Encoding

We have been huge proponents of per-title encoding since its inception in 2015. Boy, has it come a long way. In this Streaming Media article, I recount the history of per-title encoding and trace its advancement from single file optimizations that could adjust only file data rate to AI-driven adjustments that can change resolution, data rate, frame rate, codec, color …

This webinar provided an overview of producing VP9 for VOD and live streaming. You can watch the recorded video below. Click here to download the handout.   Description: The VP9 codec is at an interesting inflection point. On the one hand, VP9 provides better quality than H.264, and similar quality but much better browser support than HEVC. On the other, …

If you’re building a large-scale in-house VOD encoder, your job just got easier as SVT open-sources Encore, their VOD encoder.  One of the most fundamental decisions all streaming publishers must make is whether to purchase a commercial encoder, use a commercial cloud encoder, or build their own, the classic make vs. buy. One of the most startling findings from the …

My review of the Epiphan Pearl Nano is now available on Streaming Media. The video I produced for the review is below. Note that I really liked the feature set and usability but found that video quality suffered from a slight cast as you can in Figure 8 of the article and below. The cast is most visible in the …

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 …

Reducing the reference frame setting from 16 to 1 when using x.264’s veryslow preset decreased encoding time by 46% on ten 2-minute test files while dropping the average VMAF score from 96.06 to 95.97, a decrease of less than .001. If you used the Medium preset, at the default setting of 3 reference frames, changing to ref=1 would drop encoding …