VK Video

Main article: IPTV (Internet Protocol Television)

Mobile application "VK Video"

Main article: Mobile application "VK Video"

2024

Release of the version for Apple TV

Beta version of the VK app Video for Apple TV set-top boxes has been released on tvOS. New features and an adapted interface will be available to the owners of these devices. VK (formerly Mail.ru Group) announced this on March 28, 2024.

The VK Video app for Apple TV includes the ability to create personalized playlists, easily search for videos and content creators, and adjust video quality depending on the speed of the Internet connection. A convenient and intuitive interface will allow you to quickly and easily find the content of interest.

One of the main features of the application for the tvOS platform is the ability to view any content from the vast VK Video library even without authorization. The app supports native features of Apple TV consoles, such as synchronization with other Apple devices, allowing you to use your mobile phone as a remote control and keyboard for typing. The application contains news from broadcast channels, exclusive shows, videos from bloggers, sports broadcasts, films and TV shows.

{{quote 'author = said Fyodor Yezhov, VK Video Services Director. | VK Video continues to develop and offer new opportunities for users, and also strives to meet their needs for high-quality and diverse video content. We want to make watching videos even more convenient and accessible to our users, and the added application is one of the steps in this direction, }}

For the convenience of users, the application contains 9 sections. The "Recommend" section offers personalized content based on browsing history, uploaded, liked and bookmarked videos. In the "Trends" section, users can find the most discussed, current and viral video content. The Children section offers cartoons and movies for children's audiences, while the Movies, TV Series, Show, Sports and Esports & Games sections offer specialized content for lovers of these genres. The updated Subscriptions section will help users quickly find and manage current content from selected channels and authors.

Availability on VIDAA

Hisense January 19, 2024 announced the availability applications of VK Video on. OS VIDAA Users can familiarize themselves with exclusive shows and documentary projects, films, TV shows, cartoons within the framework of a convenient and intuitive operating system designed to improve viewing and greater viewer comfort.

We talk about video, shoot video and watch video: the meaning of this format of information transfer cannot be overestimated, - said the director of video services at VKFedor Yezhov. - VK platform Video embodies the ideal storage of invaluable classics and the most relevant new products. We are glad that now stories for every taste are available on the VIDAA OS from Hisense. This means that the audience of those who share the positive emotions presented by VK Video with us will expand even more. Based on the capabilities of the Hisense operating system, the technologies used in the development of our video service will allow everyone to get the desired content easily and in excellent quality.

Time spent in front of a TV screen often has a restorative and transformative effect, "said Mr. Wang Hongwei, CEO of Gorenye BT LLC, part of the Hisense group of companies. - We laugh and reflect, learn new things and change, choosing role models, inspiring characters, growth trajectories. So that anyone can find the video that they need to replenish their vitality, we include more and more options in VIDAA. VK Video - a novelty in the family of applications of our operating system - will undoubtedly serve as a source of vivid impressions and happy minutes in a warming home atmosphere.

VK platform Video was presented on the Russian market in 2021. It includes technologies such as adaptive streaming, a cross-platform player, optimized network protocols, innovative solutions in the field of video delivery and consumption, etc. VK Library Video is replenished with more than 250 million new videos per year.

In 2023, VK Video released 1,500 exclusive shows and projects, including 95 blogging shows and 25 original site projects. Among them are the Late Night show "By the Way" with Garik Kharlamov and Azamat Musagaliev, the psychological and music show "Session" with Dmitry Dibrov, "Natal Map," "Big Show," "Table Time," "Crazy Inventions" with Alexander Pushny, Danya Kraster, Mamix and Andrei Staroy, show for zoomers "TOP," travel show "Eagle and."

By, in to data Mediascope 2023, the monthly audience of VK Video Russia reached 67.9 million people. Since the beginning of the year, the total time viewers spend watching in VK Video has grown by 35%. Applications for smart TVs were given relatively more time 2023 year - an average of 125 minutes a day.

2023

The volume of native business integrations for the year exceeded 1 billion rubles

The volume of native business integrations on VK Video in 2023 exceeded 1 billion rubles. The video service announced this in February 2024. It is noted that the fastest demand for native integrations in 2023 grew from online retailers, banks  and telecommunications operators.

