‘Bulletproof’ Needs to Be a Standard Feature for Production Gear

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.

Will OTT Consolidation Hamper Innovation?

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.

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.

Streaming Tools for COVID and Beyond

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.

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.

When to Ditch the Webcam

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.

New Rules of Codec Development

The game has changed for new codecs entering the market.

A Look Back at Streaming Video's 2020

From the rise of Zoom to the fall of MPEG, 2020 has been a year of surprises.

4 Keys to Evaluating Cloud Transcoding Options

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

The Problem with WebRTC

The good news is that desktop and mobile web browsers are now capable of using WebRTC for real-time or progressive web apps. The bad news is that we need faster progress with viable WebRTC SDKs that don't tightly tie products to a particular WebRTC offering.

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?

Flash's Last Hurrah

Most content publishers have already moved on from Flash, but those who need ultra-low latency have stuck with it. Now that Adobe is ending support for Flash, it's time to move to WebRTC, but it won't be easy.

5 Low-Cost Ways to Provide Closed Captions for VOD Streams

Attaching captions to on-demand videos can be simple and low-cost, but doing the same for live video is a little more involved. Here are the options.

DASH Patent Pool—Criticized From the Start—Might Cease Operations

The fact that DASH was always marketed as being free didn't stop MPEG LA from forming a patent pool. But lack of support from the major IP contributors appears to have doomed the effort.

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.

New Codecs Are Coming; Here's How to Evaluate Codec Evaluations

When comparing the video quality created by different codecs, consider the companies running the comparisons and the metrics they're offering.

Time to Start Testing: FFmpeg Turns 4.0 and Adds AV1 Support

AV1 delivers equivalent quality to HEVC, but with a lower data rate. For now, though, it's slow. A five-second clip took 23 hours and 46 minutes to encode.

Testing HEVC: Please Take a Moment to Help Measure Performance

Early testing of HEVC playback in HLS showed positive but inconsistent results. We need StreamingMedia.com readers to step up and help provide more data.

The Hazards of Streaming Live Video: If It Can Fail, It Will Fail

Redundancy and advanced testing are essential for any live video event. Here are five rules for live streaming that can help save the day.