Codecs are tools we use to reach our viewers. So, when it comes to codecs, the best ability is play-ability, or the ability to play on the target platforms our viewers prefer to watch. For years, H.264 has remained dominant simply because it played everywhere; but as videos grow larger, faster, and deeper in color, the cost of distributing H.264 …

Deciding whether to encode on-premise or in the cloud is one of the most critical decisions facing any streaming publisher. Two recent articles provide both strong opinions and insights on this decision and are worthy of review. Our take? Do the math and make your own decision. The first article is “Why we’re leaving the cloud,” by David Heinemeir Hannson. …

This post details how to install, update and add FFmpeg to Windows Subsystem for Linux so you can run Linux in Windows with minimal muss or fuss. Here’s why you might want to install WSL in the first place. I recently taught a session at Streaming Media East on using variables with FFmpeg (download handout here – note that free …