Video trends

Video trends · 5 min read

What is RTMP and why do we use it for live streaming?

Find out what RTMP is, why we transcode twice - from RTMP to HLS, and what the future has in store for live streaming

Erikka Innes · February 24, 2021

Video trends · 7 min read

What is HLS video streaming and how does it work?

Every video ingested in our system is converted into a video stream - with multiple sizes and bitrates. This allows api.video to serve the perfect video to each of your viewers. Perhaps that's all you want to know. But if you are curious about the internals of video streaming, read on!

Doug Sillars · February 19, 2021

Video trends · 4 min read

Encoding and transcoding: what's the difference?

Encoding and transcoding are video terms that get used interchangeably, but they actually have slightly different meanings. Discover the difference between these terms, and learn what transmuxing is too.

Erikka Innes · February 9, 2021

Video trends · 5 min read

Common questions about video on demand services

When adding video on demand (VOD) to your application, you might be planning to integrate a number of solutions to create your end to end service. In this post, we'll respond to many questions we receive and show how api.video can be your end-to-end VOD delivery service, rather than fill just one specific need in your pipeline. This can save you development costs and integration issues - since there are fewer moving parts in your video streaming integration.

Doug Sillars · February 9, 2021

Video trends · 4 min read

What is a Video API?

An end-to-end video API offers the ability to transcode video, deliver it publicly or privately, and play it back with a video player. Many video APIs also offer the ability to retrieve analytics about how your video content is being viewed. The value offered by a video API over a pre-built service is the flexibility and freedom to develop it however you want.

Erikka Innes · February 8, 2021

Video trends · 5 min read

Creating video "stories"

Apps like Snapchat and Instagram have "video stories" where the videos are visible for 24 hours, and then disappear. Stories are a great way to keep up user engagement, and have users regularly check in (so they do not miss a story). In this post, we'll walk through a demo application that mimics the "story" framework. You'll see how you can easily implement a feature like stories with api.video

Doug Sillars · January 25, 2021

Video trends · 4 min read

Do you want to stream a snowman?

There are few things that bring as much joy as the first snowman of winter. Who knew that live streaming the experience would make it even *more* fun??

Doug Sillars · January 19, 2021

Video trends · 4 min read

So you want to build a video streaming service

So, you want to add video to your site. Should you build the video delivery infrastructure yourself? You certainly can, but there is a lot of nuance and complication that you must also manage. In this post, we'll walk through everything you need to build your own streaming service.

Doug Sillars · November 6, 2020

Video trends · 7 min read

The anatomy of a livestream

Streaming a live video to anywhere in the world seems like magic, but there is a lot happening to make this happen. In this post, we'll dive into the technology behind how live streaming at api.video works.

Doug Sillars · October 30, 2020

Video trends · 6 min read

Responsive video delivery

I'm often asked, "why should I stream video? Can't I just add the mp4 to my page and be done with it?" The answer is that yes, you can just do this, but it comes at a price to your users. If you add a 1080p video to your website - all your users, no matter the screen size or network throughput, must watch the 1080p video. You want to make your video responsive!

Doug Sillars · August 20, 2020