WHAT IS TRANSCODING AND HOW
`DOES IT IMPACT STREAMING QUALITY?
`
`The demand for high-quality video streaming continues to grow, along with viewers’ expectation to
`be able to access video when they want to, on any device, anywhere. This makes streaming live and
`on-demand video a high-stakes endeavor—delivering the smooth experience that viewers around the
`world expect while containing your costs can be daunting. You’ve probably heard that transcoding is
`an important part of streaming live video (and video on demand) successfully, but do you know why?
`In short, without transcoding, your prospective audience is severely limited.
`
`LET’S LOOK AT WHAT TRANSCODING IS AND HOW IT CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR STREAMING PROJECTS.
`
`WHAT DOES TRANSCODING MEAN?
`
`The word transcoding is commonly used as an umbrella term
`that covers a number of digital media tasks. When you say
`transcoding, you might be referring to any combination of the
`following tasks:
`
`TRANSCODING, at a high level, is taking already-compressed
`(or encoded) content, decompressing (decoding) it, and then
`altering and recompressing it. Transcoding is critical in today’s
`live streaming workflow because it enables you to change the
`video and/or audio format (codec) from one to another, such
`as converting from an H.264 video and AAC audio source to
`H.265 video or even VP9 video and Opus audio for MPEG-
`DASH playback.
`
`Other tasks could include adding dynamic overlays to your
`video—watermarks, logos, news tickers, sports scores, or
`other graphics.
`
`TRANSRATING refers specifically to changing the bitrate of
`the video or audio source, such as taking an HD video input
`stream at 5 Mbps and converting it into one or more lower-
`bitrate streams (such as 3 Mbps, 1.5 Mbps, 1 Mbps, 600 kbps,
`etc.) to enable adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming. ABR streaming
`works by detecting a user’s bandwidth and CPU capacity in real
`time and adjusting the quality of a video stream accordingly.
`The result is very little buffering, fast start time, and a good
`experience for both high- and low-bandwidth connections.
`
`TRANS-SIZING refers specifically to resizing the video
`frame, say from a resolution of 1920x1080 (1080p) down to
`1280x720 (720p) or 640x360 (360p). Trans-sizing is done in
`conjunction with transrating to create optimized renditions of
`the video stream.
`
`INPUT PROTOCOLS
`
`INPUT CODECS
`
`OUTPUT CODECS
`
`OUTPUT PROTOCOLS
`
`Adobe RTMP,
`RTSP/RTP, MPEG-TS,
`ICY (SHOUTcast/Icecast)
`
`Video:
`
`H.265/HEVC, H.264/AVC, VP9,
`VP8, MPEG4 Part 2, MPEG2
`
`Video:
`
`H.265/HEVC
`H.264/AVC,
`H.263 (v2), VP9
`
`Audio:
`
`MP3, AAC, AAC-LC,
`HE-AAC+ v1 & v2,
`MPEG1 Part 1/2, Speex,
`G.711, Opus, Vorbis
`
`Audio:
`
`AAC, AAC-LC,
`HE-AAC+ v1 & v2,
`Opus, G.711
`
`Apple HLS, Adobe HDS, MPEG-DASH,
`Microsoft Smooth Streaming,
`Adobe RTMP, RTSP/RTP, MPEG-TS
`
`INPUT STREAM
`
`Resolution:
`
`Bitrate:
`
`1080p
`3 Mbps
`
`Camera
`
`Encoder
`
`TRANSCODING
`Trans-size
`Transrate
`
`1080p/3 Mbps
`
`720p/2 Mbps
`
`480p/1 Mbps
`
`360p/900 Kbps
`
`240p/400 Kbps
`
`© 2015 Wowza Media Systems™, LLC. All rights reserved.
`
`DivX Exhibit 2003
`Netflix & Hulu v. DivX, IPR2020-00648
`Page 2003 - 1
`
`

