Although software transcoding is acceptable for transcoding most VOD streams and even low-volume live programming, most high-volume live applications need hardware for efficient transcoding, both to save you money and to save the planet. This buyers' guide will cover: What hardware transcoders are, what you need to bring to the table to identify the best hardware transcoder, factors to consider when choosing one, choosing a hardware transcoder for cloud workflows, and choosing a hardware transcoder for on-prem workflows.
Jan Ozer //
21 Mar 2025
HEVC rode the 4K/HDR wave to success, but AV1, VVC, and LCEVC lack an equivalent killer app. With CDNs racing to the bottom on pricing and new royalty pools threatening to increase costs, codec adoption is no longer just about technical merit—it's about survival. These are the issues I'll explore in this article.
Jan Ozer //
21 Mar 2025
The 2024 edition of Streamticker, recapping the streaming industry's most momentous mergers and acquisitions of 2023, kicked off with Disney's gobbling up the last extant portions of Hulu, as Comcast ceded its remaining 33% stake. But if the late-2023 deal marked only the quiet conclusion of an already-silent partnership, the much noisier news of Jan. 6, 2025, found Disney absorbing sports-centric streamer Fubo and merging it with Hulu Live + TV. Here we'll review this and other done (or more nearly done) M&A deals that reshuffled the streaming industry in 2024.
Adrian Pennington //
21 Mar 2025
All-in-One (AIO) live production devices leverage the latest mobile CPU and GPU power and integrated capability, with real hardware connections for multiple HDMI ports, ethernet, headphones, audio input, and more—all from one manufacturer so there's just one update cycle to track. Magewell recently came out with the 3.0 update to their Director Mini AIO production tablet (Figure 1), and they are pushing the envelope with what these little powerhouses can do.
Anthony Burokas //
05 Nov 2024
From facilitating live-event streaming to remote production and beyond, AJA's multi-channel UltraHD and HD live video solution BRIDGE LIVE supports a wide range of streaming and contribution codecs. Join AJA product manager Mike Boucke to learn more about this powerful device and all it offers for live-stream workflows—from ultra-low latency to support for NDI and more.
Mike Boucke //
12 Dec 2023
An interview with Pieter-Jan Speelmans, Technical Working Group Chair of HESP Alliance. Over the past three years, he has been working actively to reduce the complexity in video pipelines and improve the viewer Quality of Experience (QoE) from perspectives beyond the video player with the High Efficiency Streaming Protocol, a highly scalable ultra-low latency streaming protocol for the next generation of streaming services.
Streaming Media Editorial Staff //
04 Sep 2023
Despite the comeback of in-person events in 2022, online audience engagement remains important with a steady demand for interactivity in live streaming.
Streaming Media Editorial Staff //
05 Sep 2022