As much as we love FFmpeg for transcoding operations, it can get frustrating when packaging your content for ABR delivery. By packaging, I mean formatting and segmenting your media files, creating manifest files for HLS and DASH, formatting for CMAF, and managing multiple audio and subtitle streams. Fortunately, there are easier-to-use solutions that are equally open source and equally free. In this article, I'll focus on GPAC, which is a great packaging alternative.
18 Mar 2024
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
If you're a video publisher who doesn't rank high in the VVC patent list, it's likely that you won't consider VVC until 2026 or later. If you're looking to augment your H.264 encodes with a more efficient codec before then, your most likely choices are HEVC and AV1, with LCEVC also an option. However, if you're a product or service provider in the streaming media ecosystem, it's long past the time to start considering where and when VVC is going to fit in for you and your target customers.
01 Aug 2023
Welcome to your codec update for 2023. I'm here to help you decide whether it's time to go all in on AV1, VVC, LCEVC, or EVC or whether it's better to stick with H.264, VP9, and HEVC. Along the way, I'll include 2022-2023 updates to identify significant changes that have occurred since last year.
12 Apr 2023
Anytime you start working with a new codec, there are some fundamental tests that you should run to achieve optimal performance/quality optimization. In this article, I'll take you through those tests while encoding VVC using a version of FFmpeg that includes the Fraunhofer VVC codec.
21 Mar 2023
FFmpeg was designed as a cross-platform solution for video and audio recording, conversion, and streaming using simple static command lines. Using variables and "for loops" in a command string simplifies the reuse of existing scripts and helps automate their operation. While you can't use these scripts in the Windows Command window, you can use Microsoft PowerShell in Windows and Bash on Linux and the Mac. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to create and run such scripts with PowerShell and Bash.
14 Mar 2023
Unlimited file analysis and Python interface highlight the new features
31 Oct 2022
In late September, Google quietly let slip the news that it now offers playback support for HEVC in Chrome when it's already available in the underlying platform. This is bigger news than Google is letting on, but its immediate impact remains to be seen. We surveyed a number of experts and analysts to gauge its meaning for increased HEVC usage and more, and how it affects DRM and HDR.
24 Oct 2022
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.
Streaming Media announced today that Evan Shapiro, self-described "media cartographer" whose incisive data presentation, analysis, and commentary is mapping out the future of the streaming media industry and overall entertainment sector, has signed on as host and MC of the next Streaming Media Connect virtual event, which runs August 22-24.
28 Jul 2023
When it comes to making roadmap decisions about adopting emerging codecs for media & entertainment content delivery between now and 2030, what do the numbers say, and how has the forecast changed since the pandemic shook up the streaming market? In this in-depth exclusive interview with Streaming Learning Center's Jan Ozer, Rethink Technology Research Senior Analyst Alex Davies discusses the findings of Rethink's new M&E Codecs Market Forecast.
17 Jul 2023
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
Streaming Media VP Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen and BuyDRM CEO and founder Christopher Levy talk about digital rights management for premium content, AVOD, and screeners, as well as the importance of low-latency DRM.
09 Sep 2020
Over the course of this three-part tutorial series, we'll show you how to deliver Dolby Audio via HLS and play it back on any audio endpoint, including device speakers, headphones, or external sound systems via AirPlay or HDMI.
15 Feb 2017
In two tutorials I'm going to show you how to create broadcast-quality live production with the NewTek TriCaster TC40. In this first installment, I'll show you how to select and configure the inputs. In the second, you'll learn how to mix and stream the show itself.
30 Aug 2013
If you're in the market for a portable video encoder/transmitter, you should consider the LiveGear Airstream from Vislink. It's mobile and easy to use, and it employs predictive forward error correction and adaptive bitrate H.264 encoding to reliably deliver top-quality video over broadband cellular networks.
07 Dec 2012
Tim Siglin reflects on his 25-year-long career as a writer, instructor, and consultant in the streaming industry along with his professional partnership with Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen.
12 Aug 2022
There's no doubt that LCEVC is a more efficient codec. But is it really going to make much of a difference in energy savings compared to other sustainability solutions?
15 Feb 2022
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
As a metric, Apple's Advanced Video Quality Tool (AVQT) showed some bright spots, but it's hard to see it bumping VMAF or SSIMPLUS from real-world workflows without a lot more verification.
14 Oct 2021
The Alliance for Open Media has gone all-in on SVT-AV1, but real-world tests show that Scalable Video Technology codecs don't live up to their promise when it comes to performance.
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
Streaming Media West returns to Huntington Beach November 15-16, with Streaming Media University Workshops on November 14. Registration is open now.
06 Sep 2022
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
Robert Reinhardt's workshops will cover the latest tips and tricks for using FFmpeg and managing inputs and outputs for videoconferencing, while presentations and panel discussions will look at taking your webcasting and event streaming efforts to the next level.
26 Apr 2022
To help you manage the current and emerging challenges of live streaming at scale, Streaming Media East 2022-May 24-25, live and in-person-features a jam-packed Live Streaming at Scale track, including how-to's and best practices to make sure your live events go off without a hitch, whether your audience is in the thousands or the millions.
19 Apr 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
CEO David Stubenvoll says the investment from Clearhaven Partners will let Wowza accelerate innovation and growth, and possibly even open new offices, without the "restrictions and hassle of being a listed company."
10 Jun 2021
TL;DR: The right way to think about VVC is to put off thinking about it at all until actual decoder deployments are announced on platforms that matter to you. Here's why.
23 Jul 2020
The Moving Picture Experts Group, which had been responsible for developing standards and executing royalties for video and audio codecs, shut down last week. We'll be writing up an article on the implications for the industry, and we need your help.
09 Jun 2020