015 was a tumultuous year for codecs. HEVC seemed like a sure thing in January, looked to be in trouble in July, but was happily resuscitated in December, albeit with some missing productive months from its useful life. Open source codecs began the y

Your encoding ladder is the set of encoding parameters that you use to create the various files that you deliver adaptively to your web viewers. These encoding parameters can live in your on-premise encoder, in your cloud encoder, or in your online video platform (OVP). When optimally configured, your encoding ladder lets you efficiently deliver great quality video to viewers …

Executive Summary: A common problem with footage created using iPhones, screencam tools, Wirecast, and Skype is a loss of A/V sync when importing the video into Premiere Pro. This video tutorial presents a simple fix using Handbrake. You can read a tutorial on the Streaming Media Producer Website here.  Overview and discussion: Many sources of video, like mobile phones, screencam …

Executive Summary: Now might be the time to consider phasing out the lowest quality streams in your encoding ladder to reduce encoding and storage costs. Check your server logs to determine consumption of these streams before doing so.  Overview and Discussion: All streams in your adaptive group cost money to encode, store, and administrate, even low-quality streams. A recent discussion …

Executive Summary: B-frames increase compression efficiency, particularly at lower bitrates. However, not all video encoders deliver the requested number of B-frames when encoding using default parameters. Telestream Switch is a software program that identifies B-frames in encoded streams, and computes the overall B-frame percentage. Compressionists seeking the most efficient streams should acquire Switch and test their streams. If B-frames are …

On Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016, Technicolor issued a press release stating that the company had decided to “license its HEVC IP portfolio directly to device manufacturers rather than through the HEVC Advance patent pool.” The release fu

Joicaster is a web-based live streaming syndication platform that takes a single live stream and pushes it out to multiple services, including YouTube Live, Ustream, and Twitch, as well as commercial sites. Joicaster is affordable, straightforward to

On January 13th, 2016, I launched a survey to determine the bitrate control techniques most commonly used by streaming producers. Some preliminary results are in, but the number of respondents is too small to draw any conclusions. I wanted to publish the data to stimulate additional interest, and also announce that I am sweetening the pot with a $100 Amazon gift …

Let’s face it. For-profit enterprises post videos, hold webinars, and produce virtual events to drive sales. How effective are these mediums for that purpose? There’s lots of positive anecdotal evidence, but where are the hard numbers?

The Netflix blog post entitled Per-Title Encode Optimization boldly declares that “to deliver the best quality video to our members, each title should receive a unique bitrate ladder, tailored to its specific complexity characteristics.”