March, 2011

• 15 March

  Annual Choosing a Streaming Encoding Tool Story up on SMC

  Every year I review streaming encoding programs for StreamingMedia.com. This year’s issue is up, here’s the lead. The ideal streaming encoding tool should provide great quality, blazing performance, a discrete set of critical encoding parameters, and a range of other time-saving automation and input/output options. We all know the names—Adobe Media Encoder, Compressor, Squeeze, Episode (in its many flavors), and …

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• 12 March

  Review: ViewCast Niagara 2120 Live Encoder

  ViewCast’s Niagara 2120 is a multiple stream, live H.264 encoding appliance that produced very good quality compared to software-based solutions like Telestream’s Wirecast. The sub-5 pound unit is very portable, and can be configured in the home office for one-touch use in the field, and you can log-on remotely to resolve any issues experienced by your on-location streaming crew. With …

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• 10 March

  What is HTML5?

  An explanation of HTML5 and HTML5 Video, including history, patent issues, and current use by Apple, Microsoft, Google, Adobe, and others.

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• 10 March

  Choosing a Streaming Encoding Tool

  The ideal streaming encoding tool should provide great quality, blazing performance, a discrete set of critical encoding parameters, and a range of other time-saving automation and input/output options. We all know the names—Adobe Media Encoder

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• 7 March

  How to Upload a Video and Embed it on Your Website

  You can use free sites like YouTube and Vimeo to host your videos for you, and then embed those videos into the pages of your website. This step-by-step video guides you through the upload process, and then helps you customize the embed code so the final result looks perfect on your site.

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• 7 March

  Less than 1% of Websites Fully HTML5 Compatible

  Pretty catchy headline, eh? Well, I wrote it because I’m tired of seeing headlines like this one in CNET – “Mefeedia: HTML5-compatible video is on the rise.” Kind of makes you think that websites are adapting HTML5 en mass, doesn’t it? Well, the reality is, they’re not. The second paragraph of the CNET article states: A whopping 63 percent of …

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• 1 March

  H.264 Encoding Tools: Five Popular Encoders Compared

  Here’s a video tutorial comparing the performance, quality and H.264 controls afforded by Adobe Media Encoder Apple Compressor, Microsoft Expression Encoder, Sorenson Squeeze and Telestream Episode Pro. In seven minutes, you’ll know which tool is fastest, which produces the highest quality and which gives you the most control over H.264 encoding.

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• 1 March

  Innovations in Live Event Streaming

  If you produce live events, there are two relatively recent innovations you should know about. The first relates to supporting multiple playback formats, like Flash, Apple iOS devices, Silverlight and others. In the past, to support multiple output formats, you needed to encode multiple streams, each in the required format. Now that most live events have standardized on the H.264 …

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February, 2011

• 26 February

  What is Streaming?

  This is the first installment in a series of “What Is…?” articles, designed to offer definitions, history, and context around significant terms and issues in the online video industry. Executive Summary Streaming media usage has grown exponentially over the past few years, both for entertainment purposes and as a vehicle for organizations to market, sell, and support their products and …

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• 25 February

  Live Streaming from a Notebook

  If you’re interested in portable event streaming from a notebook, check out this article that just posted on StreamingMedia.com. Here’s the enticing intro. “Live event streaming on a notebook can be the best of all worlds, with several programs available for free or relatively inexpensively, and generally easy to use. But how powerful of a notebook do you need to …

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