Release of a series of TVs and set-top boxes "Sber" with a button for quick access to the application "VK Video"

SberDevices released a series TVs Sber of set-top boxes SberBox with exclusive remote controls - thanks to the branded button, they open up quick access to the VK Video application. The company VK (formerly Mail.ru Group) announced this on November 13, 2023. More. here

Optimizing the player and search model

VK (formerly Mail.ru Group) introduced the VK Video update for iOS and Android mobile browsers on May 3, 2023. A showcase with improved recommendations, an updated player and a search model with an advanced spelling system, as well as a section for the author of content with the ability to quickly download video and other functions have become available to users of any devices. The interface design is completely updated, navigation by sections is simplified.

On the updated showcase of the mobile version of VK Video, a variety of professional and PUGC content of the platform is available: films, TV series, shows, content from bloggers, broadcasts. A separate tab "For you" has appeared, on which content selected by recommendation algorithms falls. Also, users can see in the mobile version their browsing history, uploaded, liked and bookmarked videos.

The updated player provides the selection of the optimal format, resolution and suitable codec depending on the device and network state. The version for mobile browsers also has the ability to download videos - uploading to 4K and 60 FPS is supported.

Updated search algorithms of the platform will help you find the most popular and relevant content. Using an advanced spell checker, the search detects typos and offers hints when entering a query. As a result of the improvements, the search has become faster and more accurate, and high-quality, relevant and exciting content can quickly find its viewers.

{{quote 'author = said Marina Krasnova, CEO VKontakte and VK Video. | All technical solutions of our team are aimed at ensuring that users get access to the video of interest as quickly as possible - in any situation, on any device. To do this, we are constantly developing content delivery technologies, CDN and player, as well as improving ML tools in search and recommendations. We continuously evaluate the effectiveness of our search models and recommendations, add new factors to the work of neural networks so that fresh and high-quality content finds its audience faster,}}

{{quote 'author = noted Fyodor Yezhov, VK Video Services Director. | A significant part of our audience prefers to use the mobile version of VK Video to watch videos, films and TV series. We simplify access to our platform and petabytes of content for all categories of viewers. Now in any version of VK Video on all devices, users have access to the maximum functions for posting and viewing content, the library of which we regularly replenish with exclusives and premieres from top bloggers and other manufacturers of professional video content,}}

2022

Ability to broadcast from the browser

Users of the Video platform VK will be able to run broadcasts computer from without an additional software one - directly from. browser VK announced this on October 20, 2022. The function allows you to broadcast video and sound from the desktop, as well as use additional professional video equipment for - streaming cameras and microphones.

These platform capabilities are suitable for quick launch of live broadcasts and for novice authors who do not want to spend time studying additional programs and complex settings. Soon live broadcasts without third-party programs will appear in the mobile version of VKontakte - m.vk.com.

Live streaming can be launched both from a personal page and on behalf of the community whose administrator is the user. Creating a translation from the browser is available in a few clicks. To do this, just select the cover, enter the name of the broadcast, select a category that will help the algorithms choose the relevant audience. Users can flexibly configure the privacy of the broadcast, choose who can watch and comment on the stream. Streaming from the browser supports a picture with a resolution of up to 4K and a frame rate of 60 FPS. Viewers of the broadcast can chat on the air and send reactions to the stream.

After the broadcast ends, his recording is saved in personal videos or videos of the community in which the stream was held. The player with the broadcast can also be built into a third-party site through the Share button. Endless broadcasts are also supported in the web version - this mode is suitable for long streams.

{{quote 'author = said Alexander Tobol, STO VKontakte and VK Video. | The format of live broadcasts is one of the most growing: monthly VK users Video conducts more than 1.7 million streams. We strive to make it as easy as possible for our users to create broadcasts, streams on VK Video can now be launched in a few clicks from any device without additional programs. So anyone can be a streamer: teach subscribers to write music or draw, explain the rules of a board game or broadcast a match of their e-sports team. And our algorithms will mark the most interesting authors and help them gain a wide audience,}}

For professional authors of VK Video, broadcasts are also available using specialized software. You can read more about live broadcasts on the platform in the instructions for computers and mobile devices. And large authors with an established audience will be able to make money on live broadcasts by connecting to a video monitoring program.

VK Video celebrates birthday and summed up the first year of work

The company Vkontakte announced on October 17, 2022 that on the birthday of VK Video sums up the results of the first year of operation: the platform records a steady increase in interest from viewers, authors and copyright holders. Active daily audience VK Video amounted to more than 55 million users. The average daily number of views on the VK video technology platform, which includes VK Video and VK Clips increased by 40% to reach 2.41 billion; record - 3 billion views per day.

