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What to Look for in an Enterprise-Class Video Encoder

Companies graduating from desktop encoders to enterprise-class encoders will find more power at their disposal, and also more possibilities. At the recent Streaming Media West conference in Huntington Beach, California, StreamingMedia.com contributor Jan Ozer explained how enterprise encoders are different.

"An enterprise encoder is typically designed for shared use," Ozer began. "Most encoding tools are worked via a standalone UI. Enterprise typically also monitor watch folders and, more importantly, they have an application programming interface that lets you tie the encoding functionality into your content management system or into your web publishing system. Shared use is one of the fundamentals of an enterprise encoder. Most enterprise encoding tools you get the highest possible performance available from the line of products."

To help buyers sort out the field, Ozer broke enterprise encoders into three classes. Here's how he describes the first one:

"What are the classes of enterprise encoder?" Ozer asked. "When I'm looking at an enterprise encoder for review or just to understand what the company is trying to accomplish, I divide it into three classes. The first class is the Swiss army knife transcoder, and this is the Carbon Coder [now Harmonic ProMedia Carbon] class of products: It can take any format in, any format out, pretty much a lot of production departments need a tool like this."

For the other two classes, and advice on making a buying decision, watch the full video below and download Ozer's presentation.

 

HOW TO: Choosing an Enterprise-Class Video Encoder

This session discusses factors to consider when choosing on- demand enterprise video encoding systems from the likes of Digital Rapids, Elemental, Harmonic, Sorenson, and Telestream. Factors incorporated into the analysis include performance, output quality, quality control options, format support, expansion options, programmability, and other variables. If you’re considering buying an enterprise encoder or upgrading your current systems, you’ll find this session particularly useful.

Speaker: Jan Ozer, Principal, Doceo Publishing

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