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Jan Ozer

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I help companies train new technical hires in streaming media-related positions; I also help companies optimize their codec selections and encoding stacks and evaluate new encoders and codecs. I am a contributing editor to Streaming Media Magazine, writing about codecs and encoding tools. I have written multiple authoritative books on video encoding, including Video Encoding by the Numbers: Eliminate the Guesswork from your Streaming Video (https://amzn.to/3kV6R1j) and Learn to Produce Video with FFmpeg: In Thirty Minutes or Less (https://amzn.to/3ZJih7e). I have multiple courses relating to streaming media production, all available at https://bit.ly/slc_courses. I currently work as www.netint.com as a Senior Director in Marketing.

What is AV1?

Scheduled to be the first codec released by the Alliance for Open Media, AV1 is positioned to replace VP9 and compete with HEVC. While we don’t know many details yet, the backing of the Alliance should give AV1 a significant competitive advantage. The AV1 codec will be the first codec released by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM), and it’s …

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Netflix Discusses VP9-Related Development Efforts

Once counted out, VP9 is on the rise, with support from Netflix, JW Player, Brightcove, and more. In this interview, David Ronca of Netflix talks about VP9 savings, encoding, and testing. This is an interesting time in the codec world, an inflection point where the power of an expensive standard is being challenged by a free, open source codec. And …

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Book Excerpt: VBV Buffer Explained

This article is kind of a prequel to my book, Encoding by the Numbers, which I published in 2016. That is, I published this article to get commentary from folks who read it, which I factored back into my book. Unfortunately, I changed content management systems in 2018 and lost the comments.  One of the topics I’m addressing in my …

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The Four Pillars of Video Encoding

Figure 1. The four critical aspects to consider before video encoding. Executive Summary: While video quality is always top of mind, consider deliverability, compatibility, and playability before finalizing your video encoding presets. Too often we look at video encoding with a single point of focus; achieving the best possible quality for the lowest possible data rate. However, as I was …

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Fine-Tuning Your Adaptive Encoding Groups With Objective Quality Metrics

Click below to download the presentation or to view the conference video. Here’s the description.  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 quality via metrics such as PSNR, SSIM, and VQM, you …

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Streaming Media East Presentation: Status of HEVC and Other UHD Codecs

[Author’s note: Video from the session is available below, as is the presentation.] The two biggest pricing mistakes you can make is to assume that the market has no alternative, and that you don’t have to get it right the first time. HEVC Advance in particular, and the HEVC IP ownership group in general, who still haven’t come together with …

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Handout for Codecs and Packaging 2016

Click below to download the handout. 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 …

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The Cost of the Cloud for Video Encoding: Crunching the Numbers

Cloud encoding companies offer software-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service options. Here’s how to decide when to go with the cloud, and which option is right for your needs. ou need many different types of data—and lots of it—to make a good decision on cloud versus on-prem. I learned this recently while running a comparison for a consulting client with substantial encoding requirements. …

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Eventstream Review: Profit From Paid Live Online Video Events

The combination of Eventstream, Eventbrite, and YouTube Live lets anyone charge for a live webinar, generating leads they can use to grow their business. While a strong contender, the help system could be a lot more helpful. Ustream, Livestream, YouTube Live, and other live streaming services are affordable and work well, but lack two key features. First, you can’t collect …

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Encoding Brief: Apple Releases HLS Authoring Specification for Apple TV

Executive Summary: In October 2015, Apple released a  document entitled HLS Authoring Specifications for Apple TV (HLS stands for HTTP Live Streaming, the adaptive bit rate technology used to deliver video to Apple TV and other iOS devices). If you’re producing for Apple TV, and aren’t aware of these specs, you should review them immediately. In a broader sense, Apple …

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