In the first year of the existence of VK Video as a separate service, the company has achieved good results in terms of audience growth and user activity. VK Video will continue to develop the platform, make it even more convenient for viewers and authors. By increasing royalties to authors for monetization and working on a payment system, we also strive to attract even more content to the platform. In the near future, the VK Video team will present major updates to the service, noted Marina Krasnova, CEO VKontakte and VK Video.

Statistics

In 2021, hundreds of millions of videos were uploaded to the platform, most of which are UGC and PUGC videos. The library of professional content has also grown: the platform features about 100 thousand films, shows and TV series from more than 130 copyright holders. The average time that users spend watching VK Video content has grown by 17% over the past 12 months. The most famous topics of the video were: entertainment, culture and society, home and renovation, food, beauty and health.

More than 14 thousand communities joined the video monitoring program over the year, in the last quarter of 2022 their number increased by 300%. Due to the growth of user activity, the refinement of recommendation algorithms and the strengthening of work with advertisers, payments to video authors over the past six months have increased by more than 2.3 times.

Product Updates

For 2021, the VK Video team presented more than 20 major product updates. To deliver only relevant content to users, recommendation algorithms have been improved: the forming recommendations of the neural network have been improved, which take into account more and more activity factors with each update. As a result, since the beginning of May 2022, video views of recommendations have grown 2 times, and viewing time - 3 times. Unfinished videos are now added to the "For You" section of the showcase, so users spend more time watching. Growth - up to 30% depending on the platform.

author = Alexander Tobol, STO VKontakte and VK Video. The company is introducing special technological solutions to make viewing content on the platform even more convenient. The service team has developed its own NeuroHD technology - with the help of a neural network, you can increase the video resolution to 720p, frame rate to 60, FPS remove noise and jitter. cameras Video improved with the help of technology accounted for more than 4 billion views. And the offline mode, which allows you to watch videos without, Internet is used by more than 9 million people a month. The company also introduced its own application for, and in Smart TV the near future - to make it available on all known devices and platforms,

In addition, personalized covers have appeared on the platform that adapt to the interests of the audience, viewing history and time codes, as well as instant processing of videos - you can start watching content immediately after downloading. And third-party IT services have the ability to use VK technologies Video - developers can access the platform infrastructure for storing, processing video, conducting live broadcasts, as well as the video player SDK and quickly downloading media files.

Creating an Author's Office

VKontakte on September 8, 2022 presented additional opportunities for content creators, including an office with advanced statistics for video authors and updated monetization tools, and also showed an updated community design - the next stage of the global update of the mobile application.

VKontakte and VK Video presented another advanced analytics tool for video bloggers, professional content creators and copyright holders - the author's office. In the VK community Video started accepting applications for participation in public testing of the beta version of the cabinet. Based on feedback and open testing results, the team plans to expand the tool's capabilities.

The author's office will allow novice video makers and experienced video studios to deeper study the needs and tastes of their audience, analyze the reaction of viewers to video content in order to increase the involvement and activity of subscribers. The new tool allows you to view statistics on all downloaded video content and individual videos, including data on the number of views, unique viewers, viewing duration, retention and engagement, audience structure, monetization information. Read more here.

Monetization of live broadcasts

The company Vkontakte"" on July 12, 2022 announced that program participants monetizations video will be able to receive income from users watching short advertizing videos (up to 30 seconds), which will be shown before the live broadcast. This format will appear on the platform VK Video in broadcasts on the desktop mobile and in the version. The tool will be available to community authors already connected to the video monetization program. Making more money on video will help the recommendation system algorithms , which is constantly improving to offer users the most relevant. content

Connecting monetization for all authors has become even easier - now you can do it in one click right in the community control unit. You no longer need to fill out a questionnaire to apply. The connect button will automatically appear only in those communities that pass through all video monitoring criteria, including the number of subscribers (from 5,000 people), topic and timing of content. After the approval of the application, a plug for connection will appear in the community, and the author will be able to view the statistics and withdraw the funds earned.

VK Video marks an active increase in interest in monetizing video content on the platform. Since the beginning of March 2022, the number of communities connected to the program has grown 4.5 times, more than 6 thousand publics have already earned on their own videos. Connecting to monetization encourages authors to post more special content - program participants began to publish 80% more videos than before. The largest increase in revenue is observed in those communities that actively publish vivid original content. The most famous topics are such topics as humor, entertainment, children's and educational videos.

