HTTP Live Streaming has become a leading standard for multi-screen delivery of video to every device. We've covered this technology in detail in our Definitive Guide to HLS. As the format has gained both broader popularity, and broader device support, the specifications has also evolved. Let's take a closer look at how things have changed, and how Encoding.com has evolved their support for this adaptive bitrate standard.
Apple recently updated the spec for segment size. Previously it had been 10 seconds, but it has now been lowered to 9 seconds. For more information about HLS segmentation, please read Simplify HTTP Live Streaming with the Encoding.com HLS Segmenter'. We've built our own custom segmenter tool that has extremely low overhead creating tremendous storage savings versus other segmenter tools.
Encoding.com now allows you to create multiple h.264 levels for each output. Baseline, Main, and High, can all be mapped based on device parameters. In addition, you can now create audio only HLS streams. We've done this to provide broader and more granular device support. Using Dolby's HE-AAC codec provides much better audio quality at lower bitrates as compared to the open source libfacc codec. This is important since Apple requires a still image with audio fallback for very low bandwidth scenarios. Since different devices support different h.264 profiles and levels, these are now mapped on a device-by-device basis. In addition, Vid.ly, our encode once deliver to all devices OVP, now supports these more granular device parameters, providing more efficient device support. Previously all iOS devices were served a similar h.264 profile and level, and now that will be mapped specifically for each device. We also support the creation of multiple audio streams so the best stream can be delivered on a device by device basis. In addition to audio we also support the latest closed caption standard, WebVTT, ensuring broad accessibility support.
In addition, we now give customers far more granular support over h.264 parameters within HLS. Previously, advanced h.264 parameters within HLS were set to standard defaults. Below are all the advanced h.264 parameters, their definition, and an overview of recommended parameters. This provides broader compatibility for not only iOS devices, but also popular Android devices.
0,1 This parameter should be enabled when encoding high motion video or animation as it improved compression by about 15%. It needs to be enabled when the
parameter is enabled.
0 disabled
1 enabled
0,1,2 This parameter determines rate-distortion, this parameter will generally increase quality and should be enabled.
0 disabled
1 enabled only on the final encode of MB
2 enabled for all mode decisions
0,1,2 bi-directional interpolated prediction frames are a critical component of the h.264 standard, and only supported when using the main and high profiles. Generally this is set to the maximum of 16.
1-9 This parameter determines which algorithm is used for subpixel motion searching and partition decision.
1: High speed, low quality. Only use on first pass encoding.
2-5: A little better, and a little slow processing, 5 serves is good for faster encoding.
6-7: 6 is the most commonly used parameter. Enables rate-distortion optimization for partition decision. Significantly increases efficiency, but there is a measurable speed cost.
8-9: Enables rate-distortion refinement, which refines both motion vectors and intra prediction modes. Slower than 6, but again, more efficient and higher quality.
0-16 An important h.264 feature that allows for reference frames other than the one before or after the current frame. Using this parameter you can specify up to 16 reference frames. For live action 4-6 reference frames will suffice, but for animation 16 should be used. Generally the default is 6.
1, 1b, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2, 2.1, 2.2, 3, 3.1, 3.2, 4, 4.1, 4.2, 5, 5.1 is a specified set of limits that specifies the level of decoder performance. Maximum picture resolution, frame rate, and bit rate that a decoder may use are all specified by the level parameter. WikiPedia has in-depth specs for each parameter.
baseline, main, high This is what the h.264 profile to be used for encoding. There are 21 profiles in total, grouped into baseline, main, and high.
Baseline provides support for intra and inter-coding and entropy encoding with context adaptive variable length codes. (CAVLC) Common use cases for the baseline' profile are VoIP applications. The original iPhone through the 3GS support baseline level 3.0.
Main provides support interlaced video, intercoding using b-slices inter coding using weighted prediction and entropy encoding for context based arithmetic coding (CABC). Common use cases include archival storage of broadcast quality outputs. CABAC entropy coding, b-slices, and interlaced coding are all features unavailable in baseline but available in high. iPhone 4, iPad 1, AppleTV 1 & 2, iPod touch 4 & 5, and newer Android devices support main level 3.1.
High has advanced support for things like quantization scaling matrices and 8 8 transform adaptivity. As you can imagine, the high profile is the profile of choice when encoding HD or broadcast quality content, and is what is used for both Blu-Ray and HDTV services. iPhone 4S+, iPad 2-4, AppleTV 3, newer Android devices support high level 4.1, and some high level 4.2.
It's not just out features that make HLS Pro better. We also provide the ability to package and delivery your HLS content as compressed .zip or .tar files for more efficient delivery. In addition, with up to 16 processing cores encoding times are drastically reduced. In addition we've also rigo
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
19/05/2024
Missed any of our product coverage during your busy week? The TV Tech weekly product and services news wrap-up provides links to all of our coverage from May 13...
19/05/2024
LeVar Burton will host the new game show Trivial Pursuit on The CW, while Raven-Symon will host Scrabble....
19/05/2024
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to debates, set for June 27 on CNN and September 10 on ABC....
19/05/2024
Young Sheldon signs off after seven seasons on CBS, when the series finale airs Thursday, May 18. Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik reprise their roles as Sheldon Co...
18/05/2024
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. Bundling is back in a big way, with all the major streaming companies and many pay TV operators exploring ways to simplify the consumer experie...
18/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the June Open Commission Meeting schedule...
18/05/2024
Matthews Studio Equipment has introduced Grip Rail, which the company said offers a better way to mount equipment on location, in the studio, or on the fly....
