If you were born in the 90s, you must have remembered the days of slow-loading videos that would take hours or days to download and stream. From that crawling age of video streaming to the electric fast age where you can stream and download ultra HD videos in seconds, video content and video streaming technology have come a long way.
It's not just the quality and graphics of the videos but the AI-powered suggestions, video pop-ups, ads, and premium ad-free video platforms like YouTube Premium or Netflix. The dynamics of the digital world have evolved.
Video content is not just limited to the purpose of entertainment; it has become a mode of communication, education, and much more. There is something for everyone, from live tutoring sessions to thrilling movies and seasons.
As you remember the journey of this advancement, let us take you on a walk back to history, starting from the inception of video streaming, the primitive differing age, and the latest algorithms that can predict what you want to watch next.
The beginning of the video streaming era and the challenges faced
By the 1990s, TV stations increased, and now the users had a choice on what they wanted to watch; this got more exciting when, in the late 90s, online videos evolved and video content started streaming online. The first video streams on the internet were concerts and baseball games through RealMedia player.
However, the buffering was too much, the quality of the content was terrible, audio and video lags, device incompatibility, and too many bandwidth requirements were some of the hurdles of that time.
Now we can watch YouTube videos, access Netflix and other popular streaming sites from the comfort of our room. However, companies and networks keep developing new ways to improve the quality and content streaming speed, but faster streaming and attractive content is still a far ball to reach.
YouTube launch and its significance in the video evolution journey
The main game changer in the history of online video streaming was the launch of YouTube in 2005, which revolutionized the video streaming industry. The starting was a small rap video by SNL, which was not available anywhere, but there was a link to YouTube. Thus, the world became familiar with the most extensive video uploading and sharing platform.
However, the journey was more challenging than it seemed, and YouTube was about to crash under its bandwidth expenses due to copyright issues; there needed to be more content available.
By the end of 2006, Google bought YouTube, and in a few months, it became the second-largest search engine on the internet. Now, there was specified, easy-to-access content available, and people started moving from TV screens to PCs and smartphones, where they could access YouTube without a hassle. Unlimited shares, replaying of videos, and easy search for specific content are the main features that have evolved the online video streaming arena.
Personalized video content
Now, let us move to the current scenario where every user gets a personalized result for similar searches. Ever wondered why? It is because YouTube or other platforms keep a tab of our activity, interests, and searches to generate more relevant results for you.
The algorithm of YouTube works on search keywords, previous searches, subscriptions, trending videos, and other relevant information to show the sequence of videos and other tabs below the video to you while you stream a video.
The new algorithm also keeps feedback on ad experience and targets relevant ads on your videos.
What does the future hold?
The best has not come yet; there is much to see in the future. From AI-powered algorithms that pop the right video you have in mind to immersive 3D video streaming online, digital streaming platforms are growing each second in performance and efficiency.
So tighten your seat belts to go on a virtual reality trip right through your smartphones and apps and get amazed by the excellence of the human brain.
Conclusion
Video streaming has grown dramatically over the years, and now it's not just the entertainment and movies that are streamed, but live TV and other TV content are accessed more through these platforms. Fast speeds, ad-free experience, personalized background music settings, and video recommendations have given users more control and authority over their apps and video experience.
