I’m writing a blog post on a free Netflix utility called VMAF-Master that you can download here (Windows executable here). Basically, it’s an open-source command line utility for computing VMAF, PSNR, SSIM, and MS SSIM on Linux and Mac computers with some enterprising contributors compiling a Windows version. One very well written help file relates to the models available under …

According to the last published statistics, in June 2017, Whatsapp users sent over 1 billion video messages a day. This obviously represents only a fraction of the market and daily traffic has certainly has grown since then. At the same time, 4K cameras have become standard and mobile screen resolutions have increased in size and quality, driving demand for higher …

I recently finished a streaming consulting project with AMC Networks and was pleased to receive the following LinkedIn recommendation from their VP of Video Products. It was great working with Greg and his team with the gorgeous content from AMC. Beyond this work with AMC, I’ve helped media companies and video publishers fine-tune their encoding parameters, modernize their encoding ladders, …

I just finished a project that involved encoding lots of downloaded YUV test files, which is something I never tried before. The problem is that there’s no resolution or frame rate information in the file header, so you have to detail all this in the command string. My first crack at the problem evolved into this command string, obviously for a …

In this January 2019 article in Streaming Media Magazine, I reported that two patent holders in the MPEG-LA patent portfolio group had sued Huawei and ZTE in Germany for patent infringement and had won. As stated therein, “the judgment was particularly onerous; not only did the court order the two companies to stop selling the offending mobile phones in Germany, they …

Moscow State University’s Video Quality Measurement Tool (VQMT) has been my go-to file analysis tool dating back to 2014 (see my initial review, here, and an update, here). As you can see in this video, version 11 of the tool adds several new features, including support for the VMAF 4K model, data rate graphs, and a results table. I’ve also …

One frustration of writing books for developers is that they’re not the most prolific group when it comes to writing book reviews (or, well, at least not for my books). So it’s always cause for celebration when a review posts, especially when the review accurately captures the value I was hoping to deliver with the book. So it was with Matthew White’s …

Demuxed is the annual conference for video engineers by video engineers. Held on October 17 and 18 in San Francisco, the conference included 31 speakers giving talks in rapid-fire fashion ranging in duration from 10 to 30 minutes. To use a well-worn but appropriate metaphor, the experience is like drinking from a fire hose: almost impossible to comprehend and digest in …

Here’s the description; download handout below. T101. HOW-TO: Fine-Tuning Your Adaptive Encoding Groups With Objective Quality Metrics Tuesday, November 13: 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Choosing the number of streams in an adaptive group and configuring them is usually a subjective, touchy-feely exercise, with no way to really gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of the streams. However, by measuring stream …

W4. Encoding Live & VOD For HEVC/HLS Monday, November 12: 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Apple’s support for HEVC in HLS is a groundbreaking event that opens up hundreds of millions of HEVC capable players. If supporting this spec is on your short-term development schedule, check out this workshop. The workshop starts by reviewing the new spec and sharing playback …