We analyze the demand for various formats of content monetization among advertisers, and questions about live broadcasts were one of the most frequent. The number of active authors who stream on our platform has grown. Our team is also actively developing recommendation algorithms that help authors increase coverage and users find diverse and relevant content. We plan to add updated tools for generating income by the authors, including working out the game mechanics of monetizing video content, we see great potential for experiments here. At the same time, we take into account the feedback of users when implementing various advertising models, noted Marina Krasnova, CEO VKontakte, VK Video and VK Calls.

Communities entering the monetization program must meet several requirements: content must be meaningful, interesting to the audience, high-quality and not violate copyright.

Former director of MTS Media and Kion began to oversee the development of VK Video

On June 23, 2022, VK announced the appointment of Fyodor Yezhov as director of video services. He headed a division that will develop a video service based on VK Video platform technologies. Read more here.

Run viewing history and timecodes in videos

On June 21, 2022, VK introduced updated capabilities for cross-platform viewing of videos and more accurate customization of personal recommendations in VK Video. Platform users have the opportunity to continue watching videos from the same place on different devices, as well as adjust the proposed recommendations, returning to the videos in the story and clearing it. In videos uploaded to the platform, you can now quickly find interesting moments using time codes, which optimizes user navigation.

According to the company, the updated functions will become part of the expanded statistics of video content and will help optimize the operation of recommendation algorithms. The authors of the content will be able to familiarize themselves with the detailed analytics of the videos uploaded to the platform in the personal account of the copyright holder - its launch is planned in early autumn 2022.

The viewing history will appear in the "My Videos" section and will work in the web version, as well as applications on iOS and Android when authorized via VK ID. History will add additional scenarios for content consumption: for example, users will be able to start viewing on one device, and continue on another from the moment they stop. Streams will also remain in history, which means that it will be possible to reconsider those moments that the user missed live. In the future, the history of views will appear on devices with Smart TV.

The video platform optimizes the recommendations of the "For You" section, based on the history of the content viewed by the user. The inspection of videos has a great influence - returning to watching video through history, the user will give a signal to algorithms that such content is interesting to him. This scenario will help videos get into the recommendations section more often and gain more views. It is also possible to completely clear the story or point remove individual videos from it. If the user watched the video by mistake or did not like the video, then removing it from history will tell algorithms to recommend less such content in the future.

When uploading videos to the platform, authors will now be able to divide videos into segments, mark interesting moments in the timeline and add a brief description to each episode using time codes. When you hover over a line, the user will see a preview of the episode and a brief description. Time codes optimize user interaction with videos: searching for the right moments will become easier, which is especially true for long, many-hour videos. The description of the fragments will become another place where you can add keywords to optimize the output of the movie in the search. Thanks to time codes, algorithms will be able to better understand which plot in the video attracts the audience more, and which episodes they, on the contrary, rewind. Recommendation algorithms will take this experience into account and offer users more relevant content to them.

The function is able to optimize the convenience of content consumption: users will be able to spend less time searching for interesting information. There is an increased chance that the audience will linger more in the videos of a particular author, watch different content from him, subscribe, thus increasing the popularity of the content maker and increasing its monetization. Videos with time codes are already available to users of the web version of the platform, and will soon appear on mobile devices. In addition, users can copy a link to a specific point in the video, which will give an additional incentive to share content with friends.

We estimate that viewers watch how much time they spend watching, what content they look for, how often they watch videos of a particular channel or on a specific topic, how often they review videos they like and many other factors. Now users will have additional opportunities to influence recommendations - for example, by removing videos they do not like from their viewing history. The updated functions will help us expand the analytics of video content, soon we will share much more detailed statistics with the authors. To do this, in the fall of 2022, we will present an updated author's office. told Alexander Tobol, STO VKontakte, VK Video and VK Calls

VK Video records an increase in user interest in video content, in the spring of 2022 the platform set a record - more than 2.45 billion daily views of videos. VK's daily audience Video exceeds 40 million people. The platform continues to change the experience of users, for this they accelerated the start of videos using the HTTP/3 protocol. The technology allows you to quickly launch video and optimize the quality of its playback, which will be especially noticeable in networks with an unstable connection. According to the platform, videos will start a quarter faster in about 10% of the audience - this is more than 10 million people a month.

