Why Is Video Encoding Required Before Uploading Your Video To The Web?

Video encoding and video compression are essential for OTT video delivery. This primer explains how they piece of work and the benefits y'all'll score when they're done right.

What is video encoding? What is video compression? And how in the globe do video codecs work?

Whatever business operation that wants to have video on-demand (or alive streaming) must understand these terms when it comes time to store and host video files. And it first begins by learning the merchandise-offs associated with the quality of your content:

High-quality videos upshot in larger files, longer uploads, and college hosting costs. They too require more high-speed bandwidth from viewers.
Low-quality videos lead to smaller files, shorter uploads, and lower hosting costs. They too need less bandwidth during playback.

And so how do you lot minimize your file size without jeopardizing the quality and ensure that your video playback reaches everyone in your target audition? You lot turn to video encoding and video pinch. This winning combination allows you to shrink video files without sacrificing their high-quality during playback. Your content will look just as fantastic streaming on 4K continued TV (CTV) screens every bit information technology does on mobile phones or tablets. Now that you know why compressing and encoding videos will make your OTT content strategy a success, permit's dive into how they piece of work.

What is video pinch?

Video pinch is the method for turning big, raw video streams into smaller video files. If you lot think of your video as a collection of still images, video pinch roots out the repetitive or identical frames and keeps only those images which are essential. Let's say there are two very like frames. Compression will delete the information for ane non-essential frame and replace it with a reference for the other.

The benefits of video compression include:

Smaller overall file sizes
Less storage demand
Lower transmission bandwidth needs

Even so, merely compressing a video doesn't event in the highest quality content for multiple devices and platforms. That'south where video encoding, a specific type of video compression, comes into play.

What is video encoding?

Video encoding is the process of compressing and preparing your video files for the proper formats and specifications required for playback.

Although video pinch shrinks files, it may also impact video quality. Video encoding, however, compresses your video files without compromising quality. With encoded videos, the gigabytes of information become mere megabytes. And your content becomes compatible with many devices and platforms. Harmonic has led the manufacture for video encoding, and we developed patented engineering science for content-enlightened encoding.

What is content aware encoding?

Content aware encoding leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to take video compression to the next level. Since AI'south primary advantage is its chapters for highly detailed visual detection, CAE mimics the manner the human eye looks at the globe to compress videos for the highest quality. This optimizes encoding according to the content type, or the areas in a flick where the homo middle would typically focus. So rather than only deleting identical frames, CAE encoding targets the most important and discards the rest. Harmonic was the first company to develop AI technologies for CAE. Here a super high level caption of the process:

Unsupervised car-learning algorithms find similarities in video content to leverage bandwidth economies.
Then machine-learning enhanced algorithms use intelligent motion interpretation to anticipate the amount of capacity needed in the subsequent video frames.
Reinforcement learning algorithms improve the overall compression algorithm over time, so it continues to develop "autonomously" as you add together more video information.

This type of AI-powered CAE reduces both the fourth dimension and the cost of development. And it gives OTT content creators and distributors customized pinch algorithms rather than the generic ones of today. Although video encoding has made several advances over the years, the underlying capabilities are entirely possible thanks to video codecs.

What is a video codec?

Video codecs are devices or software that compress your videos and encode them for high-quality commitment. The goal of whatsoever video codec is to compress the file size and lower the required bit charge per unit without jeopardizing the original source quality. Codec stands for coder (co-) and decoder (-dec). So while it volition encode your video (i.e., code and compress), video codecs too support decoding (or decompressing) it for playback. Different devices and platforms support unlike codecs. And if your encoded video doesn't have the right codec, video playback won't happen.

The about popular video codecs include:

H.264 (AVC)
H.265 (HEVC)
H.266 (VVC)
AV1
VP9
MPEG-2
Quicktime
WMV
DivX
XviD

After your video is encoded, all the components are packaged into a video container. The specific container is known as the video pinch format.

What are the all-time video compression formats?

The container holds the audio codec, video codec, and whatsoever other metadata related to that video stream/file (think: subtitles, closed captioning, preview images, etc.). The container keeps all these components together and figures out which devices will have the stream.

The best video pinch formats include:

.mp4
.mov
.ts
.wmv
.F4v
.3GP

Still, playback platforms practise non accept to accept all containers, codecs, or compression formats. For instance, a .mov file and a .wmv file might share the same data and codecs. Merely the .mov file will playback on a Mac while the .wmv file will playback on a Windows PC. This doesn't piece of work vice versa. That'south why multi-format encoding is so essential when streaming to a wide range of devices. And successful video compression likewise needs to achieve the ideal of minimizing bit charge per unit while maximizing moving-picture show quality.

What is a video bitrate?

