What do we mean by visibility over the open internet and how does it relate to congestion?

When it comes to delivering content over the open internet, visibility is a critical factor that affects the quality of experience (QoE) for users. Visibility refers to the ability of content providers to see what is happening on the network and detect congestion or other issues that may affect content delivery. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of visibility in delivering video on demand (VOD) content, the role of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), and how visibility relates to congestion and the delivery of 4K content.

Content providers and CDNs can lower their risk by using multiple CDNs to route their content over the internet. This helps to ensure that content is delivered quickly and efficiently, even during periods of high traffic or network congestion. By using multiple CDNs, content providers can diversify their delivery network and reduce the risk of relying on a single provider. This can help to improve the overall QoE for users and ensure that content is delivered seamlessly, even in challenging network conditions.

VOD content providers rely on CDNs to distribute their content to users around the world. CDNs use a distributed network of servers to deliver content, reducing latency and improving the QoE for users. However, delivering content over the open internet can be challenging, as network congestion can lead to delays and buffering, reducing the overall QoE for users.

Live streaming is another area where visibility over the open internet is critical. Unlike VOD content, live streaming requires real-time delivery, making it more susceptible to network congestion and other issues that can affect the viewing experience. CDNs play a vital role in delivering live streaming content, using their distributed network of servers to reduce latency and improve the QoE for users. However, delivering live streaming content comes with unique challenges, such as ensuring low latency and maintaining a high-quality stream. Monitoring the network in real-time to detect congestion and other issues is crucial in ensuring a seamless live streaming experience for users. By using advanced monitoring tools and multiple CDNs, content providers can lower their risk and ensure that their live streaming content is delivered quickly and efficiently, even during periods of high traffic.

Visibility is crucial in detecting network congestion and other issues that may affect content delivery. CDNs use advanced monitoring tools to detect congestion and reroute content to avoid areas of the network that may be experiencing issues. This helps to ensure that content is delivered quickly and efficiently, even during periods of high traffic.

When it comes to delivering 4K content, visibility is even more critical. 4K content requires high-speed internet connections and reliable network infrastructure capable of handling large data streams. CDNs are often used to distribute 4K content, but detecting congestion and other issues is essential to ensure a seamless viewing experience. By monitoring the network and detecting congestion, CDNs can reroute content to avoid areas of the network that may be experiencing issues, reducing buffering and improving the overall QoE for users.

Some challenges faced by content providers and CDNs regarding visibility over the open internet include the massive scale of the network, encrypted traffic, complex networks, and meeting user expectations for QoE. The need to monitor the network and detect issues in real-time is critical, but the complexity of CDNs' infrastructure can make this challenging. With the increasing demand for high-speed and high-quality content delivery, CDNs must adapt quickly to changing network conditions to ensure a seamless viewing experience for users.

In summary, visibility is a critical factor in delivering content over the open internet. CDNs play a crucial role in distributing content and improving the QoE for users. However, congestion and other issues can affect content delivery, reducing the overall QoE for users. By using advanced monitoring tools and detecting congestion, CDNs can reroute content to avoid areas of the network that may be experiencing issues, ensuring that content is delivered quickly and efficiently. This is especially important when delivering 4K content, where a stable and reliable network connection is essential to ensure a seamless viewing experience. As the demand for high-quality video content continues to grow, visibility and advanced network monitoring will undoubtedly play an increasingly important role in the delivery of content over the open internet.