Codecs

Pleased to announce my second report on LCEVC Technology entitled LCEVC x264 Report: Live Sports & eGames, ABR Ladder. The first report assessed VOD performance at 1080p; this report tested live performance using a full encoding ladder and weighted average performance as well as BD-Rate comparisons. Here’s the Table of Contents. Note, in particular, the GB Tech report in the …

I was honored to present a free webinar entitled Video Codecs in 2021 and Beyond with Muvi on April 8, 2021. The slides and recording are below. Here’s the description. There has never been a time where so many video codecs were available (or soon to be available) for video producers. From MPEG, we have AVC (H.264), HEVC (H.265), VVC …

This article and the associated Google Sheet present an analytical model for computing breakeven on new codec deployments.  On a LinkedIn post here, Johan Skaneby asked: Technical comparisons and documentation on different codec performance are very interesting and important, but all development of technologies are always closely related to market requirements and business models. My experience is that the challenge …

This post provides an introduction to video codecs. It’s an entry-level article designed to help streaming newbies understand what codecs are, what they do, how to compare them, and why they succeed or fail.  Video codecs are compression technologies that reduce the bitrate of digital video to manageable sizes. Video codecs are not only central to streaming, but they’re also …

Here are some of the most popular codec-related articles that I’ve written lately for this site, Streaming Media Magazine, and some other outlets. General The Streaming Codec Landscape in 2021 – (January 2021)  By any measure, 2020 was a hectic year for video codecs or the compression technologies that drive streaming video. This year saw the launch of two standards-based codecs …

I recently received the following message from a colleague, a respected IP attorney, on LinkedIn. Hi Jan, hope all’s well. What do you make of Google joining HEVC Advance’s pool (now Access Advance)? Talking to some relevant players, I think it’s a prelude to Chrome supporting HEVC. Do you think it has any implications for AV2 or VVC? Thanks, and …

A new Streaming Learning Center Course, Encoding with the AV1 Codec, teaches how to optimize AV1 encoding with four AV1 codecs (aomenc, libaom-av1, SVT-AV1, Aurora1). Available now for $99.95. If you’re looking for a structured AV1 training program to learn how to encode with AV1, this is it. Click here for more information or to purchase the course.  The AV1 …

This video discusses how to choose a codec in 2021 and beyond.  Download the handout here. Here’s the video.  Here’s the Description Codecs like H.264 and AV1 are the key enabling technologies for all entertainment and business-oriented video distribution, whether movies distributed via Netflix or videoconferencing from Zoom and similar services. At a high level, codecs come from two …

Recently I received a shortlist of compression-related questions from a consulting buddy; he’s always been gracious in answering my questions and I wanted to return the favor. Since he’s asking, I thought others might be curious as well; hence this blog post that largely incorporates my responses to his questions, all relating to encoding H.264 files. Here are the questions: …

VVC is one of the three codecs to be launched by MPEG in 2020. I wrote about VVC extensively here (business side) and here (technical side), and wanted to provide some quick updates. By way of background, codecs have two sides, the performance side, and the business side. In this short article, I’ll address both. Fraunhofer’s VVenC Sets New Standards …