Player SDK

Player

Player update

Normal

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Thibault Beyou

No-code

Dart

Building a mobile application with video functions? Let’s dive into why api.video is the right choice for this task.

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api.video encodes your videos, hosts them securely, and enables you to stream on any device or platform for you. You only need to build your mobile application, with your own branding.

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We value developer experience and the time spent on developing your mobile application, so we provide you with the tools we’d also choose to integrate video in a mobile application. We’ve developed several SDKs for you to use in order to take control of the video player in your mobile app.

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Check out these plaftorms:

- [Flutter](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-flutter-player) player for Android, iOS, and Web
- [ReactNative](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-reactnative-player) player Android and iOS
- [Android and Jetpack Compose](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-android-player)
- [Swift](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-swift-player) player for iOS

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With these player SDKs, you can integrate videos that you host on api.video into your mobile application in just a few minutes.

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The api.video mobile player SDKs support both VOD and live streaming, private videos, and player notifications. They also handle the dirty work for you:

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- take the [video ID](https://docs.api.video/vod/video-object#video-id) as input
- generate analytics events for [api.video analytics](https://api.video/product/video-analytics/)
- play back HLS using the best quality that fits actual network conditions
- fall back to MP4 when there is an issue with HLS

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Every api.video player SDK comes with a sample application. Check out the [documentation](https://docs.api.video/sdks/player#mobile) and look for the `example` directory in each SDK’s repository.

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The api.video players are open source. Feel free to fork and modify them as you want! We are happy to review your pull requests!

## Usage

To use api.video players, you need the [video ID](https://docs.api.video/vod/video-object#video-id) of video you want to serve. You can retrieve a video ID via the [API](https://docs.api.video/reference/api/Videos) or from the [dashboard](https://dashboard.api.video). 

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In a typical use case, you should follow this workflow:

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1. Add the player package to your project
2. Create a `VideoOptions` instance with the video ID of the video you want to serve 
3. Create a player controller and pass it the `VideoOptions` instance
4. Create the player view and pass the player controller to the player view.

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Check out this example for **Flutter**:

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Run this in your command line:

Check out the [Flutter player SDK documentation](https://docs.api.video/sdks/player/apivideo-flutter-player) for a detailed explanation.

## Quickstarts

To get you started, we created quickstart articles that can help you integrate the api.video player SDK in just a couple of minutes:

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- **Flutter**:

[api.video player for Flutter: playback videos on your apps](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/api-video-player-for-flutter-playback-videos-on-your-apps/)

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- **Android**:

[How to add an api.video player to your Android application](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/how-to-add-an-api-video-player-to-your-android-application/)

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- **Swift (iOS):**

[How to add an api.video Swift player to your iOS application](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/how-to-add-an-api-video-swift-player-to-your-ios-application/)

## Customization

Customizing the look & feel of the player is important to maintain your own branding in your application. The api.video player SDKs enable you to customize the UI of the player. You have the possibility to configure the color of the progress bar, the color of the play button, and many more items.

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If you think a customization option is missing, let us know in the `Issues` section of the player SDK’s GitHub repository.

## Using custom players

Even though we recommend using the api.video player SDKs when working with api.video’s solutions, you can use other players in your application.

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To support your decision even if you go with another player solution, we provide extensions for your mobile player to read and serve videos hosted with api.video through the [video ID](https://docs.api.video/vod/video-object#video-id)s.

- **Android**:

[Switch your existing Swift player to api.video](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/switch-your-existing-swift-player-to-api-video/)

- **iOS**:

[Switch your existing Swift player to api.video](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/switch-your-existing-swift-player-to-api-video/)

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To enable you to collect usage data even from the custom player of your choice, we created analytics libraries for Android and iOS that you can integrate into your application.

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- **Android**: https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-android-player-analytics
- **iOS:** https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-swift-player-analytics

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We can recommend these players in case you decide not to use the api.video player SDKs:

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- Flutter: `chewie` and `video_player`
- Android: `ExoPlayer`
- iOS: `AVPlayer`

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_Need help, or have questions? Join the [api.video community](https://community.api.video/) and start a discussion. Or simply create a sandbox account on [api.video](https://dashboard.api.video/login?_gl=1*13c9i22*_ga*MjQwNjA0MDAxLjE2ODgwNDYxNjI.*_ga_PSYKRMEWL4*MTcwMDIyOTIzOC4xNjguMS4xNzAwMjMwMTQzLjAuMC4w) and check out the features for yourself._

Enhance viewer experience in your mobile apps with api.video's player SDKs

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Doug Twitter

Doug Sillars

Product updates

api.video makes the delivery of streaming video easy. Just use our API to upload a video, and we handle all of the transcoding, storage and video delivery for you.  All you need to do is add the url (or iframe) to your site or app, and we handle the rest - ensuring fast, easy video delivery to all of your users.

The url (or iframe) from api.video that you add to your site contains a customisable video player full of great features. Today, we are announcing the release of our new video player with more incredible features to wow your customers.

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**<iframe src="https://embed.api.video/vod/viTLpKB231ATWOWjkHgi9bf" width = "800" height ="600" allowfullscreen></iframe>**

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A video describing the new api.video player, inside the new api.video player!

