HLS just got really complicated. On September 9, 2017, Apple updated their HLS authoring requirements to include HDR and 4K recommendations. The updated ladder is shown below. Here are some of the new/updated requirements for HEVC and HDR. There are more in the spec, but these are the ones I wanted to comment on. 1.6. Profile, Level, and Tier for HEVC MUST …

On September 12, the Healthcare Information Committee of SW Virginia held a Healthcare Information Forum. In our tiny region of Virginia, all insurers had pulled out of the ACA, and there were many, many concerned and upset people in attendance (Anthem has since returned to the ACA market). One particularly informative speaker was Dr. Christina Dalton, shown above, who is …

VMAF stands for Video Multimethod Assessment Fusion, but all you really need to know is that it’s the video quality metric co-invented by Netflix to replace the Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) that used to fuel the company’s per-title encoding function. In the image above, which is courtesy of Netflix, you see how VMAF scores on the left more closely match …

Just a quick note about the Per-Title Encoding Webinar that I’m producing next Tuesday, August 29th, at 2:00 PM EST. In the webinar, after introducing the concept of per-title encoding, and discussing Netflix’s and YouTube’s technologies, I will compare three per-title approaches: – Capella Systems’ Source Adaptive Bitrate ladder, as implemented  in their Cambria FTC encoder, which you can read …

RealNetworks is one of the most storied names in video streaming-if you’re on the wrong side of 40. If you’re younger, than odds are you never heard of the company. On Wednesday, August 16, RealNetworks announced an agreement to deploy Advanced RealMedia HD (RMHD) Technology in China. What do we know about the codec? Here’s a blurb from the product …

Apple’s HLS Authoring Specifications for Apple Devices approves up to 200% constrained VBR but Apple’s actual encodes are more like 110-120% constrained. What Apple Says As you probably know, Apple recently made sweeping changes to their HLS recommendations, including changing from 110% constrained VBR for VOD in TN2224, to 200% constrained VBR in the HLS Authoring Specifications for Apple Devices …

I’m starting to get excited about the free Defining Your Encoding Ladder webinar today at 2:00 PM EST. In addition to a focus on reducing encoding and distribution costs (cut layers, cut ladders, cut bandwidth), I’ll be exploring three options for including HEVC in HLS presentations, and will be showing preliminary encoding ladders from MainConcept (hybrid HEVC/H.264), Bitmovin (HEVC only), …

Your encoding ladder controls the visual quality of all video that you deliver, but there are few absolutes. Ask five experts to design the optimal encoding ladder, and you’d get five different answers. That said, there are some tools and concepts you can use to identify where you may need to tweak our ladder, all providing a different lens to …

As quality metrics go, PSNR is considered a blunt tool obsoleted by higher end metrics like Netflix’s VMAF or SSIMwave’s SSIMplus. That said, it’s accessible and understood, and has been used for years. Of course, none of that matters if it delivers misleading results. So that’s what I decided to test in a round of two tests. This is the first, …

Download handouts from this session below. Here’s the description. As video resolutions increase and target playback platforms multiply, video producers must leave their H.264/HLS/HDS comfort zone and expand into HEVC, VP9, and MPEG-DASH. This workshop is divided into multiple segments by target platform to teach you the applicable standards and best strategies for delivering live and VOD adaptive video to …