`

`WHEN IS TRANSCODING CRITICAL?
`
`Simply put, when you want your content to reach more end
`users. Transcoding eliminates bitrate and format problems.
`With transcoding you publish a single (typically very high-
`quality) stream to the transcoder. That stream is converted into
`multiple versions on the fly, catering to viewers across diverse
`bandwidth qualities and delivering compatible formats to even
`legacy viewing devices.
`
`You can also achieve significant economic savings by using
`less upstream bandwidth, publishing a single stream from the
`source instead of multiple ones at various bitrates. Additionally,
`you avoid buying expensive encoding software and hardware
`to generate multiple streams locally.
`
`LET’S CONSIDER AN EXAMPLE.
`
`When doing a live broadcast you always want to reach the
`largest number of viewers with the best quality their bandwidth
`and device allow. To achieve this, your live streaming solution
`needs to support ABR streaming. Using a camera and encoder
`(or an IP camera), you stream one HD-quality H.264/AAC
`stream to your transcoder (typically located on a server image in
`the cloud) to create multiple H.264/AAC renditions at different
`bitrates and resolutions. Then you’d have your media server
`(which might be the same server as your transcoder) package
`those renditions into one or more ABR formats (HLS, HDS, etc.),
`allowing you to reach almost any screen on the planet.
`
`
`
`WITH TRANSCODING...
`YOU PUBLISH A SINGLE VIDEO
`STREAM TO THE TRANSCODER
`
`1080p @ 5 Mbps
`
`THAT SINGLE STREAM IS CONVERTED
`INTO DIFFERENT VERSIONS ON THE FLY:
`
`Creates new streams at various bitrates for adaptive
`delivery of the best-possible stream to each viewer
`based on individuals' actual bandwidth and hardware
`capabilities — bitrate problems solved
`
`As needed, automatically converts the content into
`di(cid:4)erent audio and video formats to allow any-device
`reach — format problems solved
`
`YOU ACHIEVE HUGE ECONOMIC SAVINGS (cid:31)
`HARDWARE COSTS, MANAGEMENT, AND
`COMPLEXITY PROBLEMS SOLVED:
`
`Use less bandwidth by publishing a single stream
`
`No need to buy more-expensive encoding software
`and hardware to generate multiple streams locally
`
`THREE THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN A TRANSCODING SOLUTION
`
`Most streaming implementations need to support multi-bitrate H.264 video and AAC audio to reach the widest audience. Additionally,
`to reach audiences in emerging markets, such as India, support for H.263 video is necessary to reach legacy devices. While catering
`to both legacy and current standards, you want to keep pace with the latest technologies on the scene. With those factors in mind,
`consider these three aspects when choosing a transcoding solution:
`
`SCALABILITY
`
`FUTURE-PROOF TECHNOLOGY
`
`•
`
`•
`
`•
`
`Scaling up automatically to meet audience demand
`in a given area
`Scaling out geographically, and to both on-premises
`and cloud-based servers
`A licensing model that scales with your usage
`
`
`RELIABILITY
`
`•
`•
`•
`•
`
`Predictable performance
`24/7 operation
`Redundancy for high-priority content
`Expert support when you need it
`
`•
`
`•
`
`Support for 4K-resolution content with the latest
`codecs and formats, including VP9/WebM and H.265/
`HEVC for MPEG-DASH streaming
`Easy upgradability: software transcoders are ideal
`since updating/upgrading doesn’t require hardware
`reinstallation or reconfiguration
`
`
`LIVE STREAMING CAN BE A HEADACHE.
`Think of transcoding as a powerful pain reliever—taking
`away the pressure of live streaming so you can focus
`on other things.
`
`© 2015 Wowza Media Systems™, LLC. All rights reserved.
`
`DivX Exhibit 2003
`Netflix & Hulu v. DivX, IPR2020-00648
`Page 2003 - 2
`
`

`

`HOW THE WOWZA TRANSCODER
`SIMPLIFIES YOUR STREAMING WORKFLOW
`
`Whether you use Wowza Streaming Engine™ software or the Wowza Streaming Cloud™
`service, you send a single audio/video stream to the Wowza server/service. The Wowza
`technology provides adaptive streaming, automatically transrating the incoming stream
`to create streams of various bitrates and dynamically serving the appropriate one to
`each viewer based on his or her bandwidth—giving audiences from Silicon Valley to
`Mount Everest the best-possible viewing experience.
`
`Wowza technology also changes that stream’s format into others on the fly to match
`your viewers’ device type for universal compatibility with set-top boxes, game consoles,
`smartphones, tablets, and desktop and laptop computers. And with Wowza Transcoder
`support for H.265 and VP9 encoding, customers now have the added benefit of being
`able to ingest H.264 or VP8 video and deliver their streams to the newest codecs over
`the MPEG-DASH protocol for even wider device support.
`
`
`
`1Dan Rayburn, StreamingMediaBlog.com, March 26, 2015, http://blog.streamingmedia.com/2015/03/conviva-viewing-report.html
`2Jeff Whatcott, Brightcove, November 26, 2013, http://blog.streamingmedia.com/2015/03/conviva-viewing-report.html
`
`75% of today’s
`
`viewers will abandon
`a poor-quality video
`experience within four
`minutes.1
`Consumers are 62%
`more likely to have a
`negative impression of
`a brand that publishes
`stuttering, buffering video.2
`
`TRANSCODING WITH
`WOWZA STREAMING ENGINE SOFTWARE
`
`TRANSCODING WITH THE
`WOWZA STREAMING CLOUD SERVICE
`
`TM
`
`TM
`
`•
`
`Customize your streams with a powerful
`server-side REST API.
`
`• Modify the built-in transcoding profiles to suit
`your needs.
`
`•
`
`•
`
`Configure static and dynamic video overlays
`for closed captioning, breaking news,
`advertising, and more.
`
`Push as many streams as you want to Wowza
`Streaming Engine, and transcode them all for
`no extra cost.
`
`•
`
`•
`
`•
`
`Save on outbound bandwidth—output a single
`high-resolution stream and let Wowza Streaming
`Cloud create various adaptive renditions.
`
`Start transcoding in seconds with an easy wizard—
`no additional setup or configuration required.
`
`Utilize the full transcoding, distribution, and
`player-provisioning workflow of the Wowza
`Streaming Cloud service, or use only the
`transcoder.
`
`NEXT STEPS/ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
`
`WATCH A RECORDING OF OUR WEBINAR
`Live Streaming: Why Transcoding Is So Critical to Quality:
`info.wowza.com/wowza-transcoder-webinar-on-demand
`
`For additional information, please visit wowza.com/streaming/live-transcoding.
`
`© 2015 Wowza Media Systems™, LLC. All rights reserved. “Wowza” and other identified trademarks are either registered or claimed
`trademarks of Wowza Media Systems, LLC; visit wowza.com/legal/trademarks for more information. Third-party trademarks are
`property of their respective owners; their use does not imply endorsement of Wowza products or services by the trademark owner.
`
`rev.0915
`
`DivX Exhibit 2003
`Netflix & Hulu v. DivX, IPR2020-00648
`Page 2003 - 3
`
`