Our new player is completely rewritten from the ground up, built on top of the video.js architecture. So, what that does this mean for you? For existing api.video users - all your videos have been automatically upgraded to the new player, and all future videos will automatically use the player as well!
New Features
In addition to the new sleek look of the player, there are a lot of new features that we would like to share with you.

## Captions and chapters  

[Captions](https://apivideo.github.io/2020/03/06/@api.video-how-to-add-captions-to-your-videos-19eba225a4f8.html) and [Chapters](https://apivideo.github.io/2020/04/03/@api.video-restful-api-explained-e28c0e157c23.html) were supported in the last player, and continue to be supported by the api.video player.

## Chromecast

If there is a Chromecast on the same network as the device playing the video, a “cast” button will appear, so you can send to the larger screen.

## Picture in picture
Pop the video out of your browser, and keep watching, even when you visit different pages - or even different screens!  The video follows along so you can keep tabs of what is going on!

## Responsiveness

One unique feature in Video.js is that the player automatically delivers the appropriate stream based on both the network bandwidth available AND based on the size of the video viewport.  If you are watching a video on a small screen, or small window in the page, api.video only sends the largest appropriate size video to the screen - ensuring the highest quality,  without sending extra data to your customers (that they cannot consume).

## Video playback speed
For longer videos, some viewers may wish to watch at a slightly faster rate. The speed button in the bottom right allows you to watch as much as 2x faster than the original recording:

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**<iframe src="https://embed.api.video/vod/vi1SrFZunnjsskWtHfkJSLPE#autoplay#loop" width = "800" height ="600" allowfullscreen></iframe>**


## Video rewind and fast forward
Surrounding the video speed option are rewind and fast forward buttons.  The rewind backs up the video 10 seconds, and the fast forward moves the video ahead 20 seconds.  This is great when you miss a scene or critical bit of content, and want to quickly seek around in the video.

But, that is not the coolest part of the rewind and fast forward.  

## Live DVR
Yes! The rewind works on a live stream!  If you are watching a live stream on api.video and miss a word, or want to review a slide - you can rewind and pause the video.  Then press play, and increase the playback speed to zip back to the “live” coverage!

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**<iframe src="https://embed.api.video/vod/vi7TP72DbTUSxaEX5xv8Wg59" width = "800" height ="600" allowfullscreen></iframe>**

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We are really excited to share these great new features with you, and can’t wait to see what cool videos and ways you might implement these features to better display your content.  Please let us know what you think about the new video player in our **developer forum**: [community.api.video](https://community.api.video)

Announcing our new video player

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swift

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Romain Petit

Tutorials

Swift

We have now released the Swift player! The Swift player helps you to playback your videos easily in your iOS and iPadOS applications.

In this tutorial we will see how to add the Swift player to your code.

The [Swift player package](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-swift-player) allows you to use UIKit and SwiftUI to handle multi-platform projects.
The Swift player package is available on both Cocoapods and Swift Package Manager (SPM).

Before starting with this tutorial, make sure that you set your minimum target to iOS 13 and above.

To just give you a quick preview, we are going to create a Swift application with an api.video player that looks like this:

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## Upload video

Before starting to add the api.video Swift player to your application, you need to upload at least one video to your api.video account. If you haven't yet, see [how to upload a video](https://docs.api.video/vod/upload-a-video-regular-upload).

You'll need a video Id to use this component and play a video from api.video. To get yours, follow these steps:

1. [Log into your account](https://dashboard.api.video/login) or create one [here](https://dashboard.api.video/register).
2. Copy your API key (sandbox or production if you are subscribed to one of our [plans](https://api.video/pricing)).
3. Go to the official [api.video documentation](https://docs.api.video/).
4. Log into your account in the top right corner. If it's already done, make sure that it's the account you want to use.
5. Go to *API Reference* -> *Videos* -> *[List all videos](https://docs.api.video/reference/api/Videos#list-all-video-objects)*
6. On the right, be sure the *Authentication* section contains the API key you want to use.
7. Generate your upload token by clicking the *Try It!* button in the right section
8. Copy the *videoId* value of one of elements of the response in the right section.

Alternatively, you can find your video Id in the video details of your [dashboard](https://dashboard.api.video/).

## Add the api.video Swift player

In this section, we will go through the three main steps of adding the [api.video](http://api.video/) Swift player to your iOS application.

1. Get the latest version
    
    You can find it in the [release page](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-swift-player/releases)
    
2. Add the `ApiVideoPlayer` package to your app with:
    1. SPM
        
        Add the following to your package.swift

2. Cocoapods
    
    add the following to your Podfile

Replace X.X.X with the latest version.

3. UIKit
    
    a. Import the package

(!) Replace “YOUR_VIDEO_ID” by your own videoId to display video

(!) Replace “YOUR_PRIVATE_TOKEN” by the private token of the video to display it.

c. To get all player events (optional)

d. Implement the player view in your view controller and add constraints.

