What Is IoTV and Why You Should Care

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“We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication” – Dr. Bob Moorehead That quote (often falsely attributed to the Dalai Lama) summarizes one of the most intriguing paradoxes of the modern age; what do we do with all our technology? How can we use the… Continue reading What Is IoTV and Why You Should Care

“We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication” – Dr. Bob Moorehead

That quote (often falsely attributed to the Dalai Lama) summarizes one of the most intriguing paradoxes of the modern age; what do we do with all our technology? How can we use the piles of data that all our gadgets produce on a daily basis? More importantly; how can all that help us?

The answer is to connect the many things surrounding us through a concept know as the Internet of Things (IoT). The “things” in IoT are objects that have a unique identifier which are incorporated into an embedded system to allow them to transfer data over a network. This concept encompasses obvious devices such as smartphones or fitness monitors as well as rather unlikely “devices” such as cows. Pretty much anything with an on/off switch can, has, or likely will be connected to the internet, although it doesn’t have to stop there (wireless diapers anyone?)

So how does producing even more data solve the problem of having too much data in the first place? Connecting everything to the cloud allows various devices to interact with each other and process the data into meaningful results. Just imagine, by 2020 there could be 200 billion connected devices. That’s a whole lot of processing power that can be used to examine complex systems, increasing efficiency, decreasing costs and improving products or services. Facilitated by machines, most of this process can be conducted automatically, eliminating the need for constant human oversight.

Of course, there are various ways to connect all the IoT gadgets, and video is one of the most powerful. IoT Video (IoTV, if you will) can live-stream between devices. Smartphone controlled drones can be guided with the assistance of a live video feed. Firefighters and U.S. Border patrol agents have used drones to conduct operations. Robots with the assistance of sensors and cameras can diffuse bombs. There’s an increasing call for body cams on police officers and methods to conduct better security surveillance. All these things are possible not just with IoT, but with IoTV.

However, there’s a big factor that allows all those examples to function correctly. They depend upon a low-latency solution ensuring that real-time decisions, that have real consequences, can be made accurately and correctly. Red5 Pro has been streamlined to deliver that degree of performance.

A tremendous amount of our focus has been on supporting our customers who are building these next generation IoTV experiences using Red5 Pro. While we already support a lot of different IoTV configurations and platforms via RTSP camera re-streaming and custom server-side applications, we will be introducing many new features into the Red5 Pro platform over the next year to empower IoT developers to integrate live streaming into their products.

Now if philosophical paradoxes and world-changing technologies don’t interest you, there’s an economic impact of $11 trillion to consider. That number alone illuminates the latent power that the forces of IoTV have yet to materialize. The possibilities are great, and it is already beginning to shape the future. The full magnitude of its potential is waiting to be discovered. Why not explore the possibilities yourself? Let us know how we can help you build the future.