Suppose you run an OVP or a streaming service with your own content. You are likely to care about the experience your users get on your service. You want them to visit your platform regularly so that your business evolves and brings revenue.
Ensuring a high quality of service and experience is vital for turning single-visit users into regular customers. What do your viewers want? Besides engaging content and affordable prices, they want to watch videos without interruptions on any device in the highest possible quality.
Sure, a lot depends on the network conditions on the user side. However, there are an IPTV solutions that help you to bring a better experience to them. Let’s talk about encoding and transcoding in detail.
Video Encoding and Transcoding
When you capture a video from a camera, you have a RAW file that is too huge for delivery through the Internet. Making this video suitable for transmission requires an IPTV video encoder.
Video encoding is the process of converting a RAW video file into a compressed format suitable for storage, transmission, and playback. During the encoding process, a video can be reduced in size by removing redundancies and compressing data.
An encoder segments a video into chunks which simplifies the delivery process significantly.
After the video is encoded, it should go through the transcoding process. Transcoding is the process of converting a video from one encoded format to another. This is necessary for smooth playback on a user’s device.
A transcoder creates multiple copies of the same file in different sizes and bitrates. This helps adapt the video resolutions and bitrates to the capabilities of the device on which a user wants to watch a video. Also, transcoding ensures adaptive bitrate streaming.
Adaptive Bitrate Streaming
Adaptive bitrate streaming is an advanced technology for smooth video playback regardless of the user’s devices and network conditions. Since there are multiple copies of a video in different sizes and bitrates, it is possible to adjust video quality during playback, ensuring minimal buffering.
When a user’s connection is unstable, the video player will choose a lower-quality stream. A strong connection will provide a higher video quality. The most important thing is that a video keeps playing regardless of the connection situation.
The Role of Codecs
Codecs are algorithms that manage the encoding and decoding processes. Codecs utilize various compression techniques to change the file size without visual quality damage. They remove less noticeable visual data, which results in a reduced video size.
Different encoding formats and codecs have varying influences on quality and bandwidth usage. There are the most widespread encoding formats:
- H.264/AVC provides a good balance between compression efficiency and saving video quality. It is quite popular among both streaming platforms and devices.
- H.265/HEVC is better at compression efficiency than H.264. It is widely used for streaming videos of higher resolutions, such as 4K or HDR.
- VP9 provides a comparable video quality to H.264 at lower bitrates.
- AV1 offers better compression efficiency than all three previous codecs. It ensures a higher video quality at lower bitrates.
Video delivery through the Internet is a complicated process. Multiple factors influence the choice of encoding formats, including a device, bandwidth availability, and requested video quality. However, encoding helps you enable a smooth viewing experience for viewers, which is essential for video streaming services.
Final Thoughts
Video encoding and transcoding are critical processes for a video streaming platform. They help a content provider ensure a better streaming experience for viewers, turning them into regular users. As a result, you have a loyal audience and a stable revenue stream.
