Tag Archives: Encoding your video

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Harmonic CMO Peter Alexander Describes Company’s Cloud Strategy

With gross revenue in the $400 million range ($108 million for Q2 2014), Harmonic Inc. is one of the largest encoding companies on the planet, but they’ve been strangely quiet on the cloud-encoding front. This changed around NAB 2014, when the company announced their cloud strategy, which included their own cloud service, ProMedia Carbon MP, plus partnerships with Encoding.com and …

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Amazon Transcoder; My Review (Meh!)

On one level, Amazon’s Elastic Transcoder is a finely-tuned service well crafted for the largest sweet spot of the cloud encoding market, Plain Jane H.264 transcoding. On another level, its a service that aimed low from an interface and usability standpoint, and clearly hit its mark. I’m used to the public side of the Amazon house, which is always top …

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Encoding for Multiple Screen Delivery

Here’s the session description. This session details the playback capabilities and technology compatibilities of desktop, mobile, and TV screens, and explores the technical issues and feasibility of producing one set of streams for all platforms, including how technologies like transmuxing and live transcoding simplify the overall distribution workflow. Click below to download the handout. The video is directly below. 

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Producing and Distributing HEVC

Here’s the description; click below to download the handout and access the sample files. This session explores the current status of HEVC, identifying options for encoding live and on-demand HEVC and discussing player options in the streaming and OTT markets. Topics include the comparative quality and usability of HEVC encoders, how HEVC quality compares to H.264 and VP9 (if encoders …

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Data Rates for HEVC Testing

A few weeks ago, I ran a survey to determine the average data rate used by video producers when encoding H.264 to 720p and 1080p resolutions. The thought was, once I knew this, I could encode using HEVC at the half the data rate and compare the quality to see if HEVC lived up to its “same quality at half …

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Stream With Care: Simple Production Tips for Quality Results

Most seasoned compressionists know that you can’t have high-quality streaming media without quality audio and video. In honor of our production issue, I thought I would list the production techniques that can make or break audio and video quality.  Let’s start with the setup. There are two concepts to keep in mind here: contrast ratio and detail. Cameras have limited …

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Ozer Launches Online Course Mastering the Adobe Media Encoder

I’m pleased to announce my new course, Mastering the Adobe Media Encoder CC: An Online Course, on Udemy. Why this new course? Well, I use the Adobe Media Encoder every day, and have for many years over multiple versions. I know which presets operate effectively as is, and which require some modifications. I know which controls really do improve quality (always …

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A Buyer’s Guide to Field Encoders 2014

So you’re streaming a live event at some off-site location and you’re wondering what hardware or software to buy to encode the video to send to your streaming server. Well, you’re in the right place, because that’s the subject

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Apple Changes Encoding Recommendations for HLS

From my perspective, Apple Technical Note TN2224 is the Rosetta Stone of adaptive streaming, a document that translates multiple factors into concrete recommendations that should be considered by all producers streaming to Apple Devices. Which is to

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Presenting the Ozer Paradox: Simple and Pricey Don’t Go Together

The Ozer Paradox is unique to the high-technology space and refers to the paradoxical reality that as technical products get more expensive, they become less polished and harder to use. While not universal, this dynamic is pervasive enough to deserve

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