4. SwiftUI
    
    a. Import the `ApiVideoPlayer` package

b. In your view you have to instantiate the player and the player events in the init method

(!) Replace “YOUR_VIDEO_ID” by your own videoId to display video

If you want to play private videos:

c. In the body you have to add the player with the specification you want

You will be able to use all the methods available externally, by calling player.methodName, for example :

If you're looking for an easy way to integrate video into your application, check out our **[docs](https://docs.api.video/)** and **[sign up for a free account](https://dashboard.api.video/register).**

How to add an api.video Swift player to your iOS application

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video api

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GitHub Yohann

LinkedIn Yohann

Yohann Martzolff

Flutter

Flutter has a strength that only a handful of frameworks have: the power to build a multi-platform application with a single codebase. 

What if you need to display some videos in your new or future worldwide famous app? At the time I write this article, it’s fair to say that there aren’t many video players available for Flutter out there. Here comes our solution at [api.video](http://api.video)!

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## A single video player for all platforms

If you’re new to Flutter or cross-platform development, welcome to this wonderful, fast, and simple world! No more separate logics or codebase to create an application that works across multiple platforms. Better yet, no need to have multiple developers working to create different applications for various operating systems. Create an application once, and use it everywhere!

The api.video player for [Flutter](https://pub.dev/packages/apivideo_player) is built natively for Android, iOS, and web and can be implemented on these three platforms easily. All you need is a computer and an [api.video](https://dashboard.api.video/register) account.

Continue reading this article for a full tutorial 👀

## Upload a video to display it

In order to display a video, you need to first upload it! To upload a video, [login](https://dashboard.api.video/login) to your api.video account or if you are not registered already, you can easily [create an account](https://dashboard.api.video/register) for free.

Once you reach the dashboard, check if you have previously uploaded any videos, and if not, no worries! You can easily upload a video by clicking the “Create Video Object” button on the overview and follow the steps on the dashboard. 

💡 You can also upload videos to your workspace with one of our [SDKs](https://docs.api.video/reference/api/Videos#upload-a-video)

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## Add the api.video player to your application on Flutter

If you’re new to Flutter, or if you don’t already have a Flutter app running, [please follow the official guide](https://docs.flutter.dev/get-started/install).

Once your application is running, add the api.video player package to you Flutter.

### Option 1

Run the following command at the root of your project:

### Option 2

Modify your project’s `pubspec.yaml` file:

## For web usage

If your application is or will be used as a web app, you need to add the api.video PlayerSdk script to the `web/index.html` file of your project.

## For iOS usage

This package only works on iOS 13 and above. Please update your `ios/Podfile` platform property as follows, or update the iOS version in xCode.

## Display your first video

You can display your first video by following the easy steps below 👇

### 1. Import the package

Add the following line at the top of the file where you want to use the api.video player:

### 2. Create a new video player controller

You need to first instantiate a `ApiVideoPlayerController` to be able to use the video player widget.

To instantiate the `ApiVideoPlayerController`, you will need an api.video video id. Find the video id in the api.video dashboard by clicking on one of your videos found under the section called [videos](https://dashboard.api.video/videos).

Create a new widget or modify an existing one like this:

Run your application on the device of your choice and a simple line of text should appear on your application.

## 3. Create a new video player

Now that you have a functional `ApiVideoPlayerController`, you can create a new `ApiVideoPlayer` and associate your controller to the player.

Modify your widget by replacing the `Text` widget with an `ApiVideoPlayer` one:

`ApiVideoPlayer` comes with a parameter `fit` or type `BoxFit` to set how it will behave in its parent widget.

### 4. Make it yours!

You can customize your brand new video player the way you want by changing its colors and adding some event listeners.

## Add some event listeners

There are two ways to add an event listener to your video player controller:

1. When you instantiate the player controller

2. After the player controller has been initialized.

The following sample code shows you how to add an `onPlay` event listener on `ApiVideoPlayerController` instantiation and an `onPause` event listener after the controller has been initialized in the `initState` method.

Modify your code like this to test these two event listeners:

## Customize the theme of your player

You can change your video player’s style by attributing a `PlayerStyle` class to the `style` parameter of your `ApiVideoPlayer` widget:

## Go further

You can access and control the video player features such as the play button, reverse, or forward features from outside of the player. 

Let’s see how we can retrieve the video’s information and control our video player from elsewhere.

### Retrieve the video’s information

The `ApiVideoPlayerController` gives you access to a lot of information about the current video: duration, current time, volume, and many more.

Let’s add a simple button to retrieve the current video duration.

Modify your widget as follows:

## Control the video from outside of the player

You can control the video player from outside of the player thanks to the controller methods.

For instance, we can add an icon button to mute and unmute the video on press.

Modify your widget as follows:

## Full documentation and example

Find the [full documentation](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-flutter-player) and a [full sample app](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-flutter-player/tree/main/example) in our GitHub repository. 

If you're looking for an easy way to integrate video into your application, check out our **[docs](https://docs.api.video/)** and **[sign up for a free account](https://dashboard.api.video/register)**.

api.video player for Flutter: playback videos on your apps

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Android

A few months ago, my colleague Yohann wrote a fantastic article on [How to create a React Native live streaming application for mobile targets](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/how-to-build-a-live-streaming-app-in-3-steps/). This time, you will learn how to create the same application with a React Native competitor: Flutter.

