If you'll be encoding with SVT-AV1 or VVC, in this article you'll learn a bit about how to optimize your encodes, particularly the trade-offs that presets deliver, and how many logical processors to use. With SVT-AV1, I also explore the quality and playback efficiency of the fast decode option, although I didn't find much to show for it. You can also peruse the FFmpeg command strings used for all encodes.
08 May 2025
Although software transcoding is acceptable for transcoding most VOD streams and even low-volume live programming, most high-volume live applications need hardware for efficient transcoding, both to save you money and to save the planet. This buyers' guide will cover: What hardware transcoders are, what you need to bring to the table to identify the best hardware transcoder, factors to consider when choosing one, choosing a hardware transcoder for cloud workflows, and choosing a hardware transcoder for on-prem workflows.
28 Mar 2025
HEVC rode the 4K/HDR wave to success, but AV1, VVC, and LCEVC lack an equivalent killer app. With CDNs racing to the bottom on pricing and new royalty pools threatening to increase costs, codec adoption is no longer just about technical merit—it's about survival. These are the issues I'll explore in this article.
28 Mar 2025
The sports media sector continues to undergo rapid change, with streaming aggregators attempting to reconsolidate for greater efficiency but still falling short of traditional broadcast models in reach and revenue.
28 Mar 2025
For some streamers, open-source solutions meet all their needs. For others, commercial codecs deliver efficiency and optimizations that justify the cost. This article explores the factors that influence those decisions.
24 Mar 2025
AI-driven dubbing has recently gained attention as major platforms like Amazon Prime Video and YouTube roll out new tools designed to expand their content's global reach. Amazon is testing AI-assisted dubbing on licensed content, while YouTube has introduced auto-dubbing for thousands of channels. Both efforts reflect a growing belief that dubbing can help platforms engage new audiences—but the results so far have been mixed.
19 Mar 2025
Interactivity revenue generator Play Anywhere and ultra-low-latency live streaming platform Phenix Real Time Solutions partner for real-time SSAI at scale
03 Feb 2025
As third-party cookies disappear, video publishers face a stark reality. Without precise targeting and retargeting, their ad inventory risks becoming commoditized. For midsize players like FAST channels and smaller ad-supported streaming platforms, this challenge is especially acute. The result will be a shift toward generic ads aimed at generic audiences, driving down CPMs and diminishing advertiser interest. To avoid this fate, publishers must adopt innovative, privacy-compliant strategies to maintain—and even grow—the value of their ad inventory.
31 Jan 2025
In this interview, Jan Ozer speaks with Peter Moller, CEO of Access Advance, and Dylan Zhou, Senior VP of Licensing, about the recently announced royalty structure and initial participants in Access Advance's Video Distribution Patent Pool. The conversation outlines the codecs covered (VP9, AV1, HEVC, VVC), the targeted use cases (video streaming and content distribution), and how the royalty structure is designed to balance fairness and industry adoption.
02 Jul 2025
As video producers, we all agree on one thing: we want to serve content in whatever format the viewer prefers. Until now, for live streaming in landscape or portrait, it's been a one-or-the-other proposition. That's changing. At TwitchCon Europe, amid the usual fanfare and cosplay, Twitch quietly announced a feature that could reshape the future of live streaming: dual-layout live streaming.
16 Jun 2025
This article examines recent data on efficiency and power usage for hardware and software decoding and explores how this data shapes the value proposition for publishers opting for software decoding and viewers that wittingly, or unwittingly, watch services that deploy it. It concludes with two short surveys for publishers and consumers that ask for your perspective on and experience with software decoding. Be sure to take the surveys!
29 May 2025
In this interview with Streaming Media contributing editor Jan Ozer, Gary Hunsberger, general manager of U.S. operations at NPAW (Nice People At Work), outlines the company's approach to end-to-end quality monitoring, actionable data, and monetization support. Hunsberger, who joined NPAW seven weeks before NAB 2025, shares how the company differentiates itself in a crowded analytics market, discusses future AI integration plans, and previews growth initiatives in the U.S. and Canada.
25 Apr 2025
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
The streaming business model must change. Services that rely solely on subscriptions are going to plateau. They will have to continually return to their subscriber base and "milk" them for additional revenue via fee hikes. But by taking the plunge and embracing advertising as the primary part of creating and supporting quality television, streaming services will meet the ultimate need of their viewers: getting to see the content they want.
21 Jan 2025
In edtech, the demise of third-party cookies may be even more dire than in ad-supported streaming, since course websites are typically designed with third-party integrations that deliver crucial elements of the curriculum and traditionally rely on cookies to allow seamless cross-domain integration.
02 Dec 2024
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
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