Buffering has been the most cited problem by the viewers. This has come as a serious problem for all the video streaming platforms. Providing quality video streaming becomes a task in all these situations. The issue can be efficiently solved with the use of video transcoding. Transcoding is a process of decoding, reformatting, and then re-encoding the video file for smooth delivery. There is a lot to understand about transcoding. Let us dive to understand what video transcoding means, how it works, why is it important for quality experience so on.
Table Of Contents
- What Does Video Transcoding Mean?
- How Does Video Transcoding Works?
- How To Maximize Quality Experience?
- Transcoding Locally vs Cloud-Based Transcoding
- Conclusion
What Does Video Transcoding Mean?
Video transcoding helps in creating multiple versions of the same file in different file sizes. Each file is made to deliver the content optimally to every user. This is meant to make the content accessible to users of different speeds. In short, it delivers videos according to the internet speed of the user. This helps in getting the best user experience to the viewers by reducing the latency and lagging of the viewers. Therefore it brings a satisfactory end-user experience to the viewers.
How Does Video Transcoding Works?
Transcoding becomes crucial for video files since video files are quite large in size. Due to the large size, files consume huge bandwidth and memory. To resolve the matter of size, codecs are used. The most common codec used for video streaming specifically OTT platforms is H.264 the available codec. All codecs work more or less similarly. These codecs help remove the unnecessary data that reduces the file size while providing a high-quality video to the viewers.
Transcoding carries forward a process of using the existing file and re-encoding it with the available codec. The first file or the master file is the best quality file of the video. Any encoded version usually encodes down the quality of the video, therefore, bringing a lower video resolution or bitrate copy. In a nutshell, video transcoding usually refers to using the master file and encoding the video quality.
How To Maximize Quality Experience?
Any viewers get a quality experience when they are delivered a video without any buffering or interruption. A negative viewing experience may lead the viewers to stop streaming and perceive your brand as unreliable. Transcoding gives one an opportunity to multi-bitrate streaming. It can help in bringing the best user experience and can build a better brand image to larger audiences.
Video Transcoding: Locally Vs Cloud-Based
Transcoding is used in two ways i.e. locally and on a cloud. Each of them has its own pros and cons that depend on the need of the platform.
The local transcoding is a bit slower and results in multiple files that need to be uploaded and managed separately. It usually involves editing and compression software namely Adobe Premiere, Compressor, Final Cut X, etc. The software transcodes the file on your computer itself. You need to transcode the file manually and save multiple versions of the file.
On the other hand, cloud transcoding is done over the cloud. It is more or less an umbrella term that describes the encoding and transcoding happening on the cloud rather than on any equipment. If you are using a cloud-based streaming platform, you first need to upload the master file and choose the required resolution and get the transcoded file accordingly.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, transcoding makes video delivery easier for the end-users. It helps in making the video content delivery seamless to viewers with different internet speeds. In all, it helps in bringing a quality experience to the audience.