Implementation of HTTP/3 technology

Video platform VK has implemented data - Internet protocol/3-based transmission technology HTTP to speed delivery. video content VK announced this on May 30, 2022. Thanks to this technology, video will start faster, and the playback quality will improve. The improvement will be especially noticeable for users with an unstable Internet connection. In mobile networks, the start time of the video will be reduced by 20-25%. The protocol will work for both horizontal videos and short vertical videos in VK Clips.

File:VK Video.jpg

Testing this protocol for some users showed a decrease in latency and the number of buffers. At the same time, the stability of playback of videos is increased, especially for the heaviest content. The most noticeable acceleration will be for users with weak Internet or in unstable networks - for example, on the road or places remote from large cities. For 10% of platform users, that is, about 10 million people a month, the video will launch about a quarter faster. In conditions with the weakest connection, which, however, are faced by tens of thousands of viewers, the acceleration will be even greater - up to 1.5 times.

The presented approach allows you to transfer data reliably without sacrificing speed, and is much better suited for a modern image of content consumption. The test results showed that a fast start has a positive effect on the growth of viewing: users with an unstable connection watch an average of 10% more videos in one session. In addition, this protocol increases the security of data exchange, information on it is transmitted exclusively in encrypted form.

{{quote 'author = said Alexander Tobol, CTO VKontakte and VK Video. | Users do not like to wait and face buffering. In our experience, this is especially true in social networks and short video services. Here the videos should start instantly - waiting per second already noticeably drops the user's satisfaction. And a delay of a few seconds means that a person will close the video and leave the page. The transition to the latest generation data transfer protocol required a complete change in the operation of the platform at the network level, but, of course, it was worth it: it made it possible to significantly improve the quality of video viewing with a weak or unstable Internet connection. Network failures especially strongly affect heavy video content and the impression of users, it is for such conditions that HTTP/3 gives a noticeable effect - + 25% to the start speed of videos,}}

The HTTP/3 protocol is not a generally applicable standard, and only a few companies - developers of highly loaded projects have the opportunity to implement it in their products. The company has developed its own implementation of the protocol for server both the part and for working with the network in the player at the application level. Earlier, VKontakte provided service developers IT with the opportunity to use video platform technologies in their products. Developers will be able to access the platform infrastructure for storing, processing video, conducting live broadcasts, as well as a SDK video player and quickly downloading media files for Web, - and iOS-. Androidapplications

Provide infrastructure access to IT service developers

On May 13, 2022, VKontakte announced that it would provide IT service developers with the opportunity to use VK Video video platform technologies in their products - the social network opens up access to its own video and broadcast technologies, as well as infrastructure. Developers will be able to access the platform infrastructure for storage, delivery, video processing, live broadcasts with minimal delays, as well as the video player SDK and fast media download for Web, iOS and Android applications.

The VK Video platform infrastructure and SDK (, software development kit development kit software) will allow IT service developers to use ready-made advanced video solutions. Service creators will be able not to think about where to store videos and how to organize high-quality streams.

The SDK will help you integrate a ready-made player into the product that provides the optimal format, resolution and appropriate codec, depending on the device. In this case, you can use a ready-made interface with controls familiar to millions of social network users. Integration of ready-made solutions "VK Video" will help the creators of video services simplify the development process and concentrate on the development of their own products and technologies.

To help developers, VK Video will conduct individual consultations for the first 10 teams that apply. Video platform specialists will discuss business needs, talk about possible conditions and help with integration.

{{quote 'author
= says Alexander Tobol, technical director of VKontakte, VK Video and VK Calls .|"VK Video" combines many of our own technical solutions and content storage and delivery infrastructure, which as of mid-May 2022 provides more than 2.4 billion views per day. These technologies and expertise are in demand in various VK products, and we see demand outside the company as well. We want to reduce the entry threshold for creating complex video services, thereby helping novice specialists and young startup developers. Integration of "VK Video" technologies will help to appear technological IT services and develop faster ready-made solutions. The authors of video services will be able to use a solution ready for heavy loads without high development costs, provide their users with low latency in streams and uninterrupted playback of content on any device, in any network conditions, "-}}

The creators of the services will have at their disposal all the key features of the platform:

• player for Web, iOS and Android with fast first frame and 4K support;
• instant video processing - VK Video technologies allow you to encode a video stream in MPEG, DASH, HLS and other formats at various resolutions so that users can watch them on any device and in the desired quality immediately after downloading to the platform;
• automatic selection of quality - algorithms evaluate network throughput and device characteristics and select the optimal video resolution;
• Download video of various formats and sizes up to 256 GB to the platform.
• fast content delivery and low live delays thanks to a geographically distributed content delivery network of more than 50 nodes in different parts of Russia and the world;
• cloud infrastructure "VK Video" will cope with high load and allow broadcasting to millions of viewers.

