What Is Transcoding and Why Is It Critical for Video Streaming?

The video delivery from a server to a user’s device is complicated. It includes many processes to transmit content and provide a seamless experience to viewers. One of the essential stages of streaming is IPTV video transcoding. 

Transcoding can improve the quality of your streams and increase the number of your IPTV platform viewers. Let’s explore what transcoding is, how it works, and why it is vital for streaming.

What is Transcoding?

Transcoding is taking an encoded media file and changing its size or bitrate. The purpose of that is to meet the technical requirements of devices owned by your audience. It is crucial to ensure that your videos can be played on as many devices as possible. 

IPTV transcoder takes an encoded video file, decompresses it, and alters it. For example, a high-resolution video can be transcoded into a lower-resolution format for editing as it is easier to manipulate in software. Transcoding is also paramount for live streaming – so that streams are delivered to a larger number of viewers with different devices.

It is a useful process when a user watches your videos on a smartphone – the video doesn’t need to be in a high resolution. The transcoding process will adapt it to a smartphone requirement providing a smooth viewing experience.

Related Processes

Encoding is a process that usually happens before transcoding and includes compressing a media file to make it transferable via the Internet. 

When creating a video, you first capture a RAW file on a digital camera. This file is very large, as a camera doesn’t usually allow quality loss or alterations. It is convenient for further editing because the picture is highly detailed. But for playback, a video has to be compressed to a size more transferable and manageable. 

The compressed video should go through transcoding in order to reach a wider audience.

Transmuxing is another essential process that involves repackaging a compressed video into a different delivery format without any changes. It is a common procedure in content delivery. Someone might say that transmuxing is light transcoding. 

For example, you may have a MPEG-TS file suitable for delivery via HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), and by transmuxing, it can be changed to fMP4 suitable for MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP).

How Does Transcoding Work?

Transcoding decodes a video file into an uncompressed format and encodes it into another one required for a receiving device. For example, a transcoder can take an encoded and compressed file and transform it into an MP4 video using H.264 codec more suitable for online video delivery. 

A video transcoder can be open-source or owned professional software with a rich feature set and interface. But you should also note that transcoding is a hardware resource-intensive process. 

Why is Transcoding Crucial for Video Streaming?

Transcoding is a vital part of adaptive streaming that helps you reach as many viewers as possible. Technology companies regularly come up with new devices and applications. Along with quality improvements, it also creates some challenges for content delivery. 

Ensuring a quality of experience for viewers requires paying attention to the streaming process. Transcoding is its essential stage.

Final Thoughts

Content delivery is a complicated process that includes smaller steps essential for the best quality of experiences for viewers. Transcoding is one of them. 

All devices in the market have different technical requirements for delivered content. Meeting these requirements is essential for a smooth viewing experience. Transcoding allows a video to match the demands of a receiving device.