Authenticate

live - create

Normal

doug.jpg

twitter-brands.svg

Doug Twitter

Doug Sillars

Video trends

Sharing live video is an exciting way to connect with your audience. But, if the idea of setting up video live stream infrastructure seems daunting, I’d like to reassure you that it does not have to be! 
In this post, I’ll walk you through the steps to get a live video stream up and running in just 5 steps, where only 2 are made to the streaming server!

For simplicity, we’ll stream our video from your laptop camera & mic. The first thing you’ll need is some software to record your live stream and upload it to the streaming server. In this example, we’ll use OBS: it is free, and runs on Linux/Mac/Windows.

## Create a streaming server

We’ll be using [api.video](https://api.video) for our streaming server. By sending just two simple API commands, we will be able to initiate our streaming server.

Once you’ve [created an account](https://dashboard.api.video/register), you’ll end up at the API dashboard, listing your Sandbox API key (The production key will appear when once you have upgraded your account). We’ll need these in a second.

An image of the production and sandbox api keys in your api.video dashboard

large_apikeys.png

medium_apikeys.png

small_apikeys.png

thumbnail_apikeys.png

apikeys.png

#### Creating the live stream

To create the live stream, we need to send some commands to api.video (check out the API reference documentation here: [live streams](https://docs.api.video/reference/api/Live-Streams#list-all-live-streams)). We’ll use curl in the terminal to communicate with the API.

1. The first thing we need to do is [authenticate](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/authentication-tutorial/) ourselves with our API key. We do that by sending our API key in a post request. In the example below, the stream is being created in the sandbox, so you should use your sandbox API key.


**Tip:** Make sure you replace <your_api_key> with the sandbox API key from api.video. Keep the double quotes around the API key.

You’ll get a response from the server with your Access Token. You’ll need this string, so copy all of the text between the quotes:

medium_capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-17-20.jpg

small_capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-17-20.jpg

thumbnail_capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-17-20.jpg

capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-17-20.jpg

2. Now we create the live stream (yes — it really is just two steps!). To do this, you need to tell api.video the name of your stream (and also provide the access token to prove that you are allowed to create the stream):

This command tells the Live Stream API that you are authorized to make changes (your access token), and then sends a small JSON package naming your stream “Your Stream Name” (feel free to change this if you’d like).

**Tip:** Make sure that when you paste in your access token, you still have that single quote after it.

The response to this command is a JSON file:

The streamKey is used in the next step. You can also see that you have not started streaming yet (broadcasting=false), and there are a bunch of urls. If you open the “Player” url in a browser, you’ll see that you have a live stream! It is not actually streaming any video yet, but we’re getting there.

medium_capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-19-23.png

small_capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-19-23.png

thumbnail_capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-19-23.png

capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-19-23.png

This background is the default image — We will show you how to change this at the end of the tutorial.

**Sending video to the server**

3. Now we need to get OBS to start collecting video from your laptop camera, and send it to api.video.

You need to add video sources. Press the + under sources to add a source.

thumbnail_capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-24-02.png

capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-24-02.png

Select “Video Capture Device” and choose the built in camera from the drop down, and click Ok (example is from a Mac):

thumbnail_capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-24-10.png

capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-24-10.png

Now you should see your face on the screen, ready for live streaming.

4. Now we can connect the OBS stream to the stream server at api.video. On the bottom right of OBS, click “Settings”, and open the “Stream” settings. Under Service, select Custom, and add “rtmp://broadcast.api.video/s” for the server, and copy the stream Key from the JSON response in step 2.

thumbnail_capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-24-18.png

capture-d-ecran-2020-07-29-a-17-24-18.png

Alternatively, you can use the preset settings in OBS under api.video.

large_screenshot-2020-12-15-at-13-02-45.png

medium_screenshot-2020-12-15-at-13-02-45.png

small_screenshot-2020-12-15-at-13-02-45.png

thumbnail_screenshot-2020-12-15-at-13-02-45.png

screenshot-2020-12-15-at-13-02-45.png

Save the settings

5. Click “Start Streaming” in OBS to start sending video from your camera to the streaming server. Open your browser to the Player URL from Step 2, and in a few short seconds, your live stream will appear!

**A live stream in 5 steps!**
That’s all there is to it! Share the links, place them on your site, and stream away. When you are done, just press “stop streaming” in OBS.

