype?

At Zype the onboarding starts way before the first day. It starts with a focus on the understanding that we are not only choosing a new team member, but that we are being chosen by the Zypester as an employer, as a place to work, as a manager, as a mentor, as a coach, as a career development opportunity, and as a team. So, for the first part of the onboarding goal: “integrating a new employee into the company culture”, we are focused from the very first interview in sharing all that we can so the cultural fit can be established both ways.

This is done through a thoughtful and transparent hiring process and, once an offer is accepted, through a welcoming and interactive experience before the first day of work. A few days ahead of the start date we send a fun, fact filled introduction of the new Zypester to the full Zype team, so everyone can get to know the new hire and welcome them into the company. 

Then day 1 comes--- it’s finally here! The most important thing is that all newcomers have an awesome experience, regardless of role or location. We all know that having a thoughtful onboarding process builds the roots of engagement so we are focused on having a process and a team that becomes a support system that will help navigate the first months smoothly.

The journey starts with a “Zype Buddy” that will help the new Zypester learn the tools, shared routines and meetings, and specific information hubs, and that will be available for any questions. Remember the person who used to show you where to find the coffee and the fastest way to the bathroom? Yep, that’s your buddy!

People Ops (yes probably me or someone on my team!) will be part of the orientation too, and will host a live meeting to go over  all of the available tools, general procedures and a detailed map of who to ask for what. And links!

And last but not least, the Zypester’s manager  will set up 1:1 meetings with you every day of your first week, and almost every day of your second and third weeks, and at least once every week after that. Yes, EVERY. 

After this, the new Zypester will have 2 tracks of self-administered learning available to them. Week 1 focused on Zype, our culture, our teams, our strategy. A checklist of [mostly fun] tasks will guide you through our video learning library and our tools, history, and mission, and the Zypester will also be scheduling  “coffee breaks”  with Zypesters across the company that can help answer many questions outside the context of formal training. 

Month 1 will be focused on your specific department onboarding. The team manager will develop a thoughtful plan with you, as well as confirm the job description and deeper job mission that will ensure alignment on expectations for your first year at Zype. 

After each track ends,  PeopleOps will reach out to check on your progress, and after the first 90 days we will check in again and ask the Zypester for their feedback on the process, your experience and advice for improvement. And giving you feedback of how we see everything is going too! Onboarding will continue, no one is fully ramped up in just 3 months, but the basics are covered and then there is a timeline to take actual ownership of the different responsibilities of the role.

So...why is an Onboarding System so important?

A well thought out, interactive, and feedback driven Onboarding System ensures your most valuable asset - your talent - is set up for success as soon as possible in their career journey at your company. For Zype, we aim to set early expectations about what the new hire is being asked to deliver, and provide them with the environment in which they can be successful accomplishing it. To that end, my advice as a PeopleOps leader is to be extra resourceful and make sure you are giving all the resources you can to this effort. 

But it’s not only about the what and the how, it is also about creating meaningful interactions, especially in a globally distributed team. An Onboarding System that promotes frequent interaction creates a network of permanent communication and relationships - even if the team doesn’t sit in the same office together every day.

Empowering distributed teams starts by putting in place a detailed, cross functional and pertinent onboarding that will help build relationships between coworkers and peers. Dare to assign a buddy from a different department, dare to give liberty from day one to navigate the organization, dare to make it fun!

Want to learn more about our hiring process, company culture, or interested in joining our team? Check out our Careers page here. 

How We Onboard Top Talent In Our Globally Distributed Team With An Onboarding System

The Zype Onboarding System: How We Onboard top Talent in Our Global Team

Zype is continually working to make our platform better and more user-friendly. You may have noticed our new and improved Amazon Fire TV app builder. Now it’s Roku’s turn. Our new Roku app builder now has a more dynamic and intuitive workflow, with user interface improvements that include detailed inline tooltips, helper images, and better form fields. There are also improvements to the look and feel of the Roku app itself, including a SceneGraph that’s similar to Netflix. With an improved design and more self-service documentation, you now have the ability to produce and publish a Roku app using our software platform with minimal developer support. That means you can get back to doing what you do best—creating content.

