Streaming Video Blog

A streaming media and video terms glossary that contains definitions of acronyms, technologies and techniques. The definitions are related to live streaming, broadcasting, video hosting and compression.

These video terms are relevant for both new techniques and legacy methods, which still have ramifications today when handling older media. There is a larger emphasis for online video applications, although a few terms which have roots in older methodology and processes. The glossary will be continuously updated as the industry evolves. If you are looking more for some tips on executing these terms, check out these 5 Pro Tips for Video Production.

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Have you ever seen video content that looks like the image above, but weren’t sure of the cause? These overt horizontal lines, appearing as pixelation around movement like out of an old school Atari game, are an artifact created from presenting an interlaced source in a progressive format.

This article explains what is interlaced video content and which sources, such as analogue cameras, can produce this type of video content on a live streaming platform. It then goes over deinterlacing techniques to remove this artifact and how to easily enable it on the encoder side… and why you wouldn’t want to use deinterlacing on content that is already progressive.

• What is interlaced video?
• Progressive video and how it differs from interlaced video
• Which method is better: progressive or interlacing?
• What it looks like: interlaced content as progressive video
• How to tell if your camera captures interlaced video
• What is deinterlacing video: when you have to use interlaced sources
• How to deinterlace video for live streaming
• Another source of interlaced video: three-two pull down
• Reverse telecine: removing the 3:2 pull down
• Can deinterlacing video be bad?

The default mental image of video compression involves unwanted video artifacts, like pixelation and blockiness in the image. This sells short, though, the complexity that actually goes into compressing video content. In particular, it overlooks a fascinating process called interframe, which involves keyframes and delta frames to intelligently compress content in a manner that is intended to go unnoticed.

This article describes this process in detail, while also giving best practices and ideal encoder settings that you can apply for use with your live streaming platform.

• Understanding video frames
• An opportunity to compress: interframe
• What is a keyframe?
• How do p-frames work?
• What are b-frames and how do they differ from p-frames?
• How do you set a keyframe?
• Choosing a keyframe interval at the encoder Level
• Relationship between keyframes and bitrates
• What’s the best setting for a keyframe Interval?
• What’s an IDR-frame?
• Should someone use an “auto” keyframe setting?
• Perfecting a keyframe strategy

2020 was very much the year of virtual events, as previously physical venues began offering an online version of their event. Often times this would include interactivity among viewers or participants, letting them feel more involved. With people staying remote due to the pandemic, these types of events skyrocketed in adoption. As outlined in our 2021 video trends webinar, we have reason to believe that this year will also tremendous use of virtual events with high usage and evolution of the concept.

So what types of virtual events are out there? Which ones are right for you, and what might your goal or goals be? We outline 8 different use cases for your virtual events platform and possible goals to help your event be a successful one.

Back in the 1950’s and 60’s, much (if not most) early broadcast radio and television programming was produced and broadcasted live.

The skills of producing a live broadcast were refined and improved through the years. Early radio broadcasters like Alan Freed and Dick Clark, TV soap operas like As The World Turns and The Edge Of Night, most US News coverage, sporting events like the Superbowl and of course shows such as Saturday Night Live all have also used live television as a device to gain viewers by making their programs more (or atleast appear) exciting.

But the skills these producers used, whether for the 1969 Landing on the Moon, the 1996 Dallas Cowboys Superbowl victory or the live episode of ER in 1997, are no different than for a live streaming show or event.