As video resolutions increase and target playback platforms multiply, video producers must leave their H.264/HLS/HDS comfort zone and expand into HEVC, VP9, and MPEG-DASH. This workshop is divided into multiple segments by target platform to teach you the applicable standards and best strategies for delivering live and VOD adaptive video to viewers on that platform, both with and without DRM. Along the way, attendees learn options for producing H.264, HEVC, VP9, and AV1; the status of standards such as the Media Source Extensions (MSE) and Encrypted Media Extensions (EME); and how and when to utilize them. Attendees walk away knowing the technical requirements for delivering to all key platforms and the best practices for making it happen.

Encoding workflows for both small and medium-sized businesses and the enterprise can utilize powerful and free open source options, such as FFmpeg, which appeal to startups and established businesses for the flexibility in customization that it offers. The presentation explores extended encoding options for FFmpeg including libx264 (AVC/H.264) and libx265 (HEVC/H.265) to maximize compatibility with a wide range of mobile and desktop browsers, as well as streaming media servers. Attendees learn how to use filter effects, proportional crop/resize options, and mapping functions. Harness the power of FFmpeg in your next encoding pipeline upgrade!

Apple’s support for HEVC in HLS is a groundbreaking event that opens up hundreds of millions of HEVC-capable players. If supporting this spec is on your short-term development schedule, check out this workshop. The workshop starts by reviewing the new spec and sharing playback details, like how well HEVC plays on hardware supported and nonhardware supported devices. Then it focuses on the HEVC codec itself, describing encoding options, royalty costs, and other implementation details. Learn how to create the necessary files and manifest files for mixed H.264/HEVC encoding ladders, and finish with a look at how to produce live content compatible with the new specification.

This workshop is hands-on and requires the use of an attendee-provided laptop. Laptops will not be provided.

This workshop teaches you how to use and configure the essential (and purposely redundant) components of a live streaming event system. Demonstrations include hardware from various vendors including cameras, H.264 encoders/streamers, video mixers, video signal conversion, recorders, and more. The workshop also discusses how to best deploy the live stream to your audience: Do you utilize free social media outlets, work with a premium third-party streaming service, or build your own live streaming infrastructure? Whether it’s multi-camera switching, dedicated hardware encoders, hardware and software mixers, OBS, or FFmpeg roulette, you learn how to approach different live scenarios to fit the budget you have. And perhaps more importantly, you learn how to properly formulate a budget to avoid any common pitfalls in the process.