To access the new Roku flow, head over to Manage Apps . Click on Create an App and select Roku from the push-button column.

Plan to take about 20-30 minutes to complete this flow. Before you start, we recommend having completed the following steps:

1. Prepare Images : Please review the Roku image guidelines to learn about the image and branding requirements for Roku.

2. Content Structure : Refer to these content guidelines to learn how to structure your content for Roku and other apps.

3. Monetization (optional): If you plan to monetize your content, you must first create a Roku Developer account before you’ll be able to configure monetization on Roku.

Once you’ve selected the Roku endpoint, you’ll be prompted to enter the basic details of your Roku app such as a title and description to distinguish your app within the Zype platform.

What aesthetic and mood would you like your app to have?

Choose between a Light and Dark option for the overall theme. The Brand Color is required for Roku and allows you to enter a specific HEX # as the accent color to give your app subtle pops of color. You can also choose to add an optional About page, it will be accessible from the side menu of your Roku app and give an overview of the content your app offers.

There are some images that are required for app submission such as a channel store image, header logo, and splash screen. You have the option of uploading an overhang logo during submission, but it is not required. We outline all of the image pixel requirements in Step 3 of the app builder flow. Learn about specifications for Roku image assets .

Once you’re ready to submit your app, you’ll be asked to upload these image assets within Roku’s submission portal. We suggest creating a folder and keeping these image assets easily accessible to speed up the submission process. For a more detailed explanation of these images, please visit Roku's Developer Guide.

Enable advertising, universal subscription or in-app subscriptions and purchases for your Roku endpoint. Monetization is optional, and if you choose to keep all disabled, your app will be free until you enable and complete all requirements for the option of your choice.

It’s important to note that in order to monetize your Roku app, you must first create a Roku Developer account.

After you’ve completed all the steps within this flow and have saved your settings, there will be some additional steps that are outlined in the inline tooltips to fully enable the monetization of your choice. We also email you the list of instructions with your app package. Additions or edits to monetization will update your app in real-time, so feel free to make changes after submission.

We offer some additional features to enhance the user experience on this final step such as Autoplay and Video Limit per Playlist.

Enabling Autoplay allows your videos to play back-to-back to keep your audience engaged and watching your content.

Enabling Video Limit per Playlist allows you to set a maximum number of videos that will load within any one playlist row. We recommend 50 videos at the most to ensure best load time.

Step 6 - Your app is ready! Time to submit it to Roku.

You will only be allowed to continue to Save and Publish if you’ve completed all 5 steps of the flow and each step has a check mark displayed next to them. If you see a red exclamation mark next to any of the steps, you will need to go back to that step and correct the form field error before moving forward.

Click Continue to have your bundled app package emailed so you can submit the app or pass it to one of our marketplace partners or an external developer to customize your app further.

Now let’s get your app submitted to Roku’s marketplace! Whenever you're ready to submit, follow the instructions that are outlined in the email to self-publish your Roku channel.

Working with an in-house or external developer to submit your app? We have outlined step-by-step instructions for developers that are creating and publishing your Roku channel powered by Zype’s Endpoint API service.

Note - Roku takes roughly 6-8 weeks to approve and push your app live to the marketplace.

We’re here to help you be successful at producing and publishing your Roku channel using our video platform.

What do you think of the new flow? Shoot me a note at taylor@zype.com if you have questions or want to chat about what’s worked or hasn’t worked for you.

Thinking about launching your own Roku app? Request a Zype demo!

Create a Roku App in 6 Easy Steps (2021 Update)

Marketing your wares or services in the modern world is changing. Traditional advertising methods are faltering. But you still need to break through the clutter and get your product in front of viewers, increase recall, and convert them into paying customers. 