**Bonus step: Adding a custom background poster**
You may have noticed that the poster video for your live stream was the default image from api.video. If you’d like to change the background image to something more on brand while people wait for your live stream, you just need your liveStreamId and a jpg image:

This will update the poster thumbnail for your video.

# Conclusion
Creating and sharing a live video stream might sound like a complicated process, but using api.video we were able to quickly and painlessly create a live stream.
With just two API commands, we set up a streaming server that allows us to share our local stream with thousands of users around the world. Then we configured a local application to transmit the data to the server and began our broadcast.
don't hestate to reach us on [our community](https://community.api.video/) or [start building](https://dashboard.api.video/register) right now!

Video live streaming in just 5 easy steps

Video Live Streaming in Just 5 Easy Steps

medium_onair.jpeg

small_onair.jpeg

thumbnail_onair.jpeg

onair.jpeg

Video update

Tutorials

Adding tags is a great way to simplify searches in your video collection - you can simply search for a specific tag to show all of the videos. 

Adding tags is easy, but there are a few tricks you should be aware of. For example this video has the tag "captions":

If I want to add a tag "dialogue", I cannot simply Update the Video with a new caption. The PATCH command will rewrite the "tag" entry.

You can see more about available tagging commands in the API reference documentation: 
* [Update a video](https://docs.api.video/reference/api/Videos#update-a-video-object)
* [List all videos](https://docs.api.video/reference/api/Videos#list-all-video-objects)

## Best practice

[Show the Video](https://docs.api.video/reference/api/Videos#retrieve-a-video-object) to receive a JSON similar to the snippet above.  Collect any existing tags, append the new tag, and then update the video:

and you'll have the correct tags on the video:

## Example of tags in action

[upload.a.video/toDiscord](https://upload.a.video/toDiscord) is an uploader that tags each video with 'Discord'  We then have a way to see all te videos in our collection that have been posted to Discord channels.


## Conclusion

Are you ready to start your video journey, and using tags to help organise your videos? [Sign up now](https://dashboard.api.video/register) to begin testing for free! 

A picture of a set of tags, a pun on video tagging

small_angele-kamp-kaeauitiwnc-unsplash.jpg

thumbnail_angele-kamp-kaeauitiwnc-unsplash.jpg

angele-kamp-kaeauitiwnc-unsplash.jpg

Video tagging best practices

captions

Captions allow hearing impaired users to read the words being said in your video. It also improves watch times, and can improve your SEO.

To add captions to your video, you'll need a VTT file for a video already uploaded to api.video.
> [Learn how to create a VTT Video Caption File](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/how-to-add-captions-to-your-videos/)

>[Video Upload Tutorial](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/video-upload-tutorial/)

> Find all details to display your captions in [our docs](https://docs.api.video/reference/api/Captions#retrieve-a-caption)

## Authenticate your session
You will need your API key to obtain the access_token. You can find your API key in [your dashboard](https://dashboard.api.video/login).

First, call the authentication endpoint and get your access token.

Example - Curl Request

replace {videoId} with the videoId of the video to receive captions; {lang} with the language of the video (ex: en-US for US english); and {access_token} with your access token.

### JSON response

### Make captions default

The JSON response above shows that by default, captions are off.  To add them, send a PATCH update command:


## Conclusion

Captions make it easier to watch a video. Not just for hearing impaired users, but for autoplaying videos that begin muted. You users can just read what is happening without sound, and then, if they are interested can un-mute the video. You can also add internationalization by translating the captions to additional languages.

Let us know how you are using captions in our [developer community](https://community.api.video). Happy building!

Adding captions

medium_manwithfedora.jpg

small_manwithfedora.jpg

thumbnail_manwithfedora.jpg

manwithfedora.jpg

thumbnail_anne-sophie.jpg

anne-sophie.jpg

Twitter (Anne-Sophie)

Anne-Sophie Poupard

So you want to compete with one of the world’s largest corporations, a household brand name that operates just about everywhere?

small_netflix.jpeg

thumbnail_netflix.jpeg

netflix.jpeg

Awesome! We love a good challenge just as much as the next API provider. Building the next Netflix is no small task. Creating a so called “global TV network” requires a complex set of skills and knowledge. Remember, Netflix is a global platform, not just a content delivery network. Along with your streaming content, there’s the recommendation system, content database, the global farm of servers, and a constantly reliable payments system to support it all. Quite a lot of tools to juggle!

