It's been 3-plus years since the MPEG codec explosion that brought us VVC, LCEVC, and EVC. Rather than breathlessly trumpet every single-digit quality improvement or design win, I'll quickly get you up-to-speed on quality, playability, and usage of the most commonly utilized video codecs and then explore new codec-related advancements in business and technology.
04 Apr 2024
This article takes a look at 12 options you can pick from when looking to produce live-switched video: Boinx mimoLive, Broadcast Pix ChurchPix, Ecamm Live, ManyCam, OBS Studio, PRISM Live Studio, Vizrt TriCaster, Telestream Wirecast, vMix, Vimeo Livestream Studio, and XSplit Broadcaster
18 Mar 2024
This review will look at an interesting suite of products built around the innovative OBSBOT Tail Air PTZ cam, which has entered the NDI ecosystem. The individual cameras retail for $499, and OBSBOT lent Streaming Media three of them for this review, as well as a couple of accessories to show off how they can work together in a studio or field production.
26 Jan 2024
This review will highlight the NETINT Quadra T1U and explore its capabilities as a video processing unit (VPU) for high-volume encoding and transcoding of single files, encoding ladders, and live streams.
05 Dec 2023
In this article, I examine low-latency services provided by streaming CDNs, removing actual vendor names and making conclusions based on delivery method. I'll start with a discussion of the basics of latency before moving on to the testing results and analysis.
17 Nov 2023
This review will highlight Ant Media Server and many of the features supported with the streaming server. Viewers will also learn how to configure the WebRTC streaming server on Amazon Web Services and how to get up and running with delivering live streams and video-on-demand streams.
04 Oct 2023
CodecWar is an analysis service created by ViCueSoft, the developer of codec analysis tools VQ Analyzer, VQ DVK, and VQ Probe. As currently configured, the site's ideal users are researchers who are looking for a convenient way to compare codecs using relevant datasets and codec developers who are looking for a structured way to benchmark their codecs against others. In contrast, it's not a particularly convenient way for streaming producers to run experiments to optimise their encoding parameters, although it could grow into this.
04 Oct 2023
Streaming engineer and strategist and Streaming Media The Video Doctor columnist Robert Reinhardt of VideoRx discusses some of his favorite features of the new AJA HELO Plus Advanced Streaming and Recording Appliance in this new tutorial video. A longtime user of the original HELO in his own professional live productions, discusses the new chassis design, new layout features for picture-in-picture and more, streaming to two destinations simultaneously, new SRT support, and more.
03 Oct 2023
What is the new Avanci Video codec patent pool, who is involved with it, what codecs does it cover, and what does it mean for OTTs and other streaming content companies in terms of paying for codec usage going forward? Should the streaming industry be bracing for a sea change when it comes to codec royalties? In this interview with Streaming Learning Center's Jan Ozer and Robert J L Moore, IP attorney, they discuss these implications and more based on what we know so far.
Following on the news that Via Licensing has acquired codec patent pool administrators MPEG LA to form Via LA as a "unified entity," Via LA President Heath Hoglund discusses how the pool will operate, as well as resulting synergies including streamlined IP distribution and economies of scale in this interview with Streaming Learning Center's Jan Ozer.
08 May 2023
One of the premier pre-conference events at the upcoming Streaming Media East conference explores the readiness of the Versatile Video Codec (VVC) for deployment and implementation. Presented on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Boston's Westin Copley Place, the session includes multiple speakers, many from companies already shipping VVC-related products or services.
AJA Director of Product Marketing Bryce Button and Streaming Media's Shawn Lam discuss the integration of AJA's OpenGear cards with Dante Audinate and the Dante A/V network and other news from AJA in this interview from NAB 2023.
OBSBOT's flagship Tail Air AI-powered PTZ streaming camera delivers 4K video at 30 frames per second or 1080p HD at 60 fps with crystal-clear visual quality. Its large 2-micron pixel size, 1/1.8" CMOS sensor and advanced camera components enable higher quality, brighter frames and finer details with less video noise even in challenging, dimly lit environments.
05 Apr 2024
Dipping your toe into custom live media workflows is an extremely complex task, and Norsk is all about that--now more than ever, with the impending launch of the no-code Norsk Studio.
29 Feb 2024
Furtree Systems, a leader in livestreaming media server software that recently hosted a Streaming Media magazine survey on livestreaming trends, offers three levels of its award-winning Softvelum Nimble Streamer.
19 Jan 2024
Robert Reinhardt explains why WebSockets technology is likely the best choice for your live streaming and why Vindral is well positioned as a premier CDN in the low latency market.
09 Oct 2023
There's a lot more imperfect gear on the market than ever before—gear we can't count on from gig to gig. Gear that can't deliver reliable video. Features that work and then don't. Devices that connect and then don't. We've lost core reliability. Bulletproof needs to be a feature.
01 Aug 2023
The past 18 months have seen no shortage of mergers and acquisitions, and it has me wondering if all this consolidation will lead toward innovation. My gut says no, and plenty of industry pundits agree, but it could bring improvements to the customer experience.
02 Dec 2021
Looking for insights into exactly how YouTube encodes billions of videos? Jan Ozer went down the rabbit hole and shares what he discovered about AV1, VP9, and resolutions.
19 Nov 2021
The changes streaming producers have made in the last 18 months are going to come in handy for a future where hybrid events are the norm.
09 Sep 2021
If you're charged with configuring your encoding ladder, there are a few datapoints you should have nailed. The most important is the VMAF score of the top rung of your encoding ladder.
09 Jul 2021
I produce most of my live training with a webcam because the quality delta between a webcam and other options is negligible when presented in postage-stamp-sized videos. But what setup should you use for a really important conference or a call that will be distributed to many viewers live or on demand? That's where things get interesting.
17 May 2021
The game has changed for new codecs entering the market.
09 Mar 2021
From the rise of Zoom to the fall of MPEG, 2020 has been a year of surprises.
08 Dec 2020
John C. Simmons, Principal Engineer at John Simmons Consulting, LLC, discusses patent licensing for streaming, which is especially relevant now in light of the recent German court decision in the Broadcom v. Netflix case and Avanci's announced launch of a video streaming patent pool.
23 Oct 2023
Anupama Anantharaman of Interra Systems explores the crucial role that media content QC and monitoring plays in delivering live sports content to viewers and the significance of media content QC and monitoring as the final step in assuring high-quality streaming for live sports events.
06 Sep 2023
Jan Ozer will lead workshops, presentations, and panels covering advanced codecs, gear for remote productions, WebRTC, low latency, and reducing bandwidth and storage costs at Streaming Media East in Boston May 23-25.
05 May 2022
H.264 still leads the pack, says JW Player's CTO Dave LaPalomento, but for more sophisticated publishers, VP9 offers benefits including bandwidth savings.
21 Oct 2021
Demos and conversations at Streaming Media East showed that HEVC is an excellent technology, and there's real anger around its disfunctional royalty policies.
22 May 2019
Advances in video codec technology driven by the explosion in video over IP are creating heated competition and a fragmented market. Will one winner emerge or is this the new normal?
04 Apr 2019