Video Production for Streaming

Keep it Tight if You Can
While much improved from the "postage stamp" of yesteryear, streaming media still rarely takes up more than a quarter of a screen, which means the video has to make more economic use of available real estate than it would in a full-screen scenario. "Typically, in a streaming media broadcast you may want to frame a little tighter on a person’s face because that’s where the emotions are going on," says Mack.

In reality, though, the streaming guys rarely have control over how an event is shot. "Most of the time you don’t have the luxury of being able to author exclusively for a Webcast because you’ll be sharing production with the projection screens," says Mack. "They don’t want the camera to be in that tight because it looks unnatural." The same can be said about events tailored for broadcast and DVD as well. That said, "People are starting to use the Webcast as their primary method for distribution," says Mack. "At that point you have a lot more leverage to talk to the camera guys."

The Higher the Better
Despite the fact that streaming video can’t match broadcast when it comes to resolution and picture clarity, that doesn’t mean video shot for streaming should be produced at a lower quality. "I really think that one should always capture in the best possible quality," advises Manchester. "You can never improve it later on."

And while this higher-quality video may not directly impact the quality of streaming experiences today, it could go a long way to ensuring that video content maintains its relevance as consumers begin to expect higher and higher-quality video. "You’re going to want to archive in a format that will be at the highest possible resolution," says Mack. "We’re already moving from standard definition to hi-def. Who knows where it’s going to go from there."

"But you also need to look at how you are processing your content," Manchester says. "If you have a slow processor and are using a capture card that uses your system’s CPU to do its processing, you want to hand the card something as close to your final input as possible, especially in a live environment. When you’re encoding live you do not have the luxury of time. Your system must be able to get the video in and out in near-real time. Your CPU cycles are a key to this." When CPU resources run low and encoding quality suffers, Manchester warns, "you are affecting every single viewer out there."