As you start on your journey towards global content domination, it’s important to find tools that quickly and easily integrate with each other, that way you can spend less time coding your site and more time finding great content for your audience. Here are a few APIs you can use to get started:

medium_netflix2.jpg

small_netflix2.jpg

thumbnail_netflix2.jpg

netflix2.jpg

1. Algolia — Search Platform
Algolia offers a reliable search platform for building search into your next Netflix. Their search engine API offers many features necessary for a robust search and database platform, including typo-tolerance, geosearch, and language-agnostic queries.

small_algolia.png

thumbnail_algolia.png

algolia.png

2. Stripe — Monetization

Stripe provides APIs that web developers can use to integrate payment processing into their websites and mobile applications. Their online payment processing system includes anti-fraud tools that run alongside their payments API in case of fraudulent transactions. You’ll need a robust payments platform to keep your global TV network running.

3. api.video — Video Management Platform

Our [api.video platform](https://api.video) is video infrastructure for product builders. This means that you can start within minutes, integrating a video stream (or streams) into your product using only a few lines of code. 
Our API was built specifically to answer frequently requested and long tail, on-demand videos, which means it’s the perfect tool if you’re trying to build the next Netflix. Our cloud infrastructure optimizes encoding and delivery for any network. Whether it’s 4K, HD, or SD, we guarantee videos that stream to any screen in the best quality possible.


Using APIs to build your next Netflix will help you scale easily along with your audience. Minimizing the integration grunt work can save you time on development and coding, which means more bandwidth for creating your next site and service.
You can reach our [community](https://community.api.video/) to ask questions or [create a free account](https://dashboard.api.video/register) to start building now.

How to build the next Netflix

We’re pretty familiar with the REST standard, and feel fairly confident answering this question. Our product, api.video was developed on the REST standard, chosen so that our API can scale rapidly and utilize the cloud to facilitate immediate playback no matter the device or platform. So, what exactly is a RESTful API and why are they so popular?

small_pexels-thisisengineering-3861943.jpg

thumbnail_pexels-thisisengineering-3861943.jpg

pexels-thisisengineering-3861943.jpg

A RESTful API is a standard approach to creating a web service communication protocol. REST stands for Representational State Transfer, but just what exactly does that mean? What are we transferring and what is being represented? In this scenario we are using a representation of a resource to transfer a resource state living on a server to an application state on the client slide. To put it even more simply, RESTful APIs work by accessing data when requesting services, a function that makes them perfect fit for a public facing API operating on the Internet, and why over 70% of public APIs were developed using the REST architectural style.

Now that we understand what a RESTful API, let’s dive a little deeper. Just how exactly does a RESTful API work? Luckily for you and for us, REST web service instructions operate under the hypertext transfer protocol, also known as HTTP. Very briefly, HTTP serves as the foundation of communication on our internet. It functions as a request-response protocol in the client-server computing model, i.e a client (web browser, web crawler, mobile apps, software) submits a request message to the server (site, service, computer), and the service responds in return with a response message or resource. Sound familiar? Well it should, since that’s exactly how RESTful APIs operate!

Even better for the lazy or perhaps enterprising developer, is that RESTful APIs use the same instructions as HTTP. This means less learning and more coding. As mentioned in other answers, these instructions and their corresponding operations include:

POST - Create

GET - Read

PUT - Update/Replace

PATCH - Update/Modify

DELETE - Delete

One more thing to keep in mind: As per the REST (Representational State Transfer) architecture, the server does not store any sate about the client session and vice-versa. This means that the operations function on a stateless protocol, meaning that when the sender (client) transmits a packet to the receiver (server), the sender does not expect an acknowledgement of receipt, in other words, the system doesn’t maintain information about the session during its life. Due to their stateless nature, REST APIs have proven to be highly adaptive in cloud based applications.

In summary, RESTful APIs are an architectural standard for developing a web service. They operate using the same instructions as HTTP and are inherently well suited for the Cloud. These characteristics are the reason why RESTful APIs make up over 70% of all public APIs on the internet.

RESTful API Explained

Product updates

[Video encoding](https://api.video/encoding/) is the process of exporting digital video into a format and specification suitable for playback by a user. 

Each video file contains two elements: 
* Codecs, or “compression-decompression“ algorithms which compress the video
* Formats, the type of file the data is compressed to. 