In this article, you will develop a live streaming application in Dart. For further details, check out our official [Flutter live stream repository](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-flutter-live-stream).

## **Few words about Flutter**

Google developed Flutter in 2015. In 2021, it was the most used cross-platform mobile framework (42% against 38% for React Native, [source](https://www.statista.com/statistics/869224/worldwide-software-developer-working-hours/)). It is used to develop cross-platform applications (including iOS and Android) quickly. The main difference between Flutter and React Native is that Flutter compiles Dart code to native bytecode/libraries, whereas React Native uses an engine to interpret JavaScript or TypeScript code. If you haven't heard of Flutter, you can learn more on the [Flutter website](https://flutter.dev/). 

## **Getting started**

First, follow the development setup steps from [Flutter's official documentation](https://docs.flutter.dev/get-started/install).

If you're new to Flutter, you may also need to [learn the basics](https://docs.flutter.dev/get-started/codelab).

*Quick reminder: iOS development is only enabled for macOS users. If you're on Windows or Linux, you can develop for Android.*

### **Create a new Flutter app**

1. Open Android Studio.
3. You should see a “New Flutter Project” button. Click on it.
5. Verify the Flutter SDK path and click on “Next.”
7. Enter your project name: “live_stream_app” (according to the [pubspec documentation](https://dart.dev/tools/pub/pubspec#name), the name must be lower_case_with_underscore.)
9. Make sure the project type is set to Application.
11. Click on “Finish.”

### **Launch the application**

Once Android Studio is launched, you can directly run your application with the control toolbar:

run your application with the control toolbar

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1. Select your phone.
2. Click on the *Run* ▶️ icon.

It will take several minutes to finish, stay calm and grab a coffee ☕️

When the application build completes, it will be launched on your phone. Check your phone 🤳🏾

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🎉🎉🎉Congratulations, you have created your first Flutter application 🎉🎉🎉

#### **Signs your iOS application (optional)**

If you have trouble building the application for an iOS device, it might be because the application is not associated with a development profile.

Open Xcode, click  "Open a project or file," and open the `Runner.xcworkspace` located in `live_stream_app/ios.`

Click on Runner, go to the `Signing & Capabilities` tab, add your team, and create a unique bundle identifier.

## Add the **live streaming client to your app**

Now let's install the Flutter live streaming client!

### **Installation**

Open a terminal in your `live_stream_app` folder and the following command:

Also, you need to set the Android minSdkVersion to the one supported by Flutter live stream client.

Open your application build.gradle. It's located in the live_stream_app/android/app directory and replace:

### **Permissions**

⚠️ Both iOS and Android need permission to broadcast from your device's camera and record audio.

You will also need to ask for internet permission for Android.

#### Android

From your project folder, open the `AndroidManifest.xml` file. It’s located in the `live_stream_app/android/app/src/main` directory.
Add the following content just under the opening `<manifest>` tag to enable internet, audio recording, and the camera for your application:

#### iOS

From your project folder, open the `Info.plist` file. It's located in the `live_stream_app/ios/Runner` directory.
Add the following content just under the opening `<dict>` tag to enable the camera and microphone:

Don't forget to add the app description, as shown above, if you want to deploy your application in app stores.

### **Usage**

You can check the [Flutter live streaming sample application](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-flutter-live-stream/tree/master/example) for the whole application picture.

#### Create a controller and the camera preview

Change your `main.dart` file located in the `live_stream_app/lib` with the following code:

Launch your application. You now have the camera preview.

#### Manage application lifecycle

The next step is to manage application lifecycle. You will have to stop/start the camera when your application goes to/from the background. 

The class `_MyHomePageState` must implement the abstract class `WidgetsBindingObserver`. Replace its declaration with:

Register the lifecycle observer, add in initState:

#### Add a control panel

You still can't start a live stream because there is no way to do it. 

We are going to add a [Row](https://api.flutter.dev/flutter/widgets/Row-class.html) of [IconButton](https://api.flutter.dev/flutter/material/IconButton-class.html) that can control your live streaming.

Import the following package:

Then, add the _controlRowWidget() in the Colum under the ApiVideoCameraPreview. Replace your _MyHomePageState build method by:

Finally, update the `_isStreaming` variable in the controller’s callbacks to update the `IconButton` state when the live streaming is stopped.

Replace `createLiveStreamController` by:

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#### Launch your first live stream

⚠️⚠️⚠️ If you want to run your live stream, you will need to change `YOUR_STREAM_KEY` to a real one. 

You can find yours in the [api.video dashboard](https://dashboard.api.video/). If you don't have an account yet, create one, it's free. Then, create a livestream from the overview or the “Live streams” page.

Find this action card and click on "Start live stream"

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A modal will appear with several pieces of information in it, including the shareable link and stream key. Save the shareable link to access your live stream later.

This modal should appear once you click on "Start live stream"

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	💡 You can also use the api.video API to create a live stream and retrieve your stream key dynamically. Find how to do this right here.
	Paste your stream key in place of `YOUR_STREAM_KEY`.

