H.264

Video: Comparing AV1, VP9, HEVC, & H.264

Posted on by Russell Trafford-Jones

Comparing AV1, VP9, HEVC and H.264 is quite a task, but Streaming Media’s Jan Ozer is here to take us through it. From MPEG royalties to VP9 browser compatibility, from the AV1 roadmap to HEVC-enabled HLS, this is a comprehensive look at real-world usage of the top four codecs.

This is a key topic because many content distributors and aggregators still use H.264 as their primary, if not exclusive, codec, but the bandwidth savings promised by newer, more powerful codecs are alluring. Those considering a switch must evaluate at least three options: HEVC, VP9, and AV1.

In this session, codec specialist Jan Ozer evaluates the quality of these codecs and compares them to H.264. Learn how much bandwidth you can save with each, and how the newer codecs compare from quality and implementation perspectives.

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Webinar: Managing Transition to HEVC/VP9/AV1 with Multi-Codec Streaming

Posted on by Russell Trafford-Jones

In this talk from Streaming Media East 2018 Paul MacDougall from Bitmovin discusses moving from h.264 to newer codecs.

Video streaming is in a transition towards the next generation of video codecs, offering to double the quality while lowering the required bandwidth. As the successor crown to the ubiquitous AVC/H.264 is still up for grabs, major content providers and device manufacturers are throwing their weights behind competing formats – HEVC/VP9/AV1 – leading to market fragmentation, specifically within web environments. To deal with this challenge, OTT services need to support multiple codecs in an efficient way.

In this presentation, Paul talks about how to evaluate the benefits and the tradeoffs of embracing next-generation compression technologies in your media workflow. He looks at the state of the browser market and compatibility, current deployment percentages and then how to decide whether to do multiple encoding on an asset or not. Paul finished with advice on playback and the state of smart TVs.

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Video: Choosing B-frame Interval and Reference Frames

Posted on by Russell Trafford-Jones


Jan Ozer from Streaming Learning Center takes us through the basics and ways to use B-frames in MPEG encoding. Covering:

  • Common B-Frame settings
  • Choosing the right B-Frame interval
  • What reference frames do
  • Understanding quality/encoding-time trade-off
  • Choosing the number of reference frames.

Great for remembering what you once knew or learning MPEG in a bit more depth, anyone who knows a little about MPEG encoding can benefit from this recorded webinar.

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Video: Current Status of Codecs Keynote from Jan Ozer

Posted on by Russell Trafford-Jones


From the Streaming Tech conference in Sweden, Jan Ozer gives us a pleasantly detailed overview of the status of codec licencing, costs, development and performance. From h.264 to VP9 to AV1 with a section on HEVC.

Streaming Tech Sweden is a Swedish conference with a dedicated focus on the technology for video streaming. This is the meeting place for tech managers, architects, developers and product managers looking to be educated and inspired by experts in this area, network with peers and bring home new thoughts and ideas.

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