Imagine a shipping container filled with packages of many types. In this analogy the shipping container is the format, and the codec is the tool that creates the packages and places them in the container.

## Video Codecs


small_videocontainer-format.png

thumbnail_videocontainer-format.png

videocontainer-format.png

Video codecs used today include H.264, HEVC, VP9, and AV1. Common formats includes MKV, AVCHD, MP4, and WebM. 
There are pros and cons to each video codec and file format. There is no silver bullet when it comes to streaming content on the web. Certain video codecs and video formats are open source, meaning the source code is available to the user, who is given the rights to study, change, and distribute software to anyone for any purpose. VP9 and AV1 are both open source codecs types. MKV and WebM are also both open source, developed by nonprofit organizations and allowed to be used without a license.

## Video Formats

Video formats are often equated to a file’s extension, for example the .mp4 in Video. mp4. Video formats are much more than that and include a whole package of files, including a files video stream, the audio stream, and any metadata included with the file. All of the data put together, both of the streams and the metadata, is read by a video player to stream video content for playback. A file’s video stream includes the data necessary for motion video playback, while the audio stream includes any data related to sound. Metadata is any data outside of audio and sound, including bitrate, resolution, subtitles, device type, and date of creation.

## Bitrate
Bitrate or bit rate, is the rate at which bits are processed or computed over time. The higher the bitrate, the more data there is, which generally means a higher quality video file. When choosing a bitrate it is important to consider the device your videos will be played on. High bitrate file streams need lots of processing power to encode, and a fast internet connection to download for playback. If you’re having trouble choosing the right bitrate, file format, video codec, and video resolution, maybe it’s time to consider api.video.

With the api.video you can easily and quickly transcode video for your audience no matter the quality, format or bitrate. We wrote this article to help you sort through the hundreds of codecs and formats, and help you take the guesswork out of streaming video content on your site, application, or platform.

## The Most Popular Codec: H.264


small_h-264.jpg

thumbnail_h-264.jpg

h-264.jpg

First let’s talk about H.264, also known as AVC. 

H.264 is the most widely used video codec. Sure, the H.264 codec may be a bit outdated by now, but this type of compression technology is present everywhere, with decoders available for pretty much every platform and mobile device. H.264 likely won’t be the standard for long. 
HEVC, short for High Efficiency Video Coding, or H.265 is slowly becoming ubiquitous thanks to the proliferation of 4K content. If AVC or H.264 was the codec of 1080p content, then HEVC and H.265 is the codec for the 4K era. H.265 compresseses videos far more efficiently (hence the “high efficiency”) when compared to H.264. This means H.265 4K content that is easier to stream and at a higher quality than 4K content compressed using H.264.

## New Codecs: H.265 and VP9


thumbnail_h265.jpeg

h265.jpeg

H.265 is a licensed codec, meaning you have to pay to use it. Its main competitor, VP9 is a royalty free and open source codec developed by Google. This means that anyone can use the codec to compress their videos license free. Generally, VP9 produces more consistent or more reliable streams, whereas H.265 (HEVC) produces videos of higher quality. 

The differences between the two codecs are due to the strengths and weaknesses of their compression algorithms. VP9 was developed to produce videos with a smaller file size and therefore ones that are easier to stream. H.265 compresses videos using a large variety of processing techniques which ultimately create a compressed video that retains a very high level of detail.

In addition to VP9, there is another open source codec still under development called AV1. AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) is an open source, royalty-free video coding format specifically designed for streaming video content over the internet. AV1 was developed to succeed the VP9 codec and compete directly with HEVC codec on both video quality and file size. AV1 is still a highly experimental codec, but is supported by Firefox, Google Chrome, VLC media player, FFmpeg among others.

## The Most Popular Video Formats
We mentioned this before, but formats are the entire set of storage rules that package a video file’s container, codecs, and metadata. File formats are used so that a variety of devices, platforms, and players can process and playback any number of codecs. Formats are developed to improve image quality, decrease file sizes, allow for universal playback on a variety of devices, and provide special features such as subtitles. Since there are new formats getting developed every day it’s difficult to cover each and everyone. Instead, we’re going to focus on video formats used specifically for online distribution or content streaming.