In today’s challenging environment, ad blockers and overly disruptive advertising methods make things difficult. Content is difficult to target and make seamless. Enter Server-Side Ad Insertion or SSAI. 

Providing seamless ads that do not fall prey to ad blockers means your content is being seen by more people. The individualized targeting capabilities of SSAI are revolutionary. And you should get acquainted with all its benefits. 

Keep reading to learn everything you should know to build valuable content through SSAI. 

Simply put, SSAI is a means of dynamically inserting ads into video content. The content should already be high-quality and long-form. Whether you are a media distributor or a content owner, SSAI makes ad insertion better. 

The type of content SSAI is useful for is Over The Top (OTT) video services. This can be linear, live, or on-demand video content. 

SSAI provides a buffer-less manner of advertising. Transitioning from content to ad is seamless, providing a more comfortable user experience.

SSAI vendors are mediators. They work between the Online Video Player (OVP) and the ad server. By facilitating the communication between these two entities, the ads are appropriately placed within the video content.

These ads can be easily switched out to target each individual watching the content. This means your campaign can be optimized for maximum results.  

To get more technical, SSAI has a Manifest Manipulator (MM) component that splices streams for clients. This MM essentially makes all the decisions. It decides which ad to serve the client, retrieves the ad, and then stitches said ad into the video content at the last moment, in a frame-accurate manner. 

Dynamic Ad Insertion, or DAI, is just another name for SSAI. Both terms are often used interchangeably.

In fact, SSAI and DAI are referred to in many different ways. Ad stitching, dynamic insertion, server-side video ad technology - they are all the same thing. 

It is essential to highlight the "dynamic" part of DAI and the "Server-side" of SSAI. Together, these two terms create a more holistic understanding of the advertising process.

The dynamic concept means DAI accounts for constant change and is ready to adapt to the viewer. By preparing for the always-changing world, DAI provides more longevity in the advertising sphere. 

The Server-Side idea brings in a third party to the advertising world. It means SSAI is taking care of the legwork of getting an ad transcoded and stitched into the content being viewed by the end-user.

With this in mind, it's time to learn about the key benefits that SSAI - and by extension DAI - can provide. 

It is clear that DAI does a great deal for those looking to advertise content. From getting a greater ad value to being less disruptive, it's clearly more valuable for both consumers and advertisers. 

Now, let's look at the specifics of how DAI and SSAI can benefit you. 

Because SSAI is actually stitching together the ad and the video, ad blocking can be prevented. This gives SSAI a considerable advantage over many other forms of video advertising. 

To be more detailed, it is potentially impossible to block SSAI ads - for now, at least. Because the transitions between ads and content are so smooth, ad blockers cannot "see" the difference between the ad and the primary video because they look like one continuous stream. 

When potential customers are genuinely viewing your ads, you are far more likely to see results. Valuable ads create valuable revenue streams. 

The ads are more valuable for several reasons. One, as previously mentioned, you know they will actually be seen by customers. SSAI makes ad blocking more difficult. As a result, this can lead to better ad impressions.

Secondly, individual targeting and hyper-local ads can be utilized. Even with content broadcast on a national scale, ads can be targeted to a zip code. 

Lastly, available inventory can be sold programmatically.  This streamlines buyer access to ad inventory. 

Ads on broadcast television are historically bought based on a wide possible audience. With DAI, even the streaming simulcast can deliver to a niche or targeted audience - just as with online ads. With SSAI, it's all about customization and personalization. As mentioned, ads can be designed to target specific consumer types in specific locations. Additionally, SSAI can work on a variety of devices and all different endpoints. 

SSAI/DAI: Basics and Benefits (+ Live Streaming DAI)

Learn everything about server-side ad insertion, or SSAI, and dynamic ad insertion, or DAI, and how they work together to build valuable content.

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