Learning

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 …

This post discusses factors to consider when choosing a camera for four types of live events. It’s adapted from training materials prepared for a live streaming boot camp I’m producing at Streaming Media Connect on Tuesday, February 23: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (ET) / 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (PT). I’ll be releasing a course on live streaming by the …

There are the handouts from the last few Streaming Media Events. They’re typically long and very detailed, so provide a lot of data and other information. I’ve segmented them by subject and included the videos where available. I hope you find this information useful. Production and Delivery FFmpeg Visual Quality Metrics Per-Title Encoding Hardware Transcoding Production and Delivery Streaming Media …

Welcome to this introduction to live streaming, which details what live streaming is, how it works, and technology alternatives to implement live streaming, from third-party service providers to DIY (do it yourself).  What is Live Streaming? Live streaming is a one-to-many technology that: Inputs a single video stream from a camera or video mixer Transcodes that stream into multiple streams …

I’m teaching two boot camps (virtually) at an upcoming Streaming Media Connect event, one for VOD and the other for live streaming; each costs $199. The courses are designed for newbies who need to get up to speed quickly on these topics. If the courses sound familiar, I taught both courses at Streaming Media West in October, though I’ve updated …

This webinar is designed for Wowza Streaming Engine (WSE) users who are adding digital rights management (DRM) to their live or VOD streams, particularly using BuyDRM KeyOS. It’s now available for on-demand viewing immediately below: 00:00 – Introduction 01:15 – About BuyDRM (https://buydrm.com/) 02:20 – About Derrick Freeman 03:14 – DRM Overview 03:39 – What is DRM 04:37 – How …

When I launched my online course, Streaming Media 101: Technical Onboarding for Streaming Media Professionals, one of the first companies that signed on for multiple students was Dolby Laboratories, Inc. Several students came from the Enterprise Encoding division, which is headed by Senior Director David Trescot. This is the group that created the Hybrik encoding platform acquired by Dolby in …

Adoption of MPEG-2, H.264, and HEVC was almost automatic in some markets because implementors assumed that royalties would be reasonable and that the codecs would succeed. Two factors have changed those assumptions; the HEVC royalty mess and the formation of the Alliance for Open Media. This short video details how these two factors have changed how codecs are deployed. If …

COVID-related travel and meeting restrictions don’t obviate the need for employee training. This article documents the four training options available for streaming media professionals from the Streaming Learning Center.  I created the Streaming Learning Center to help train streaming media professionals, particularly those involved in encoding, packaging, and delivering streaming video. Initially, we offered books and live training, and then …