To understand what live video encoding software actually is, it is important to understand the process of video encoding. In its simplest terms, the process by which digital videos are converted into other formats. When a video is watched on a computer, tablet, mobile phone or even a TV through Set Top Boxes, it has to go through an encoding process which takes the original video files and converts them to a format that is compatible with the viewing device. This can be somewhat complicated as each device supports only certain formats and therefore managing these formats across multiple devices can be challenging.
What Makes Up a Digital Video File?
When working with different types of video you may or may not be familiar with what makes up a digital video file. A video file actually consists of two parts. One part is often called the container and the other part is often referred to as the codec. The container is simply the file type or extension of the video that is being played whereas the codec is the set of instructions that determine how the certain video will be played.
Most Common Video Containers
- AVI – The AVI or Audio Video Interlaced format was developed by Microsoft and has been around for a very long time. One of the disadvantages of AVI files is that they are rather large. AVI files should not be used on the internet because of their size, which could take a significant amount of time to download even over a high speed internet connection.
- FLV – Flash Video Format or FLV is one of the more common video formats seen on the internet today. These files are played through the popular Adobe Flash Player within most internet browsers on computers and mobile devices today. Many popular sites such as YouTube still rely on the Flash video format for most of their online offerings. One of the problems with Flash is that it is not supported by Apple. This means that all of the millions of iPhones and iPads cannot view Flash videos. Sites such as YouTube have made modifications that allow their videos to be viewed through native apps on Apple devices, but other smaller web sites that use Flash videos can not be viewed on iPhones or iPads.
- MPEG-4 – MPEG-4 or MP4 is a video format that is quickly gaining in popularity. Sites such as YouTube now allow users to upload videos in a variety of formats including MP4. These videos are significantly smaller than other formats and therefore can be downloaded quicker from computers and mobile devices with slow internet connections. YouTube is actually encouraging users to upload videos in MP4 format. While YouTube used to convert all videos to Flash Video format, they are now converting them to MP4 as well so that more devices are able to view them.
- MOV – The MOV format created by Apple that is used by their QuickTime movie software. This format is quite common among Mac users, but is used by a large number of PC owners as well. MOV files can be viewed in QuickTime on both Macs and PCs. Apple does not charge for the QuickTime player, which allows anyone to view videos in this format as long as they have QuickTime installed on their machine.
- WMV – Windows Media Video or WMV is a format created by Microsoft to be used with their Windows Media Player. This player is bundled with all Windows machines, which makes it accessible to anyone with a PC. One of the advantages of WMV files is their small file size. These videos are easy to send to friends or post online because of their small size, but do lack the quality of some of the other video formats. If you need to quickly send a video to someone, WMV will work fine, but if you are looking for ultra high quality you should likely choose to convert your video to another format.
- AVCHD – This file format uses the .MTS extension and stands for Advanced Video Codec High Definition. This format was developed by Sony and Panasonic to be used with high definition home theaters. Many HD camcorders use this format due to the high quality. This format is not suitable for wide distribution because of the large file sizes. Many filmmakers will create their original video in AVCHD and then convert it to other formats for online viewing. This type of video is relatively new and requires significant computer resources to view by the end user. It remains to be seen as to whether this format will gain in popularity as computers continue to become faster and technology becomes even less expensive.
As you can see there are a multiple of different video containers as well as codecs that can be used both online and on film. These different types of files can become overwhelming, especially when you are developing video for a variety of different platforms. When developing video, it is important to use a video streaming company that offers live video encoding software to meet the needs of those viewing your videos. A successful video streaming service allows you to upload a variety of file formats and converts them based on your end user’s device. While there are a wide variety of content delivery networks that offer video hosting, few do it as well as TikiLIVE from Eyepartner.
TikiLIVE Leader in Live Video Encoding Software
TikiLIVE is a leader in providing live video encoding to ensure that your video content is available to a wide variety of users across multiple platforms. Whether your users are accessing your content online from a desktop, laptop, mobile device or from a standard set top box, TikiLIVE will handle your customer’s needs with ease. TikiLIVE has recently unveiled full HTML5 support, which allows your mobile users to view all of your video content with no interruptions from their mobile devices. This is vitally important as the number of mobile users accessing video from their phones or tablets is growing exponentially from year to year.
If you are interested in learning more about TikiLIVE as well as Eyepartner’s other suite of products and services, give our office a call today at (305) 289-4557. We will be happy to show you how you can benefit from hosting your video content with TikiLIVE. Or use our online form on our Contact page.
