Encoding for Multiple Screens? Rule Number One: Use H.264
To support viewers using a variety of devices -- and to maximize the revenues they get from their videos -- it's crucial now for publishers to make sure their videos play on multiple screens. As StreamingMedia.com contributor Jan Ozer explained at the recent Streaming Media East conference in New York City, there's one clear way to start: Use H.264.
"If you want to access all multiple screens today, use H.264," Ozer said. "It's a high-quality compression technology; plays pretty much everywhere in a bunch of different ways -- Flash, QuickTime, Silverlight. It plays in most HTML5 browsers except for Firefox and Opera. It plays natively on all mobile devices and all OTT devices. If you're going to encode for multiple screen delivery, rule number one: Use H.264."
After publishers have chosen H.264, they still need to select the right encoding profile to satisfy the most viewers.
"The thing you need to know about H.264 is that from a compatibility perspective -- meaning where will the file you create play -- the most important characteristic that you need to configure in is the profile," Ozer explained. "There's three profiles -- there's Baseline, Main, and High -- and this is a control you will see on pretty much every encoding tool that you use for any kind of encoding of H.264 files."
For much more on encoding for multiple screens, watch the video below and download Ozer's presentation.
How To: Encoding For Multiple Screens
Most publishers today have to distribute to three sets of screens: desktop, mobile, and TV. This session will start by detailing the playback capabilities and technology compatibilities of all three platforms. Then it will explore the technical issues and feasibility of producing one set of streams for all platforms, including how technologies like transmuxing and live transcoding can simplify the overall distribution workflow.
Speaker: Jan Ozer, Principal, Doceo Publishing
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