The pros of using a hardware encoder are as follows: Usually, there will be some sort of an interface so you can choose between options and, for example, pick the encoding codec or the destination of the stream. There will be an encoding algorithm in there, as well as a powerful processing unit whose sole job is to run the encoding algorithm. Hardware encoders pack all you need in a neat little box. What are the pros and cons of hardware encoders? You should familiarize yourself with those if you want to make a good purchase decision, so let’s dig into them a bit deeper.
The two differ in fundamental ways, which also means that each comes with its own set of pros and cons. In some sense, hardware encoders are very similar to their software counterparts because, by the time you’ve put them into a setup, that’s what they’ll both be - algorithms and hardware.īut that’s all there is to their similarities. The abiding question with encoders is, “Which ones are better: hardware encoders or software encoders?” An encoder is basically an algorithm and the hardware needed to run it. The two types of encoders: What are the pros and cons of each? That’s the special role that grants encoders their importance. Take it out of the equation and video streaming platforms would have a hard time understanding and reproducing the data you’re sending them. The encoders’ dead-center position in a streaming setup is necessary because the encoder is the translator and the communicator. Restream is one of the leading providers of cloud multistreaming services.
Multistreaming services: Services for streaming to more than one website at any given time. Facebook does it with Facebook Live, YouTube with YouTube Live, and LinkedIn with LinkedIn Live. Social networks: Most offer live streaming services these days. Streaming and video-sharing platforms: Twitch is the most popular streaming platform, and YouTube is the biggest video-sharing website that offers streaming services. These destinations can be any of the following: More importantly, there needs to be something waiting to take in that data. There needs to be a fairly strong and stable internet connection - with a nice upload speed - for this part of the process. When the encoder does its job - puts the data in a communicable format - it sends it to wherever you want to stream. Sometimes they connect straight to the camera and always to the internet. Hardware encoders: Dedicated pieces of hardware that run encoding algorithms. They get data from the capture cards, and they send it via the internet. Software encoders: Encoding computer programs you run on a personal computer. But before that information is transmitted in a live stream, it needs to be captured and encoded - transferred to a format streaming platforms, websites, and services can understand.Ĭapture cards are in charge of capturing the video and audio. Computer screen: Video games, presentations, and anything else you can show on a computer screen often finds its way into live streams. Microphones: Built-in microphones rarely provide audio quality that’s sufficient for live streaming. Professional cameras, you guessed it, are best.
Cameras: Webcams are good, but camcorders and DSLRs are better. For live streaming, the input can come from: So it all starts with the input - the place where the information that goes into the system is made. That should suffice for illustrating their importance. We’ll use a simple input-encode-output model to get a sense of the position encoders occupy in a live streaming setup. The best place to start getting to know encoders and their importance is where they do most of their work. What are the essentials of a streaming setup? So let’s get better acquainted with the heart and brain of the streaming setup, in the hope it’ll help you when the time comes to pick one. But if you’d have to do it, the obvious choice for the MVP of your streaming setup would be the encoder. Which audience are you addressing with your content? What are the websites and platforms where you should stream? Finally, what kind of a streaming setup do you need to use? And what are the pros and cons of the gear choices you’re presented with, such as the popular “software or hardware encoder” choice?Įvery cog in the machine that is your streaming setup is vital, so much so that it would almost be unfair to single out one component as the most important. Your foray into live streaming will be marked by the critical questions you’ll need to answer.
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