18/05/2024
In a notable development in the industry-wide effort to address privacy concerns while improving efficacy of marketing efforts in a cookieless ad landscape, IAB...
18/05/2024
Missed any of our product coverage during your busy week? The TV Tech weekly product and services news wrap-up provides links to all of our coverage from May 13...
18/05/2024
DHD Elevates the Art of Podcast Production
Brie Clayton May 17, 2024
0 Comments
Hero image: the DHD DX2 base and expansion modules
Latest-generation ...
17/05/2024
Aerojet Rocketdyne has worked to modernize facilities at its Camden, Arkansas, l...
17/05/2024
The FCC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would revise rules governing low power TV stations (LPTV) in a number of areas, including online ...
17/05/2024
Demystifying Post-Production: Introducing Cinema 4D Particles Week 4
Brie Clayton May 17, 2024
0 Comments
With the spring release of Maxon One, we...
17/05/2024
Takashi Yamazaki Film Godzilla Minus One Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 17, 2024
0 Comments
Hero image credit: 2023 TOHO CO., LT...
17/05/2024
Sterling Event Group Streamlines Live Event Productions with AJA
Brie Clayton May 17, 2024
0 Comments
Live event productions only happen once, which ...
17/05/2024
Muster Ngobi, product manager at LYNX Technik tells TVBEurope how the ever-evolving media industry provides a truly dynamic working environment
By Matthew Corr...
17/05/2024
NEW YORK As declines in linear TV viewing make the ongoing popularity of live sports, particularly football, central to financial success of the TV industry, th...
17/05/2024
During Netflixs second Upfront presentation to advertisers, Amy Reinhard, Netflix's president of advertising, walked advertisers through the continued growt...
17/05/2024
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company has added to its leadership team for news by promoting Jeff Kiernan a veteran journalist and general manager of Scripps'...
17/05/2024
Top executives from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery have consistently insisted that their joint venture to launch the Venu Sports streaming bundle in the...
17/05/2024
ESPN has announced that its coverage of Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut in the Indiana Fever versus the Connecticut Sun season opener was the most-watched WNBA g...
17/05/2024
ATEM Mini Extreme ISO switcher and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Brie Clayton May 16, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design announced today that Yoic...
17/05/2024
Pixomondo's Virtual Production Academy Expands with Programs at Sony PCL, Vo...
17/05/2024
The Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation took place Wednesday, May 15 at ...
17/05/2024
Season 25 of The Voice wraps on NBC Tuesday, May 21, with performances from The Black Keys, Jelly Roll, Kate Hudson, Lainey Wilson, Muni Long, Thomas Rhett and ...
17/05/2024
New CNN CEO Mark Thompson spelled out his plan for the struggling news network d...
17/05/2024
Netflix, a newcomer to the advertising business, said it plans to launch an in-house advertising technology platform....
17/05/2024
Netflix shared some programming projects at an upfront presentation in New York. Those include the basketball-themed comedy series Running Point, a Mindy Kaling...
17/05/2024
Plex is offering movie and music collectors a 20% discount off its Lifetime Plex Pass as part of its Geek Week sale....
17/05/2024
Giant media buyer GroupM said it named Toby Jenner as global president, Group M Clients, a new position at the company....
17/05/2024
Smaller advertisers are increasingly buying connected TV programmatically, according to a new report from FreeWheel, Comcast's ad-tech unit....
17/05/2024
TCLtvPlus, the streaming app on smart TVs made by TCL, has added live linear channel from music-video programmer Vevo....
17/05/2024
StackAdapt said it made a deal to integrate data from Samba TV into its programmatic advertising platform....
17/05/2024
Tonight on House of Zwide: Dorothy is blown away by Ona's sketches for her w...
17/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: Dintle has a visit from her past that leaves her very unsett...
17/05/2024
WO Traffic provides a solid foundation from which stations can manage, execute, and scale end-to-end ad trafficking and sales, both today and into the future. W...
17/05/2024
Broadcast Innovation in India: How AI and Automated Production Helps Smaller Spo...
17/05/2024
SVG Sports Cloud Production Forum Gives Refresher Course on Cloud-Based Tools, E...
17/05/2024
WNBA Tip-Off 2024: Scripps Sports Constructs New Studio for Second Season of WNB...
17/05/2024
SVG College Summit 2024: Auburn's War Eagle Productions Breaks Down How They...
17/05/2024
Back to All News
Netflix & Shondaland Announce the Song List and Soundtrack for...
17/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 16 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soa...
17/05/2024
Prison Journalism: Letter to my mothersThabo Mthembu was incarcerated in Pollsmoor Prison from 2014 to 2019. Read Thabo's story
by Thabo Mthembu
17-05-20...
17/05/2024
Paul McCartney becomes UK's first billionaire musicianMusic icon Paul McCartney has become the UK's first billionaire musician, according to the Sunday ...
17/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Sakhile advises Tiny against sabotaging PetuniaDon't miss Friday, 17 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Smoke ...
17/05/2024
RT has today announced that Operation Transformation (OT) is to end after 17 seasons. As series come to an end each year, RT undertakes an editorial review to...
17/05/2024
By Craig Anderton
When I heard about binaural beats, I was interested-I like beats, and I'm into binaural audio. But this has nothing to do with either o...
17/05/2024
Scripps Research chemist Donna Blackmond elected to the Royal Society of the U.K. Blackmond's wide-ranging work has shaped origin of life theories, our unde...