Why Ads Are Good for Streaming

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.

Third-Party Cookies and EdTech

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.

Transitions

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.

The Greenest Codec: LCEVC

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?

How YouTube Encodes Videos

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.

Judging Apple's Advanced Video Quality Tool

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.

Whither SVT-AV1

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.

Defend Your Video Encoding Choices with Data

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.

When to Ditch the Webcam

I produce most of my live training with a webcam because the quality delta between a webcam and other options is negligible when presented in postage-stamp-sized videos. But what setup should you use for a really important conference or a call that will be distributed to many viewers live or on demand? That's where things get interesting.

New Rules of Codec Development

The game has changed for new codecs entering the market.

When It Comes to Being on Camera, Don't Be "That Person"

There's no longer any excuse for poor-quality audio or bad video on your Zoom meetings or webinars. By following just a few simple tips and spending less than $200, you can look like a pro.

It's Time to Retire PSNR

Peak signal-to-noise ratio is poor predictor of subjective video quality. So why are PSNR comparisons used in almost all codec comparisons?

4 Keys to Evaluating Cloud Transcoding Options

Here are the four differentiating factors to focus on when assessing cloud transcoding solutions

When it Comes to Bitrates, Less is Always More

What can streaming producers do in the short-term to reduce the load during these COVID-19-related bandwidth usage spikes?

When it Comes to Video Quality Measurements, Average Won't Cut It

Average scores can be deceiving, so be sure you're using a tool that gives you a more accurate assessment of your video quality

All Roads Lead to ABR Royalties

As recent lawsuits regarding DASH-related patents make clear, royalty payments on adaptive bitrate streaming are inevitable—even if it's not yet clear who'll be paying who, or how much

The Compressionist's Aha! Moment: 'The Other Leg, Lanczos'

Every compressionist fantasizes about discovering the perfect configuration option, but our columnist learns that some results are too good to be true.

DASH Patent Pool—Criticized From the Start—Might Cease Operations

The fact that DASH was always marketed as being free didn't stop MPEG LA from forming a patent pool. But lack of support from the major IP contributors appears to have doomed the effort.

Announcing the Swift Death of Per-Title Encoding, 2015-2019

Once revolutionary, pre-title encoding was replaced by shot-based encoding and then context aware encoding. Here's how to evaluate vendors when choosing a solution.

Work in Parallel to Streamline the VQ Measurement Workflow

There's a long way to run video quality measurement tasks and a shorter way. As our columnist learned, it's never too late to learn a more efficient system.