On this day in 1905, the world’s first nickelodeon opened in Pittsburgh, Pa. The storefront theater located on Smithfield Street had 96 seats, and 450 people cycled through the theater that day. Nickelodeons (a portmanteau word blending the 5-cent admission fee and odeon, the Greek word for theater) soon became a popular venue for viewing films. By 1907, some 2 million Americans had visited nickelodeons.
Nickelodeons have come and gone, and movies have since gone through many transformations in how they’re made, distributed and viewed. And the entertainment industry is transforming in a major way right now, with video streaming emerging as a popular way to consume both films and television. According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI), 69% of consumer Internet traffic will be video by the end of 2017.
Transmitting video with low latency, or lag time, is a massive challenge, particularly over multiple public networks. That’s why Netflix, the world’s leading Internet television network, turned to Equinix when developing its Netflix Open Connect content delivery network (CDN) designed to provide streaming video services. By using Equinix’s global network of data centers as part of its CDN, Netflix provides streaming video with very low latency across a quickly scalable system. It also offers Super HD and 3D video streams, which require up to four times normal bandwidth requirements.
Cisco’s VNI predicts that 65% of all Internet video traffic will cross CDNs by 2017, so having a reliable, scalable content delivery infrastructure will be a mark of success for Internet video companies. Siting CDNs in the right geographic location is essential to optimizing performance and to cutting long-haul network costs.
With 95+ data centers on five continents, Equinix is strategically situated to enable digital content and media companies to deploy high-performance CDNs that provide superior-quality video at reasonable cost. Prospective CDN owners are ensured a high degree of flexibility in network routes and bandwidth options, thanks to the 900+ network providers connected to Equinix data centers. Finally, Equinix provides industry-leading expertise, customer service and 24×7 support in many locations, helping content providers get established quickly on our global interconnection platform.
To learn more about how Equinix is working with customers to bring about a new model for delivering and consuming video, please visit our Content & Digital Media page or contact contentservices@equinix.com.
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