How Does Video on Demand Work?

Video on demand, or VOD, makes television programs, movies and other video content available to users at any time.
Using an interactive system, users may select programming from a database of content and watch it instantly on a television, computer or mobile device.
Video on demand may either be streamed to a device or downloaded for later viewing.

Video on demand, or VOD, is increasingly popular with consumers and business users. VOD enables viewers to choose when, where and how to watch content such as movies, TV shows and videos posted online by individuals or businesses. But how does video on demand work, and what benefits does it offer enterprises today?

Here’s a brief tutorial on “How does video on demand work?” that provides answers to these questions.

Video on demand enables users to watch movies, TV shows and other video content whenever they choose and on whatever device they select. To enable video on demand, content must be stored on a video server in a digital format. When a piece of video content is selected by the user, it is compressed and transmitted through an Internet connection, then decompressed and decoded once it is reached the user’s device.

How does video on demand work vs. traditional cable TV?

With traditional cable TV, video content is also digitized, compressed and sent via Internet or cable networks. But traditional programming is provided on a schedule determined by the cable provider – users have no choice as to when a piece of content is available for viewing.

How does video on demand work with user control?

Because video on demand serves and stores video (or a portion of it) to a user’s device, users are able to pause, rewind and fast-forward video – a capability that is not available with traditional TV programming.

How does video on demand work in the hospitality industry?

The hospitality industry has been able to use video on demand as a competitive differentiator, providing customers with a more robust viewing experience. VOD may also be a revenue stream for companies in this vertical, enabling them to charge viewers for certain premium content.

How does video on demand work for mobile devices?

Services that provide video on demand for mobile devices transmit data wirelessly to smart phones, tablets and other devices, adapting the content based on device characteristics to enhance the viewing experience, improve system performance and minimize impact on network resources.

How does video on demand work with Spectrum Enterprise?

Spectrum Enterprise provides video on demand as part of programming options for fiber TV solutions. Offering both centralized and distributed video capabilities, Spectrum Enterprise video on demand solutions can be customized for industries such as hospitality, healthcare and government, providing high definition viewing experiences that can meet business needs and exceed customer expectations.