Click on the live button in your application; it should be disabled if the live streaming properly starts. Then, go to the shareable link you just saved. 

There you go! You can see what your mobile is streaming in real-time! If not, wait a few seconds and check your stream key value.

🎉🎉🎉 Congratulations, you have created your first live streaming Flutter application 🎉🎉🎉

You can now do an actual live stream directly from your Android and iOS devices. 

## And now what?

[api.video](http://api.video) provides two development environments. The sandbox allows you to live stream directly from your computer or mobile, but a watermark will be applied to your video, and there is a 30-minute limit for live streams. 

To avoid these limitations, [subscribes](https://api.video/pricing) to api.video and go into production mode 🚀.

Also, the Flutter RTMP live stream client allows us to do much more in terms of configuration!

You can match both audio and video configuration to your needs.

Also, there are some properties can be updated during the live stream:

* Camera: front or back
* Audio: muted or unmuted.

Check out the [README](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-flutter-live-stream/blob/master/README.md) for exhaustive information about the `apivideo_live_stream` package.

Build your Flutter live streaming application with api.video

Build your Flutter live streaming application

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codec

video create

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Cédric Montet

At api.video, our goal is for video to be easy and affordable for anyone to build, be it individuals or organizations. We understand that achieving this goal means reducing costs at some stage of the video streaming process. That’s why, we now offer adaptive bitrate encoding for your videos at zero cost. 

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Yes, you heard me right. 

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**Encoding videos will be absolutely free for all video qualities (1080p or 4K) at [api.video](https://api.video/) - no hidden calculations, footer notes or tricks.**

(Check out this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouosgLbW7Ts) for more details) 


## A step towards making video streaming affordable

Video encoding is crucial as it makes it possible for videos to be shared and played smoothly on the internet. It is why we are easily able to consume various types of video media, whether it’s a YouTube video, our favorite shows on Netflix, or even catching up with friends across the globe on Zoom. Video encoding basically makes the world go around in regards to anything related to video and video content.

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We at api.video recognize that. From [increasing the transcoding and playback speed ](https://api.video/blog/product-updates/2021-in-review/)to building [specialized hardware like ASICs](https://api.video/blog/video-trends/the-comeback-of-specialized-hardware/) cards to increase our transcoding capacities, we've been working to make video streaming easier for you every day. And after dedicating ample time to engaging with our customers and learning about their concerns, free encoding seemed to be the next step in this direction. 

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So, we worked tirelessly behind the scenes to give you what no one else will - free encoding for all video qualities, be it 360p or 4K. 

## How does free video encoding benefit you as a customer

The benefit is straightforward: you save a LOT of money!

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- With free video encoding, you will have one less thing to worry about. As you know, you pay for three things for streaming videos — encoding, hosting, and delivery – out of which encoding is the most expensive, especially if you have a lot of videos. Free video encoding will allow you to focus your attention and resources to what is most important.

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- As the video needs of your app users grow, you might need to scale up your encoding capacity. Free video encoding services will give you the power to scale without any additional costs, meaning your users can handle more videos without increasing your expenses.

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- You can [migrate from your previous provider to api.video](https://api.video/compare/azure-media-services/) without paying an ‘entry tax’ to us. With free video encoding, you no longer need to spend money on encoding videos with a new provider when you have already paid for encoding with an older one.

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Now with all the saved cost, you can allocate your resources and money to a place where it is actually important – building your product and delighting your users. 

## How to get started

To use the free video encoding benefit, getting started is easy. 

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- If you’re a new user, [sign-up](https://dashboard.api.video/register) for a free sandbox account and start uploading your videos
- If you are looking to migrate from another vendor, [import](https://import.api.video/) your videos from your current vendor
- If you have any questions, [talk to us](https://meetings.hubspot.com/diego398/cc-talk-to-us?__hstc=54467703.754940701eda85e3c99a902d8ab0b988.1687266643206.1694417789132.1694427271479.149&__hssc=54467703.3.1694427271479&__hsfp=3654297906) by booking a slot in our calendar

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To know more about our[ features](https://api.video/features/), [pricing](https://api.video/pricing/) or ask any other questions, [talk to our team ](https://meetings.hubspot.com/diego398/cc-talk-to-us?__hstc=54467703.754940701eda85e3c99a902d8ab0b988.1687266643206.1694162373815.1694167498585.144&__hssc=54467703.1.1694167498585&__hsfp=3654297906)and we will help you out. 

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Or, you can straightaway [sign-up](https://dashboard.api.video/register) for a free sandbox account and check our product out for yourself. 


Huge pricing update: Introducing video encoding at no cost

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api.video

Video trends

Modern technology has been helpful for an increasingly fast and simple method of consuming various types of video media, whether it’s a YouTube video, our favorite shows on Netflix, or even catching up with friends across the globe on Zoom. Despite the relative ease of doing anything related to video, a few complex processes take place behind the scenes, away from public view. One such process is video encoding.

Video encoding basically makes the world go around in regards to anything related to video and video content. Thanks to the technologies behind the video encoding process, it has become much easier for people and companies to share video content on the internet. But what exactly is video encoding, and what happens during the process? We’ll take a closer look at this and much more in this handy guide to video encoding.