The video bitrate or data rate is the number of "$.25" conveyed or candy in each frame of your video over time. Here, "bits" refers to the compressed data in your video frame, and the rate is usually fourth dimension in seconds. So video bitrate is measured in kilobits or megabits per 2nd (Kbps or Mbps). College bitrates often signal higher video quality. But they'll also require more storage and greater bandwidth for playback. Lower bitrates are but the opposite. You'll desire to have a target bitrate in mind during your video encoding.Abiding bitrate (CBR) encodes videos at a consistent bitrate for the duration of your video file or stream. Just variable bitrate (VBR) or adaptive bitrate (ABR) means the video bitrate changes according to the viewing scenario.

What is adaptive bitrate of variable bitrate encoding?

VBR or ABR spreads the "bits" around and then more get used for complex parts of your video (such every bit action scenes) and less get used for simple ones (like static shots). Though yous can set a bitrate for your video, adaptive streaming gives the viewer the best bitrate based on the strength and speed of their cyberspace connexion. So when signals are peachy, video quality is also high. Low signal strengths automatically switch viewers to lower video quality so they don't deal with buffering delays. Multi-bitrates give your viewers the best version of your video content to scout . And that's why VBR-encoded videos wait and perform improve than CBR-encoded videos.

Best video codecs for video streaming

What's the best video codec for streaming your content? What codec does Netflix utilize? You really will want to use a variety of codecs. In their effort to "exit no codec or customer behind," Netflix uses many different codecs, and nevertheless, has never abandoned the original VC1 codec it started with 10 years agone [*]. And so when you encode video using a plethora of codecs, older codecs will ensure playback on legacy devices while next-generation codecs will work well for modern devices. Employing a host of codecs makes your video content uniform across many devices and displays. And then you may be wondering,What video codec should I utilize?Or,What's the best video compression codec?

H.264: the most widely used video codec for streaming

Out of the hundreds of codecs in beingness, the near commonly used video codec is H.264 (also known every bit AVC, or Advanced Video Coding). With over 10 years of developing and improving, the H.264 codec allows your video to play on well-nigh any device, doesn't skimp on quality, and has minimal concerns surrounding royalties.

H.265 (High Efficiency video coding, or HEVC)

Adult as the successor to the popular H.264, H.265 improves compression and supports 8K resolution. Smaller files just uncertainties regarding royalties/costs mean less than 10% of videos are encoded with H.265.

AV1

This open up-source, royalty-complimentary alternative to H.265 was created by Amazon, Netflix, Google, Microsoft, Cisco, and Mozilla under the Alliance for Open Media.

Unverified claims say AV1 is 30% more efficient than H.265. However, most devices simply lack support for the codec, then it hasn't been adopted or integrated on a grand scale yet.

VP9

Google developed VP9 as a royalty-free culling to H.265. So Android phones, the Chrome browser, and YouTube support the VP9 codec. This provides better video quality than H.265 at the aforementioned bit rate. Withal, although more devices support VP9 than AV1, VP9 is non supported by Apple devices. With all these options available at present, and with future possibilities beingness so close at paw, a multi-codec approach is vital to your video delivery strategy. In some cases, you may also need to transcode.

Video encoding vs transcoding: what's the difference?

People frequently interchange video encoding with video transcoding, just they're not exactly the same. Video encoding is the process of compressing videos for smaller sizes and playback commitment. Transcoding is the process of re-encoding video files into different formats. Then, transcoding is encoding, simply encoding isn't always transcoding.

Why is encoding and transcoding essential for video commitment?

Transcoding and encoding are essential parts of your video delivery strategy because they allow you to:

Reduce video file size to help you relieve money on storage/hosting expenses.
Improve buffering for streaming. Achieving a target bitrate volition help y'all reduce bandwidth requirements (for delivery) and improve viewing quality (less buffering).
Convert older files into mod formatsand then you can monetize existing content.
Change the resolution of aspect ratio to deliver the highest quality content to whatever screen. Videos volition adjust to the device's display chapters for best viewing.
Alter the audio format or sound quality to deliver content that complies with regional audio requirements.
Brand video files compatible with certain platforms and so they're optimized for playback on computers, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs and CTVs, and legacy devices. Y'all'll besides be able to deliver content to affiliates and monetize even more.

Each of these of import points volition assistance to ensure your video quality remains high and easily accessible to viewers no affair where they watch your OTT content.

Take the next step to reduce storage and offer better video quality

If you want loftier functioning with the latest video encoding and processing technologies for broadcast and OTT, consider having Harmonic in your corner. Our video streaming solutions allow you to advance time to market for alive streaming and side by side-gen Idiot box delivery. You can launch new channels, stream live sports with low latency, or deliver pristine UHD HDR video. Created with innovation and versatility in mind, our line of video streaming platforms and products that leverage advanced AI technology lets you evangelize the immersive viewing experiences your customers desire 24/7.

Working with Harmonic can offer y'all:

Optimized video quality no matter the density
50% bandwidth savings using our EyeQ^TM
Market leading video pinch from MPEG-ii to H.264 and HEVC
Support for a broad range of premium codecs and resolutions from uncompressed video over IP to UHD loftier dynamic range (HDR).

Click here to larn more well-nigh what the Harmonic VOS360 platforms can do for you lot!