As I write this, it's hard not to think “here we go again.” Another virus variant is dominating news cycles and threatening setbacks in pandemic efforts. From a technology perspective, some advances we predicted two years ago have taken longer to materialize, impeded by both the pandemic and component supply chain issues.
We talked then about the impact 5G would have on streaming production. With 5G infrastructure buildouts in many more areas of the globe, this potential is now starting to be realized. Compared to 4G, the higher bandwidth and lower latency of 5G are huge steps forward for remote production.
As beneficial as 5G can be itself, we believe a combination of 5G, the cloud, and GPU-powered AI will enable revolutionary advances in streaming production. AI-driven algorithms leveraging the computational throughput of GPUs will enable higher resolutions, new stylizations, and advanced special effects. Running all of this in the cloud and connecting to it via 5G will enable complete workflows that are accessible at all levels of production, not just big media enterprises.
Another sense of déjà vu comes from the ongoing evolution of multiple new codecs. We expect adoption of both AV1 and VVC to continue to grow. Unlike early codec wars, however, living in a multi-codec world is easier for content consumers today, with apps typically shielding them from the underlying details.
At Magewell, we’re keeping a close eye on these and other technologies as we plan and refine our roadmap. We're as excited as you to see how quickly they evolve.
—Nick Ma
CEO and CTO
Nanjing Magewell Electronics Co., Ltd