## What is video encoding?

In a nutshell, video encoding occurs when you take raw video footage, either from a digital camera or an analog film camera, and digitally compress it to make it a more manageable file size. Video encoding happens daily in both professional and personal capacities, and many people don’t realize it.

But, without encoding, services like Netflix and YouTube would not exist – or, at least, not in the same way that it does today. Without it, we couldn’t send videos of our beloved pets to our friends and family as easily as we can today.

## Why is video encoding used?

There are a variety of reasons why video encoding is used, but all factors point to the single function of video encoding – **compression**.

This is done to ensure optimal performance and compatibility with a selected suite of software and hardware, be it for DVD/Blu-ray playback, mobile viewing, online video streaming, or general video editing. A file's video and audio information undergo transformation and compression during the encoding process, all in accordance with the requirements of the selected encoding standard.

On a professional level, the ability to compress raw video into more manageable sizes makes it easier to transmit video content such as training, promotion, presentation, and so on over the internet. 

On a personal level, video encoding makes it much easier to send videos taken from your phone directly to friends and family. Most modern-day personal devices have built-in video encoding capabilities to allow for this to happen without a second thought.

To put things in perspective, uncompressed or unencoded video can have a data rate that’s as low as 3,000 Mbps and as high as 12,000 Mbps, depending on the length and quality of the video recorded. 

**Without encoding, it would take up to days for anyone to not just transmit video, but to be able to consume it, too.**

## Differences between video encoding and video transcoding

You need to be familiar with two more [essential terms related to video encoding](https://api.video/what-is/) – transcoding and codecs.

Transcoding relates to the conversion from one digital encoding format to another. It takes the already encoded video file, decompresses it, and then alters it before re-encoding or compressing it into a different codec. Codecs are what allow encoding to occur in the first place. They are software or hardware that gives us the ability to compress video to make them more easily stored and delivered tightly.

While you may hear “encoding” and “transcoding” used interchangeably, the two terms actually mean different things. Putting it succinctly, encoding is the initial process of compressing a video from a source – such as a camera – into a codec, while transcoding takes an already encoded video file to convert it into a different codec.

## Examples of video codecs

In order to understand video encoding, you must first be familiar with two interrelated terms: [video codecs and video formats](https://api.video/blog/product-updates/every-video-format-codec-and-container-explained/). These also tend to be used interchangeably, but much like the terms encoding and transcoding, they refer to two different things.

Video formats are the type of files in which the compressed video/audio is stored. Also known as a “container”, you can tell what a video format is by looking at the file’s extension — the three to four characters that sit after a period in a file name. Here are some of the most common video formats used today:

* MP4
* FLV
* MOV
* MKV
* LXF
* MXF
* AVI
* WebM
* QT

On the other hand, **the codec is short for “Coder / Decoder” (compression / decompression)** and relates to the video compression algorithms that allow encoding to happen. Over the years, codecs have gone through multiple iterations as it coincides with the increasing sophistication and rise in the quality of filmmaking. 

If you’re a content creator, you might be aware of some of the video codecs that exist today:

- **H.264 – also known as AVC, this is the most widely-used video codec available on every platform and mobile device.**
- H.265 – also known as HEVC, stands for High-Efficiency Video Coding, and it’s slowly overtaking H.264 as the standard. This codec can compress video much more efficiently than its predecessor.
- **VP9 – is an open-source, royalty-free codec developed by Google and is considered the direct competitor of H.265. The video compression codec VP9 was created to reduce file sizes, making streaming videos simpler.**
- **AV1 – is another royalty-free, open-source codec released in 2019 by the non-profit Alliance for Open Media. It was developed to become the successor to Google’s VP9 and contend with HEVC more directly.**

## How do different technologies handle video encoding

As you may have suspected, there are a majority of ways that different technologies handle the video encoding process. Let’s take a look at the most common technologies that use video and how video encoding works on each of them:

### Video editing software

When it comes to video content creation, a majority of people will use one of two video editing software — Adobe Premiere Pro or Apple’s Final Cut Pro. Both of these video editing software handle video encoding in very similar ways: when exporting the finished video.

Depending on which device the video content is recorded on, it will already be encoded and formatted according to the settings of the device. For those using iPhones recording 1080p video at 25 frames per second (FPS), for example, the iPhone will automatically encode the video using H.264 and contain it in a .mov file format. The video editing software will “open up” the container to get to the encoded, compressed video file within so the editing process can begin.

After editing the footage is complete, it will need to be exported, which typically concerns video encoding. The edited raw media taken from a recording device such as a camera will be encoded via the codec of the person’s choosing before being put into a .mp4 container once they’ve hit “export”. As we’ve mentioned before, the most common codec used in video content creation is H.264 for HD videos, with 4K videos using H.265. 

### Websites

Different websites utilize different techniques to handle video encoding – with a majority of the major sites like YouTube, Netflix, and so on using their own technologies to handle the process. A majority of social media websites allow you to upload video files directly onto the site to share, although most of them require the files to be saved in specific containers. 

