HTML5 video is all the rage, but if your viewer's browser isn't HTML5-compatible, the video won't play unless you fallback to Flash or similar technology. I'm working on a new book and wanted to determine the percentage of desktop browsers that are H

I created this short video to illustrate how streaming is more efficient than delivering via progressive download. For illustrating the efficiencies of streaming, I used a file streamed via RTMP, but you can get the same benefit via chunk-based HTTP based technologies like HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), Smooth Streaming, HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS), or DASH, when it becomes available. I …

I recently taught several seminars on producing video for HTML5, and I started my preparation with some research to see how the WebM codec was being used to determine the focus and scope of my WebM-related materials. In case you’ve forgotten &m

First, video compression is a garbage in/garbage out medium, so output quality improves with input quality. Second, codecs such as H.264 are lossy, which means the lower the data rate, the lower the quality. Finally, intermediate formats such as ProR

Many streaming producers are increasing the number of mobile and over-the-top (OTT) platforms that they support while implementing adaptive streaming to enhance the viewing experience on each. There are two ways to accomplish this: produce a unique s

So you've been tasked (or you decided) to produce If you're working in a small home or office with a webcast from your office. Congratulations, it's a great way to communicate directly with one or hundreds of viewers. Of course, one critical factor i

Live event streaming while on the road requires an encoder that's as powerful as it is portable. In this Buyer's Guide, I'll detail the categories to consider when buying a portable encoder, along with factors to consider to help identify the best pr

Choosing a live streaming encoding tool used to be simple: You typically would encode a single stream for delivery to your desktop viewers, and budget was the most important buying criteria. When buying today, of course, you've almost certainly expan

Is 2013 the year of encoding in the cloud? Actually, it might be, at least for live transcoding in the cloud, and even on-demand transcoding should see significant migration to cloud facilities.

Windows 8 might be taking off more slowly than Microsoft had hoped, but for video producers, it's still another OS and browser to reckon with. Here's what you need to know to make sure your videos play on Windows 8 devices.