VisualOn and The Channel Store Demonstrate Up to 65% Bitrate Savings with AI-Driven Content-Adaptive Encoding
VisualOn announced the release of a new whitepaper featuring results from an independent evaluation by The Channel Store (TCS), part of TVUP Media Group, comparing AI-driven content-adaptive encoding with traditional CBR and CRF workflows in production-gr
Cupertino(03 Feb 2026)
VisualOn, a leader in multimedia playback and video optimization technologies, today announced the publication of a new whitepaper featuring results from an independent evaluation conducted by The Channel Store (TCS), part of the TVUP Media Group, a leading provider of cloud-based playout and OTT distribution solutions, delivering linear and on-demand content for broadcasters across Europe and Latin America.
In the study, TCS evaluated VisualOn’s AI-driven Optimizer against traditional CBR and CRF encoding methods in production-grade VOD workflows, confirming up to 65% average bitrate savings while maintaining or improving perceptual video quality. The study was conducted using H264 software encoding with FFmpeg.
The whitepaper, “Content-Adaptive Encoding: VisualOn Optimizer vs. CBR and CRF,” presents a comprehensive comparison of CBR, Constant Rate Factor (CRF), and VisualOn Optimizer, based on an independent evaluation conducted by The Channel Store (TCS) across a wide range of real-world content, including sports, news, film, series, and animation. Tests were conducted in TCS production-like VOD workflows using industry-standard tools and objective quality metrics such as VMAF.
Key findings from the evaluation include:
- Substantial bitrate reduction: Existing CRF profiles achieve 34% bitrate savings across resolutions (1080p, 720p, 480p) compared to CBR profiles, while VisualOn Optimizer improves this to as much as 65% savings.
- Maintained or improved visual quality: VMAF scores remained stable or improved by 1–3 points across all tested content categories.
- Performance improvements: VisualOn Optimizer delivered 7–27% faster encoding times than CBR and reduced CPU usage by up to 50%, including 28% lower CPU consumption compared to the current CRF baseline, thus enabling more efficient large-scale deployments.
- Broad content adaptability: Particularly strong gains were observed in animation, sports, and news content, demonstrating the effectiveness of AI-driven, content-adaptive perceptual optimization.
The evaluation highlights VisualOn Optimizer’s seamless integration into existing FFmpeg-based workflows, enabling operators to quickly adopt advanced optimization techniques with minimal operational disruption.
The full whitepaper is now available for download:
?? Read the whitepaper https://www.visualon.com/index.php/latest-news/visualon-optimizer-content-adaptive-encoding-vs-cbr-and-crf/
About The Channel Store (TVUP Media Group)
The Channel Store offers CTV (Connected TV) focused onset ingest, scheduling, distribution, AVOD services, and monetization tools for content creators, video platforms, telecom operators, advertisers, and agencies. With clients in Europe, LATAM and the United States, the company is strategically and uniquely positioned at the intersection of content, digital television and programmatic advertising.
About VisualOn
VisualOn is a global leader in multimedia software solutions, delivering high-performance playback, encoding, and optimization technologies for OTT, broadcast, and consumer electronics markets. With a focus on quality, efficiency, and scalability, VisualOn enables partners worldwide to deliver superior video experiences across devices and platforms.
Media Contact:
The Channel Store – TVUP Media
Judith Calvo
j.calvo@tvup.media