Video technology has come a long way. Gone are the days when we were only able to catch this medium on big screens or TVs. As video became the most popular content type, technology has made it possible to stream movies, series, and broadcasts while we are on the go. A lot of things have contributed to this, especially consumers’ needs and wants.
In other words, video is dominating the world and marketing industry. People are more prone to watch a stream than read a blog post. Indeed, 80% of consumers would rather watch a live video than read a blog. Publishers and marketers have had to adjust to this and forego traditional media in favor of digital media. But, to make this shift, they needed advanced technology, one that would deliver their videos straight to their customers’ devices.
That is where video transcoding stepped in. But what is video transcoding? You’ll get the answer to this question and more in our article!
The World Is Streaming More Than Ever
Over the last decade, big corporations, small businesses, and publishers have zeroed in on videos and streaming entertainment. With our attention spans decreasing, there has been an enormous demand for engaging and unique content. Video has proven to have the ability to hook customers and attract them to brands. As a result, this medium is now the king of content. Just look at the below figures:
- It is estimated that 80% of global internet traffic will consist of video by 2021.
- 78% of people watch video content every week.
- Six out of ten customers would rather watch online videos than television.
- TikTok, a video-sharing app, numbers more than 800 million users.
As people are forced to stay at home to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, the need for video has increased. For instance, Twitch viewership soared by 31% in late March. Also, adults spent six and a half hours per day watching TV and online video during lockdowns.
But getting large video file sizes to your viewers and making them suitable to different devices is challenging. It was, that is, before video transcoding came into our lives.
So, what is video transcoding?
What Is Video Transcoding?
In essence, video transcoding is the process of decoding (or decompressing) a particular codec and compressing it into another. In other words, it entails creating multiple versions of the same video in different sizes. This is done in order to make your content viewable across various platforms and devices.
For instance, let’s say that you make a video using the MPEG-4 codec. You want to distribute this video to multiple devices. However, the target device can only run files encoded with the H.264 codec. What should you do then? You should transcode the file using the H.264 codec in order to receive a video with different compression types.
During the transcoding process, you “translate” all three elements of an online video at the same time — the file format, the audio, and the video.
Most importantly, video transcoding enables you to deliver high-quality videos to viewers using fast internet connection and lower-resolution videos to users with slower internet speed.
Video Encoding vs. Transcoding
It’s highly likely that you will come across articles that use video encoding and transcoding interchangeably. However, there is a difference between these two processes.
Unlike transcoding which creates multiple versions of the same video in different sizes, video encoding refers to the process where video files are compressed in order to get a running video rather than a group of individual images. Obviously, these two processes make it easier to deliver your videos to your target audience.
Want to learn more about video encoding and codecs? Take a look at our article which will explain this important process further.
As you now know the difference between the two, let’s take a look at three terms that are closely related to video transcoding.
Video Transcoding Terminology
If a particular video file format is not supported by a system, transcoding will convert incompatible file types to the suitable formats. But the term “video transcoding” covers other digital media tasks as well. These are:
- Transmuxing is also known as repackaging or packetizing. This is a process where audio and video files are repackaged into various formats without affecting the compression method. For instance, you create a video using the H.264 codec, and you can deliver it to different streaming protocols, including HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) or MPEG-DASH, by changing its container.
- Transrating refers to the process of changing bitrates. For example, you can take a 4K video stream at 10Mbps and convert it to various lower-bitrate streams, e.g. HD at 6Mbps.
- Trans-sizing, like its name suggests, happens when you change the size of your video frame. To illustrate, you can decrease the resolution of 3840×2160 (4K UHD) to 1920×1080 (1080p).
Now that the question “What is video transcoding” is out of the way, let’s take a look at why you should transcode your videos.
Why Transcode Videos?
There are several reasons why you should transcode videos and give your viewers the best user experience regardless of whether they are using their computers, mobile phones, or tablets. Here they are:
- Video transcoding increases reach — without transcoding, your live streams or branded videos wouldn’t be able to be seen by a larger audience. Increasing your reach is important in today’s competitive market, especially because it can attract new customers to your business.
- Video transcoding enables you to support multiple formats — by undergoing the transcoding process, you are able to decode your video stream and compress it into different formats such as HLS or MPEG-DASH. Of course, this is incredibly useful when you are streaming media to various devices which usually support specific formats.
- Video transcoding optimizes video quality — transcoding helps you create multiple renditions of your videos in different resolutions. This means that high-resolution videos will be delivered when a user has fast internet connection. On the other hand, if they have a slower connection, the video will be lower-quality. This will reduce buffering issues.
All the above shows how important video transcoding is for publishers and content creators. With this process, they can ensure their viewers get the best experience possible and make their videos more accessible.
Video Transcoding With Brid.TV
Brid.TV offers a powerful, state-of-the-art video platform capable of fulfilling all of your marketing and publishing requirements. You don’t need to look any further than our platform if you want to encode and transcode your videos. Apart from this advanced technology, we also offer features and benefits that will take your streams to the next level, including:
- Mobile live streaming
- Multiple quality renditions
- DVR
- Ability to boost the quality of your live streaming
And when our platform is done making your videos compatible for various devices, it will provide you with extensive monetization options! Brid.TV Marketplace, different ad formats, outstream ad units, and more are there to ensure you earn a steady revenue.
So why don’t you start reaping the benefits of Brid.TV’s video platform?