VK Video technologies and infrastructure are already using AliExpress, Boosty, DonationAlerts services.

Automatically increase the resolution and frame rate to 60 FPS

On April 13, 2022, VKontakte announced that automatic improvement has become available to all VK users Video - its own NeuroHD neural network technology will be able to double the resolution and frame rate in videos. With the help of a neural network, you can increase the resolution to 720p, frame rate to 60 FPS, remove noise and camera jitter. In the future, after optimizing the technology, it will be possible to improve videos to Full HD resolution. The technology is VK's own development Video and has no analogues with other large video resources, representatives of VKontakte say.

Every user of the service will be able to make their videos better in one click, for this it is enough to select the option of automatic improvement when downloading video to the platform. Algorithms will analyze the video and offer the best option for improving quality based on internal criteria. Processing can be enabled for videos of any length and size. In addition, 60 FPS videos can now be downloaded to VK Video - this is how the platform responds to the development of technology and numerous requests from the audience to support high frame frequency. NeuroHD technology works when downloading video via the web version of VKontakte.

To increase the frame rate and resolution, the technology uses a neural network that analyzes objects in video and their movement and completes an additional frame between each pair of personnel of the original video. This makes watching dynamic videos more comfortable - the movements in them look more natural and smooth. For amateur videos taken from the hand, an increase in the frame rate gives the effect of stabilization - due to the greater number of frames per second, shaking on the video is smoothed out. As a result, watching action videos, recordings of sports and e-sports competitions in VK The video will become even more comfortable.

"In VK Video, we strive to ensure the quality of service by speeding up content delivery and providing users with a clear picture - in addition to 4K resolution, we added support for 60 FPS. We are implementing automatic video enhancement for millions of users on our platform. You can now enjoy the videos even if they were filmed shaking or in low resolution. We continue to improve NeuroHD technology, at the next stage it will be able to improve the quality of live broadcasts, " noted Alexander Tobol, CTO VKontakte, VK Video

NeuroHD's work is aimed at high performance - the neural network will be able to improve millions of videos uploaded to the platform daily in real time. The architecture of the solution created in VK Video made it possible to integrate the neural network enhancement procedure into the usual video transcoding process - as a result, less computational overhead is required and the system can be easily scaled to provide users with a large number of videos in increased quality.

NeuroHD will become a useful technology for content creators, previously VK Video has introduced several technologies to help content makers. The video is now processed segmentally when uploaded to the platform, so viewers do not need to wait for the completion of the process for the entire video - you can start watching it immediately after filling it with the author. Platform algorithms can show users individual video covers - exactly those that will be interesting for different audiences.

Third-party access to live streaming

On April 11, 2022, VKontakte announced that third-party developers were able to automate the creation and management of live broadcasts on the VK Video platform. The API functionality corresponds to the basic capabilities of the translation interface. Using the API, you can get a link and transfer an RTMP stream to the broadcast, for example, collected in specialized studio software, set the name, description and set up privacy, and during the broadcast use interactive mechanics of interaction with the audience and track the audience's response. Methods for obtaining an RTMP address for streaming video and completing the broadcast are already available on the developer platform. Read more here

Instant Roller Technology

On April 7, 2022, VKontakte announced that it had introduced instant video processing technology in VK Video - now the content is available to users immediately after downloading to the platform.

Native platform technologies allow you to process the video stream to all the necessary formats and resolution options in real time. The video is processed segmentally, so viewers do not need to wait for the completion of the process for the entire video - you can start watching it immediately after downloading to the platform.

Other video services, according to the company, unlike VK Video, need to fully download and process the video for effective distribution and choice of quality. For example, a short video file of 1 GB is available for viewing on "VK Video" instantly after the author downloads to the platform, while on other resources its processing will take from 3 to 10 minutes. Several times faster than other services, long high-resolution video processing, which takes tens of gigabytes, will also take place.