The most popular video format is MP4, also known as MPEG 4. MP4 is a multimedia container for video, audio, and data, including things like subtitles and still images. Make sure you don’t confuse MPEG 4 and MPEG 4 Audio. MPEG 4 has the file extension .MP4, while MPEG 4 Audio has the file extension .M4A and can only contain audio files. So, why exactly is MP4 so popular? Well it mainly has to do with how ubiquitous it is across a range of devices. Both mobile and desktop devices can playback MP4 video files, so it makes sense that it would be used by most content producers.

## Playback Techniques for Video and Livestreaming
MP4 files are played at a constant bit rate (CBR), meaning the quality of your video stream will remain at the same bitrate no matter the variance in your internet bandwidth. There are other file formats that support adaptive bitrate (ABR), which will adapt the quality of your stream to match the internet speed of your player. One of the most popular formats that supports ABR is HLS..

HLS or HTTP [Live Streaming](https://api.video/live-streaming/) use adaptive bitrate streaming techniques to enable high quality streaming with small HTTP-based file segments. The key to this format’s popularity is the use of HTTP. HTTP is the universal language protocol for the internet, and allows for reduced infrastructure costs, greater reach, and simple HTML5 player implementation. Another great feature for the HLS format is the M3U8 file descriptor. This file allows the client or device to automatically select the best quality stream at any time, to prevent playback buffering regardless of bandwidth or CPU power.

Now that you know how file formats and codecs work it’s time to get streaming. Visit [this page](https://dashboard.api.video/register) to create a free account, so that you can quickly and easily integrate streaming video content into your application, site, or workflow. Our API can accept pretty much any type of broadcast (even 4K native content), and can quickly transcode and adapt the stream for any type of network, including EDGE. No matter the screen, size, quality, or bitrate, api.video can manage it for you. Our web service is built to answer the most demanding video and streaming needs. If you want to learn more check out our website at [api.video](https://api.video/) or join our [community forum](https://community.api.video/). Good luck and happy streaming!

## You May Also Like...
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

* [Create a Live Stream](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/live-stream-tutorial/) - Create your first live stream!
* [Videostreaming with a Raspberry Pi](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/video-streaming-with-a-raspberry-pi/) - Now that you've got a live stream working, have some fun adding one using a Raspberry Pi. 
* [Video Upload](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/video-upload-tutorial/) - Upload your first video. 

Every video format, codec, and container explained

large_every-video-format-codec-and-container-explained.jpg

medium_every-video-format-codec-and-container-explained.jpg

small_every-video-format-codec-and-container-explained.jpg

thumbnail_every-video-format-codec-and-container-explained.jpg

every-video-format-codec-and-container-explained.jpg

codec

video create

small_cedric.jpeg

thumbnail_cedric.jpeg

cedric.jpeg

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. 

&nbsp;

Yes, you heard me right. 

&nbsp;

**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.

&nbsp;

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. 

&nbsp;

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!

&nbsp;

- 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.

&nbsp;

- 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.

&nbsp;

- 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.

&nbsp;

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. 

&nbsp;

- 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

&nbsp;

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. 

&nbsp;

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

large_Blog_Zero Cost (2).png

medium_Blog_Zero Cost (2).png

small_Blog_Zero Cost (2).png

thumbnail_Blog_Zero Cost (2).png

Blog_Zero Cost (2).png

api.video team

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

large_poster-3.png

medium_poster-3.png

small_poster-3.png

thumbnail_poster-3.png

poster-3.png

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.

&nbsp;

**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?

&nbsp;

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.

&nbsp;

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. 

&nbsp;

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?

large_encoding-and-transcoding-whats-the-difference.jpg

medium_encoding-and-transcoding-whats-the-difference.jpg

small_encoding-and-transcoding-whats-the-difference.jpg

thumbnail_encoding-and-transcoding-whats-the-difference.jpg

encoding-and-transcoding-whats-the-difference.jpg

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

medium_gif.jpg

small_gif.jpg

thumbnail_gif.jpg

gif.jpg

Huge pricing update! Introducing video encoding at zero cost

Featured article

# api.video blog

Blog

Follow the api.video Blog to explore tutorials, video use cases, and learn about on-demand and live-streaming video updates.

Video on demand

Live streaming

Analytics

See all features

Online learning

Short-form videos

Marketplace & E-commerce

Video messaging and recording

Quick start guides

Documentation

Ecosystem catalog

Clients & SDKs

Community

Blog

Demos

Help center

Blog

Huge pricing update! Introducing video encoding at zero cost