These websites will take your video file and transcode it before using their own systems and serves to re-encode it to match multiple display resolutions. This process will happen regardless of your video file's original codec and settings. Different websites have different processes, but companies that don’t have the capacity to build their own video encoding systems can use a third-party application programming interface (or API) to handle this process. These APIs act as [dedicated video encoder](https://api.video/encoding/) that allows companies to add on-demand videos to their websites more efficiently.

Using [api.video](http://api.video) as an example, all of the videos submitted to the platform will be transformed into H.264 codec in an MP4 container. This may be done using transmuxing and/or transcoding.

We expect the video bitrate to be lower than 16 Mbps for up to 1080p resolution and 50 Mbps for up to 4K resolution. We accept any bitrates, however, we will scale them down to the limits mentioned because anything above is usually challenging for most viewers’ connection to watch.

### API

The ability to generate, store, and distribute video is made possible via a video API. [api.video](http://api.video)’s solution can be tailored to suit any specific need. 

The backend process of video on demand (VOD) is exceptionally complex, even if you’re a software programmer specializing in video. It is necessary to encode, package, and typically transcode the data before sending it to any of several possible destinations. All of these things, and more, may be done with minimal fuss using api.video.

Our API basically keeps the complexities of streaming media hidden from view, so you can rapidly develop apps with as much control as you need. This saves time and effort so developers can concentrate on making the product.

## Conclusion

As you can see through this video encoding guide, a lot of work goes into making the video you watch and the video you share possible. Without video encoding compressing raw video footage, it could take days to upload and transmit video content over the internet and perhaps even longer to be able to download and enjoy them. 

The best part about encoding at api.video is that is offered at ZERO cost. You will only be charged for delivery and hosting of your videos, and the encoding will be free. Now integrate your videos in minutes with api.video or [contact us](https://api.video/contact) for more information.

A Guide to Video Encoding & Video Codecs

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Erikka Innes

Encoding and transcoding are often used interchangeably but they have slightly different definitions. **Encoding is the initial process of converting raw video files into a specific digital format or codec.** It involves compressing and packaging the video data, often to reduce file size while maintaining acceptable quality. Encoding prepares the video for storage, transmission, or playback.

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**Transcoding, on the other hand, involves converting a video from one digital format or codec to another.** This is typically done to optimize the video for different devices or platforms, adapt to varying network conditions, or ensure compatibility with specific playback requirements. Transcoding occurs after encoding and often involves changing resolution, bitrates, or formats without altering the content itself.

## What goes on behind encoding a video?

It's easy to say that encoding is when you go from an _uncompressed source_ to a _compressed source_, but you may ask, what exactly do compressed and uncompressed sources mean?

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Uncompressed sources are video files that contain data that comes directly from a camera sensor vs. encoded video. In the digital space, it's SDI (Serial Digital Interface) or HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface). Both of them are popular standards. You'll find HDMI in places like your GoPro camera, or a mini camcorder. These days, you might also find HDMI in professional settings, but SDI is more common due to its reliability. Another example of an uncompressed source would be something analog, for instance, VHS tapes.

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A compressed sources, on the other hand, are video files that have undergone compression during the encoding process. Compression involves reducing the file size by removing unnecessary information or encoding the data in a more efficient format. This process results in a smaller file size, making it more manageable for storage, transmission, and playback.


## What are the types of transcoding methods?

There are three types of transcoding, depending on what you are trying to do to get a video to suit a particular browser, player, or platform:

* **Lossless-to-lossless** - This type of transcoding maintains the quality of your video across formats but allows you to take advantage of better hardware or compression algorithms. 
* **Lossless-to-lossy** - This type of transcoding will decrease your video in quality, but it will benefit you in ways such as – you will get a smaller and/or faster playing file, or a file that is compatible with the requirements of a particular platform, player, or browser.
* **Lossy-to-lossless** - Sometimes people think this means they are regaining quality. This isn't the case in this type of transcoding. If you transcode from a lossy format to a lossless format, all that it means is that you will not lose additional quality in the conversion process. You will not regain data you already lost through compression.

## Codecs for encoding and transcoding

For both encoding and transcoding, you will need to make use of codecs. A codec's job is to compress and decompress video files. It's right there in the name -  **co**mpress **dec**ompress or encode decode. So basically, codec is an algorithm that takes the video and shrinks it or changes it into a format that makes it compatible with the requirements of wherever you want the video to play. There are many codecs because there are many ways to compress a video or livestream for playback.



## What is transmuxing?

Now that you know the difference between encoding and transcoding, let's throw one more term in there - transmuxing. Transmuxing is when you change the container for a video instead of the format. It's a way of repackaging a video to make it compatible somewhere without changing what's in the file. 

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This process is faster than encoding or transcoding and takes less computing power because you only change the container, not the file. It's great when you need to quickly make something available, but the downside is that it doesn't handle things like making multiple video resolutions available. If you choose a container type that's incompatible with your video file, you may also cause compatibility issues, resulting in not being able to play the video.

## In closing

* **Encoding** - Encoding happens when you compress a raw data file from a video camera sensor or an analog source like a VHS tape. 
* **Transcoding** - Transcoding happens when you take an already compressed video file and change it to another format.
* **Transmuxing** - Transmuxing happens when you change the container of a video file but leave the video file untouched. 

