Innovation vs. Optimization in Streaming Delivery

While innovation is good at the outset of a transformation (such as analog to digital video), it can become counterproductive to building sustainable businesses. Continuous innovation means taking away resources from making existing technologies more scalable, resilient, and reliable—three traits that are critical to the success of something like a streaming platform.

Orphaned Tech: Struggles With Legacy NDI Gear

Not every new customer has the bank to buy all new gear. It's typical to buy used gear, get it running, and then upgrade only as the need and cash flow dictate. But a challenge comes with using older NDI gear.

Why You Should Embrace Sustainability (But Not For The Reason You May Think)

To really make an impact, we have to put sustainability within a context we can understand. It's hard, whether as individuals or businesses, sometimes to grasp the very huge concept of climate change and then commit to "sustainability efforts" as a way to have an impact. But when there is context, sustainability efforts can be achieved without actually trying to focus on them in particular. Within the streaming industry, that context is power.

The Greenest Codec: LCEVC

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?

How YouTube Encodes Videos

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.

Judging Apple's Advanced Video Quality Tool

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.

The Future Is Real Time, and It Starts Now

Where and how does "real time" fit into your workflows in this "COVID and beyond" era? Similar to global wars accelerating advan­ces in medicine such as plastic surgery, COVID has pushed all of us working in streaming media to rethink, innovate, optimise, and rebuild many components of our day-to-day responsibilities. 

Whither SVT-AV1

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.

Defend Your Video Encoding Choices with Data

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.

In Search of Better Encoding Quality for WebRTC

Suffice it to say that Web­RTC is finally out of kindergarten and moving into the elementary grades. Which grade exactly? Well, that likely depends on which web browser you're using and which server technology or platform your Web­RTC implementation uses.

New Rules of Codec Development

The game has changed for new codecs entering the market.

It's Time to Retire PSNR

Peak signal-to-noise ratio is poor predictor of subjective video quality. So why are PSNR comparisons used in almost all codec comparisons?

4 Keys to Evaluating Cloud Transcoding Options

Here are the four differentiating factors to focus on when assessing cloud transcoding solutions

When it Comes to Bitrates, Less is Always More

What can streaming producers do in the short-term to reduce the load during these COVID-19-related bandwidth usage spikes?

School Announcements on Ice(cast)

Some schools are moving to newscast-style video announcements. Icecast offers an effective way to deliver them efficiently and effectively.

When it Comes to Video Quality Measurements, Average Won't Cut It

Average scores can be deceiving, so be sure you're using a tool that gives you a more accurate assessment of your video quality

The Quiet Conference: At IBC 2019, No News Was Good News

Some years are revolutionary, some are evolutionary, and some are just "meh." Here's why those "meh" years are the best ones for the industry.

Announcing the Swift Death of Per-Title Encoding, 2015-2019

Once revolutionary, pre-title encoding was replaced by shot-based encoding and then context aware encoding. Here's how to evaluate vendors when choosing a solution.

Solutions Abound for High-Volume Live Video Cloud Transcoding

Streaming Media West provided a look at new options for demanding live cloud transcoding jobs. Here's a rundown for those who couldn't be there.

Creating a Recipe for Codec Success to Please All Palates

Looking back and the successes and misfires of H.264, HEVC, and VP9 show what the industry can expect from AV1 and VVC.