ITV

Tag: Rahul Banerjee

  • Zee5 cranks up the volume with its home-brewed transcoder tech

    Zee5 cranks up the volume with its home-brewed transcoder tech

    MUMBAI: When it comes to streaming short-form content, Zee5 isn’t just playing catch-up—it’s rewiring the race. In a move that’s part brainy, part ballsy, the OTT giant has unveiled its own in-house transcoder, a custom-built beast optimised for vertical videos that trims costs, speeds up start times, and delivers slick playback to boot.

    India’s homegrown streaming powerhouse has ditched its third-party transcoding setup and built a bespoke system optimised for the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The result? A 20 per cent reduction in video start times, 10-15 per cent smaller file sizes, and a staggering 92 per cent drop in transcoding costs. Translation: viewers get smoother video, Zee5 gets cheaper bills, and the engineers probably got cake.

    “At Zee5, we are constantly innovating to create superior viewing experiences while optimising operational efficiencies. We have taken a giant leap in delivering high-quality vertical content at scale with the in-house transcoder. This solution enables faster load times, reduced buffering, and seamless playback, ensuring our users get the best experience every time they press play. Additionally, the massive cost savings allow us to reinvest in creating even more compelling content for our audience,” said ZEEL SVP Suneel Khare.

    With vertical video consumption exploding thanks to reels, shorts, and scroll-happy viewers, Zee5’s message-driven architecture is built for the now. It processes content at lightning pace, cutting down publishing delays to virtually zero. Since launch, the transcoder has reported zero bugs, zero playback issues, and possibly zero sleep for the dev team.

    “Building a cloud-native transcoding solution in-house was a strategic move to future-proof our content delivery infrastructure. This innovation empowers us with complete control over video processing, ensuring better efficiency, scalability, and a higher degree of customisation. More importantly, it strengthens our ability to deliver high-quality content with unmatched cost efficiency, setting new benchmarks in the industry,” added Zee5 principal architect Rahul Banerjee.

    The new tech not only supports Zee5’s current content ecosystem, but also tees up for future expansions in video encoding and format diversification. In an age where buffering equals boredom, and bloat equals bounce rates, Zee5’s in-house power play might just be the smoothest stream of all.

  • Zee5 adopts common media application format

    Zee5 adopts common media application format

    Mumbai: Zee5 has successfully adopted the common media application format (CMAF) at a wider scale to transform content delivery and enhance viewer experience. The innovative move, implemented by the company’s technology & innovation centre based in Bengaluru, facilitates smoother video playback across devices and allows Zee5 users to experience good AV quality even in areas with low internet bandwidth.

    By optimising bandwidth consumption and reducing operational costs, Zee5 is expanding its reach to 100 million users, ensuring more viewers can have access to high-quality streaming. CMAF is a versatile and extensible standard designed to package segmented media, enabling seamless cross-device compatibility. By adopting CMAF, Zee5 is not only ensuring an uninterrupted viewing experience but also reducing latency, a critical factor in live streaming of sports, news and events.

    Reflecting on the impact of CMAF, Zee’s chief technology and product officer Shiva Chinnasamy said, “Our strategic focus is to provide best-in-class AV experience even in areas with low internet. CMAF allows us to serve content more efficiently, ensuring no data wastage while delivering high-quality immersive experiences to every viewer, no matter their bandwidth. Zee5 is focusing on building in-house capabilities to provide robust services and experience to their consumers and adoption of CMAF is a crucial step to achieve the same.”

    Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra said, “At Zee5, we remain focused on enhancing viewer experience through cutting-edge technology. Adopting the Common Media Application Format (CMAF) is a step forward in Zee5’s vision to democratise access to quality entertainment. This ensures that even in regions with low internet connectivity, our users can enjoy seamless viewing experiences. This strategic move reflects our commitment to bring quality content to a broader audience, which also aligns with our goal of delivering immersive entertainment across multiple devices. CMAF represents a significant step in further refining how our viewers engage with content on our platform.”

    Commenting on the success of the format, Zee’s SVP & head of video engineering Suneel Khare said, “The implementation of CMAF is strategic. It allows us to streamline and improve our content delivery, enabling real-time low-latency streaming while significantly reducing data requirements. This enhancement ensures smoother playback even in regions with low bandwidth, expanding Zee5’s reach to a broader audience, including those with limited internet access.”

    Zee5’s successful implementation of CMAF has resulted in several key advantages, including:

    . Low-latency streaming: Essential for live events, CMAF ensures near real-time video delivery, minimizing delays and enhancing live event viewing.

    . Bandwidth optimization: The efficient CMAF packaging reduces data consumption, enhancing video quality in low-bandwidth environments.

    . Cross-device compatibility: CMAF supports both HLS (HTTP live streaming) and DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) formats, ensuring consistent video playback across mobile devices, Smart TVs, and more.

    . Future-ready encryption: CMAF utilises Widevine CBCS technology, a standard for content protection that allows for seamless playback across both Apple & Android devices and ensures a seamless and secure streaming experience.

    Zee’s principal architect of video engineering Rahul Banerjee added, “With CMAF, the real-time improvements in video quality and reduced buffering have significantly enhanced viewer engagement. This upgrade ensures viewers enjoy higher-quality streams with minimal delays, even in regions with weaker internet connectivity.”

    CMAF has enhanced the viewer experience and provided operational benefits for Zee5. By optimising content packaging, it has reduced storage requirements by over 30 per cent while keeping CDN (content delivery network) costs stable despite increased demand for higher-resolution content. Additionally, CMAF’s scalability allows Zee5 to expand its global reach in over 12 languages, maintaining consistent performance during peak usage.

    With CMAF, Zee5 improves operational efficiency and strengthens its commitment to delivering quality content to a diverse audience. The platform’s approach to content packaging and delivery positions it well for the evolving OTT landscape.

  • Colors Bangla Cinema presents “Bidaay Byomkesh” on TV

    Colors Bangla Cinema presents “Bidaay Byomkesh” on TV

    Mumbai: Colors Bangla Cinema is about to bring to the viewers the much-acclaimed film “Bidaay Byomkesh” for the first time on television. The film is set to air on 27 August at 1:00 pm, exclusively on Colors Bangla Cinema.

    “Bidaay Byomkesh” weaves an enthralling tale centred around an aged Byomkesh Bakshi, a name synonymous with mystery and intrigue, intricately weaving a narrative showcasing him at a crossroads. He takes a momentous decision to relinquish his role as a ‘Satyanweshi’ (Truth Seeker) and passes the mantle to his grandson, Satyaki Bakshi. Will this decision mark the end of an era for the celebrated detective, or will it herald the dawn of a new and equally riveting chapter?

    Colors Bangla and Colors Bangla Cinema business head Sagnik Ghosh said, “We are delighted to bring the acclaimed film ‘Bidaay Byomkesh’ to our viewers for the first time on television, as we believe diverse content resonates with our audiences’ preference. The film’s engaging storyline and stellar cast are sure to create a memorable viewing experience.”

    The film provides a unique and insightful perspective into director Debaloy Bhattacharjee reimagining the revered character, one that has consistently captivated generations of readers and viewers alike. “Bidaay Byomkesh” unravels the complexities of Byomkesh Bakshi’s character, taking audiences on a journey that probes the depths of family dynamics and legacy.

    The film boasts a stellar ensemble cast, each contributing their exceptional talents like Abir Chatterjee, Sohini Sarkar, Rahul Banerjee, Joy Sengupta, and Bidipta Chakraborty among others, to bring the characters to life.