The presented "VK Video" technology allows viewers to quickly access content in the resolution optimal for their device and network conditions, as well as seamlessly switch between different formats. The technology will primarily be useful to authors for whom efficiency in publishing content is important, for example, to large news publications.

"Now in" VK Video "the processing of videos will take place almost instantly after publication by the author. We know that social media users don't like to wait. They want to receive content as quickly as possible: watch a video of their favorite blogger immediately after publication, immediately receive the latest news, or learn earlier than others about an unexpected plot twist in the series. At the same time, the sooner viewers can watch the video, the faster the authors will receive a response to their work, "- says Alexander Tobol, technical director of VKontakte and VK Video.

Recently, VKontakte has recorded an increase in user interest in video content. Over the past month, daily video views have grown to 1.31 billion, and VKontakte Clips have crossed the 1 billion views per day bar for the first time. In order for users to quickly receive important and fresh news, the social network has created a neural network that automatically forms a feed with trends and a picture of the day - high voltage Current. Algorithms find and determine topics with high potential for citation and discussion, and then automatically group records in a convenient form by thematic plots.

Automatic selection of the quality of videos

On March 30, 2022, VKontakte announced that it had implemented Video auto-selection of the quality of videos in VK - this reduces the consumption of Internet traffic and saves battery power when viewing content from smartphones and computers. Economy mode is available in the mobile application for iOS, Android and the web version. So the video platform responds to requests from users with limited Internet tariffs.

Saving mode data can be enabled in the video player settings - for example, when used mobile network with limited Internet traffic or unstable network access. Then the resolution of all videos and live broadcasts that the user watches will not exceed 480p. If the speed Internet is not enough, the function can automatically select a lower resolution - to ensure continuous viewing. Traffic savings also apply in automatic playback mode, including when watching recordings from the video content news feed.

VK Video develops technologies so that users can watch videos in high quality - regardless of the characteristics of the device and the stability of the network. At the same time, there are scenarios where data savings may be higher than high resolution. For such situations, a mode is provided that allows you to reduce the amount of data downloaded when watching video several times. For example, playing video for 15 minutes in Full HD resolution (1080p) will use up almost 550 megabytes of data, and in 480p resolution - only 130 megabytes. In addition, the function helps to save battery power: in data saving mode, the mobile device consumes it up to 1.5 times slower.

The function is enabled for a specific device and affects the auto-selection of quality only on it. This way the user can save traffic and battery power on the smartphone and at the same time watch videos without restrictions in resolution on a computer or Smart TV. You can return to a higher resolution at any time manually - for example, when connecting to unlimited Wi-Fi.

"On the VK Video platform, the amount and quality of content is constantly growing - these are projects of their own production, licensed films and TV series, and videos by independent authors. We are implementing network protocols and content delivery technologies to make it comfortable for users to watch videos as Full HD and 4K. However, enjoying high quality videos is better with unlimited access to the network. When the number of gigabytes in the tariff plan is limited, you can turn on data saving mode and not worry that access to the Internet will disappear. The idea of ​ ​ the function was suggested to us by the viewers themselves: we closely monitor the audience's requests and promptly respond to them, " says Alexander Tobol, CTO of VKontakte and VK Video

VK Video adjusts to different scenarios for content consumption. For example, offline mode helps to save traffic on the road: earlier the platform introduced the ability to download videos for viewing without access to the Internet. The user can download interesting videos when connected to Wi-Fi, and then watch them anywhere - and not waste mobile traffic. Its own data transfer acceleration platform technologies and one of the largest geodistributed content delivery networks in Russia are responsible for fast loading.

Launch Smart TV App

On March 24, 2022, the company Vkontakte"" announced that the video platform application VK Video can be downloaded from stores for smart devices, and Samsung LG. Android TV Device owners can also evaluate the capabilities of the application. Apple TV Smart users TVs get access to all VK technologies Video: fast first frame, auto quality with adaptation to network conditions, support for Full HD and. 4K

A library of videos is available to owners of smart devices: professional content is located in the thematic sections "Films and Series," "TV Shows," "Children," "Video Games," semi-professional and user content - in recommendations and collections. An intelligent recommendation system helps you discover more interesting videos and get personalized content. The application has convenient authorization via VK ID using a QR code.

VK application Video is optimized for quick start of videos. This was achieved thanks to the development of the technical team and the use of lightweight software solutions aimed at high performance and optimization of work with the network.