We hope that explains the difference between encoding and transcoding clearly. 

_If you are looking for an affordable video API solution that does not burn a hole in your pocket for transcoding and encoding videos, check out our offerings on our [homepage](https://api.video/) or [sign-up for a free account here](https://dashboard.api.video/register)!_

Encoding and transcoding: what's the difference? 

Encoding and Transcoding - What's the Difference?

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Once I upload my video, how quickly will it be ready to be viewed?

Our reply to this question has always been “it's really fast.”  And it is really fast. But, the dev team gave me access to the backend database, and pointed me to a few tables that might be helpful (thanks to Thomas Persohn for your patient help!)

Thus armed, I waded into a sea of data to better understand how fast our videos are encoded at api.video

## Encoding

When a video is uploaded to api.video, it is re-encoded to a HLS stream, with several different video dimensions and bitrates.  This allows api.video to deliver properly sized video to all users - no matter the device or network connection. (Read our post on [Responsive video delivery](https://api.video/blog/video-trends/responsive-video-delivery/) to learn more.)

> Summary:  All videos are encoded at 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p and 2160p. However, the videos are only encoded up to the initial size of the video (so if the original video is 720p, there will not be 1080p or 2160p versions available). 

**FYI:** For our customers, encoding is absolutely free – we offer adaptive bitrate encoding at zero cost. 

How long does this step take? If a customer uploads a video to our service - they want to know how efficient api.video creates the content for viewing.

### Data in the study

We are constantly making adjustments to our infrastructure to speed the encoding step of our video (and that is one reason this post is dated 2H 2020 - we expect to be faster in early 2021). The last major adjustment was made in mid October, so the data presented in this study from every video uploaded to the api.video service between 15 October and 2 December 2020.

### Parameters that affect encoding

There are 2 major parameters that affect the speed of encoding a new video stream: the output dimensions and the length (duration) of the video.  

#### Dimensions

The output video dimensions have a huge impact on video creation - a 3840 × 2160 (or 4K or 2160p) video has millions more pixels than a 320x240 (240p) video, so it takes a lot longer to create.  In general, the videos exit the encoding process from smallest to largest.

#### Duration

If a video is 30 frames per second, and is 60 seconds long, there are 1800 frames to be created.  If a 30 frame per second video is an hour long 3600s), there are 108,000 frames to be created, so the longer the video - the more time for creation.

## Analysis

To better understand the encoding time, I divided the data by the size of the output video size, and looked at 2 lengths of video  - those under 5 minutes, and videos that are 45-75 minutes long (we are often asked how long a 1 hour video takes to encode).

I calculated encoding time for each bucket of video using percentiles.  

> Quick review - percentiles break the data into 100 evenly sized segments, so the 25th percentile is when 25% of the videos have been encoded. The median is the 50th percentile, and is when 50% of videos have been encoded.  We report here to the 95th percentile for video encoding.

### Short videos - under 5 minutes long

Many of the videos uploaded to api.video are short - under 5 minutes long.  These videos are generally ready to play in a few seconds:



The above chart has a lot of data, the 25, 50, 75, 90 and 95th percentile encoding times for all 6 variants of the video that api.video creates.

The median video is ready to play (at 240p) in 5.6 seconds, but a 720p version will be ready in 15s after encoding begins, and the 4K version will be ready in 37 seconds.

95% of all videos (under 5 minutes) will be playable in 32.6s, and will have 1080p versions ready in just over 2 minutes (140s).

### Long videos - 45 - 75 minutes long

Our most frequently asked question on encoding is "how long for a 1 hour video to be encoded and ready?"  Here are the numbers:


Observant viewers will see there are no 4K videos in this report. At this time, there are very few 4K streams that reach the 1 hour timeframe, and the data was quite noisy.  Hopefully, more of our 'long uploads' will add 4K support, so we can add this metric in our next update.

The median hour long video (red line) will be ready to play (at 240p) in just over 9 minutes (555s), and a 720p version will be ready about 18 minutes after encoding begins (1099s).

95% of hour long videos will have a 240p version ready in 33 minutes, and 720p in 54 (3230s).  the 1080p version will be available for 95% of videos in 108 minutes,

## Conclusion

Short videos will be ready to play - even at high resolution - in under a minute: the median 4K encoding for a short video is 37s. 

Hour long videos take longer to encode, and the median 720p video will be ready in 18 minutes.  95% of 720p videos will be ready to play in 54 minutes.

This is really fast! You can have responsive streaming video ready for your customers in just a few minutes with a simple upload!

That said, our team is working hard in the background to improve our infrastructure to make our encoding speeds even faster! 

We're really excited to have hard numbers to share with you on our encoding speeds, and we cannot wait to re-benchmark this data in 2021 to see how much faster your videos will be encoded as we improve our service.

Do you have questions about api.video or video encoding? Reach out on our [community page](https://community.api.video).


How fast does api.video encode video? 2H 2020 data

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Huge pricing update! Introducing video encoding at zero cost

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Huge pricing update! Introducing video encoding at zero cost