May, 2016

• 24 May

  Netflix Discusses VP9-Related Development Efforts

  Once counted out, VP9 is on the rise, with support from Netflix, JW Player, Brightcove, and more. In this interview, David Ronca of Netflix talks about VP9 savings, encoding, and testing. This is an interesting time in the codec world, an inflection point where the power of an expensive standard is being challenged by a free, open source codec. And …

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• 21 May

  Book Excerpt: VBV Buffer Explained

  This article is kind of a prequel to my book, Encoding by the Numbers, which I published in 2016. That is, I published this article to get commentary from folks who read it, which I factored back into my book. Unfortunately, I changed content management systems in 2018 and lost the comments.  One of the topics I’m addressing in my …

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• 15 May

  The Four Pillars of Video Encoding

  Figure 1. The four critical aspects to consider before video encoding. Executive Summary: While video quality is always top of mind, consider deliverability, compatibility, and playability before finalizing your video encoding presets. Too often we look at video encoding with a single point of focus; achieving the best possible quality for the lowest possible data rate. However, as I was …

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• 11 May

  Fine-Tuning Your Adaptive Encoding Groups With Objective Quality Metrics

  Click below to download the presentation or to view the conference video. Here’s the description.  Choosing the number of streams in an adaptive group and configuring them is usually a subjective, touchy-feely exercise, with no way to really gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of the streams. However, by measuring stream quality via metrics such as PSNR, SSIM, and VQM, you …

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• 10 May

  Streaming Media East Presentation: Status of HEVC and Other UHD Codecs

  [Author’s note: Video from the session is available below, as is the presentation.] The two biggest pricing mistakes you can make is to assume that the market has no alternative, and that you don’t have to get it right the first time. HEVC Advance in particular, and the HEVC IP ownership group in general, who still haven’t come together with …

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• 9 May

  Handout for Codecs and Packaging 2016

  Click below to download the handout. Here’s the description. As video resolutions increase and target playback platforms multiply, video producers must leave their H.264/HLS/HDS comfort zone and expand into HEVC, VP9, and MPEG-DASH. This workshop is divided into multiple segments by target platform to teach you the applicable standards and best strategies for delivering live and VOD adaptive video to …

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April, 2016

• 11 April

  The Cost of the Cloud for Video Encoding: Crunching the Numbers

  Cloud encoding companies offer software-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service options. Here’s how to decide when to go with the cloud, and which option is right for your needs. ou need many different types of data—and lots of it—to make a good decision on cloud versus on-prem. I learned this recently while running a comparison for a consulting client with substantial encoding requirements. …

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• 11 April

  Eventstream Review: Profit From Paid Live Online Video Events

  The combination of Eventstream, Eventbrite, and YouTube Live lets anyone charge for a live webinar, generating leads they can use to grow their business. While a strong contender, the help system could be a lot more helpful. Ustream, Livestream, YouTube Live, and other live streaming services are affordable and work well, but lack two key features. First, you can’t collect …

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March, 2016

• 30 March

  Encoding Brief: Apple Releases HLS Authoring Specification for Apple TV

  

  Executive Summary: In October 2015, Apple released a  document entitled HLS Authoring Specifications for Apple TV (HLS stands for HTTP Live Streaming, the adaptive bit rate technology used to deliver video to Apple TV and other iOS devices). If you’re producing for Apple TV, and aren’t aware of these specs, you should review them immediately. In a broader sense, Apple …

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• 29 March

  Netflix Admits to Throttling AT&T and Verizon Cellular Movies

  Last week, Netflix admitted that they artificially throttle the data rate of videos transmitted over AT&T and Verizon cellular networks to limit bandwidth consumption and the associated overage charges. Netflix doesn’t throttle video streams transmitted on other cellular networks like T-Mobile and Sprint that don’t charge for overages. The story was broken by the Wall Street Journal, who raised issues …

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