Own application for Smart TV allows VK Video to cover content consumption situations. The video platform is becoming closer to users - the Smart TV market in Russia is growing, and with it the number of viewers who watch content on such devices. And to watch a video on Smart TV, registration on a social network is not required: VK Video has opened a video window for viewers of the entire Internet.

"We announced a separate Smart TV app at the platform presentation in the fall of 2021 and are ready to show it to all users. This is our response to an audience request: more and more people prefer to watch content on the big screen, " told Marina Krasnova, CEO VKontakte and VK Video

"Platform technologies provide high quality video playback up to 4K, which means that viewers are as comfortable as possible to watch billions of units of professional and UGC content on TV. We tried to facilitate the architecture of the application as much as possible: by minimizing the transmission of service data over the network, users do not need to wait for extra seconds to gain access to video. We deliver content to the audience on the maximum possible number of devices - VK applications Videos will soon appear on all the most popular Smart TV platforms, " Alexander Tobol, Technical Director of VKontakte and VK Video

Against the background of growing interest in video, VKontakte is testing different options for delivering content to users. The social network launched the thematic tape "Video" - neural networks will show a personalized selection of video content from the multimillion-dollar VK library Video based on the interests of each user. The tape is formed on the basis of an intelligent recommendation system that takes into account the user's activity - likes, comments, video reposts. The Video feed can be found on the main page of the VKontakte mobile application, next to the Current tab.

VKontakte records record activity indicators on the platform, users watch and publish more video content. In recent weeks, the number of views of VKontakte videos has increased on the 40%, 2 times - downloads of short vertical videos in "Clips." On March 8, the social network reached record levels of 1.75 billion video views and 715 million video views per day. This is due to the arrival of authors from other platforms and the increase in the activity of content makers, which are already presented on the site.

2021

The ability to save videos for viewing without the Internet

On December 29, 2021, VKontakte announced that now the content of the multimillion-dollar VK Video library can be viewed without access to the Internet, saving it offline. This function is available in the VKontakte application on iOS and Android.

With offline mode, VK Video users can watch content wherever they are: for example, on a train, plane, on a trip or in the country. Restrictions on mobile traffic or a weak network will not prevent you from watching high-definition video without pauses or delays. Saved videos can be found in the "Downloaded" section.

Videos are quickly uploaded to user devices thanks to their own "VK Video" technologies to speed up data transfer and reduce delays, as well as one of the largest geodistributed content delivery networks (CDN) in Russia. Video downloading takes place segment by segment, so it is not affected by short-term network failures or switching between Internet access points. Due to the optimal use of resources, video downloading does not affect the operation of the mobile application.

"We invest a lot in content delivery technologies: optimizing network protocols, implementing support for advanced formats and developing adaptation algorithms so that users can watch videos on any device with different communication quality. The ability to download videos to watch them offline has become a logical step in the development of the video platform. The presented function provides continuous video viewing at a sufficiently high resolution. This is especially true on the road or on the journey. In addition, watching videos without the Internet is important for those who leave other cities and countries, "- says Alexander Tobol, technical director of VKontakte, VK Video, VK Calls and Clips.

Video Viewing and Search Availability for Unregistered Users

Social network Vkontakte"" announced another change: from now on, any user Internet can get unlimited access to "VK Video" video materials - registration is not required for this. This became known on December 3, 2021.

Video VKontakte contains a wide variety of materials. These are millions of films, TV shows, TV shows, sports matches, esports broadcasts and more. For ease of navigation, the content is distributed among thematic sections.

You can watch videos "VK Video" without registration in the highest possible quality and without any fee. In addition, without authorization, access will be provided to video platform technologies that provide the best user experience during viewing: this is a fast first video frame, auto quality with adaptation to a user device and network conditions (up to 4K), rewinding during live broadcasts and many other functions.

The social network also updated its own search service by introducing machine learning (ML) technologies. Ranking search results relies on viewer activity and ML tools to provide insight into content, including video quality, its subject matter, and a number of other factors.

We see that the involvement of users in video viewing on the VK Video platform continues to grow, so we decided to remove the restriction in the form of mandatory registration and authorization of viewers on the social network for search and viewing, - said representatives of the social network.

In December 2021, over 50 thousand units of professional content will appear on the VKontakte video market, as well as exclusive materials of VK Video's own production, including 14 projects of different VKontakte genres^[1].

Notes