Tag Archives: Choosing production tools

The video below shows two tools that I’ve installed on every computer that will run them; MediaInfo on all Windows, Linux, and Mac workstations, and Bitrate Viewer, which is Windows only. If you don’t know about these tools, you’ll find the seven-minute video very, very useful. As a preview, MediaInfo provides information about my H.264, HEVC, VP9, and AV1-encoded files …

I was once a skeptic on cloud encoding, but over the last 12 months have become a believer. In my Streaming Media article, The Cloud Vs. On-Premises Encoding Dilemma, I discuss why, discussing three classes of companies. The first should go directly to the cloud. The second should go hybrid, encoding normal demand on-premise and overflow in the cloud. The …

The thing about webinars produced from your desk is that they seem to invite you to use poor quality gear. Yeah, you could setup an external microphone, but that mic on your webcam is just sooo convenient. Or, you think that a $15 lavaliere mic from Amazon will provide the absolute quality boost that you need. Whenever you consider what …

Looking for Adobe Encore on the Creative Cloud? It’s not easy to find. Here’s an intro to a story that I wrote for Streaming Media Producer about Encore’s demise, and how to find it on the Creative Cloud. So, there I was, starting to run some tests on a brand new HP Z820 with 12/24 core E5-2697 v2 CPUs, one …

Last week, VideoLAN released VLC 2.1.1, which incorporates HEVC and VCP9 playback on many of the multiple platforms supported by the player, which includes Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, FreeBSD, Solaris, Ubuntu, Mint, and multiple flavors of Linux.

HP's Z1 is the first all-in-one computer with workstation components and field serviceability. Here, encoding expert Jan Ozer takes a look at how this workstation-class portable PC fared in a live production and webcast environment, with testing emph

Audio problems are a fact of life for video producers, and I’m always in the hunt for the best tool possible. After comparing iZotope RX 3 vs. Audition, I concluded that iZotope is better for both pop and click removal and noise reduction. You can see screens and hear audio comparisons for declipping and crackle-and-pop removal, here. You can see …

This blog is primarily focused on streaming, but many professional steaming producers also edit, or have someone on their team who edits. For this reason, I wanted to mention that I have written the Adobe Premiere Pro CC Visual QuickStart Guide for Peachpit, and that many readers are finding it a very valuable resource. Specifically, all five reviews on Amazon …

OK, a bit melodramatic, but today at Adobe Max, the company’s annual creativity conference, Adobe announced that they were killing the suite to sell the Creative Cloud product which is only available via a periodic license. The primary benefit to the user is that updates are incorporated when available, as opposed to the 18 month cycle that the product typically …

Live event streaming while on the road requires an encoder that's as powerful as it is portable. In this Buyer's Guide, I'll detail the categories to consider when buying a portable encoder, along with factors to consider to help identify the best pr