Realtime Video Encoders

egproductions

egproductions

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I'm working on a project that will use video in a virtual classroom platform. I am not so familiar with live platforms and how they generally treat video streams coming in.

Question 1:

I imagine the platform can handle a Standard def stream thats coming into the computer and does a realtime encoding (downsizing, framerate lowering, PAR conversion, bitrate lowering) of the SD stream.

Is there any benefit to using a realtime encoder (hardware) to process the video prior to being patched into the computer? Will the realtime encoder do a better job with the compression? Will the webcast platform probably recompress this stream or is there generally a way to bypass the compression?

Question 2:

I'm used to making compression out of my NLE...not using a realtime encoder. Do realtime encoders produce equivelent, better or worse results than a software based encoder?


Question 3: Any recommendations for realtime encoders? lets say one for a small 1-2K budget and another for a larger 4-6K budget.
 
We do realtime encoding at my work. I set up the server some time ago, and my colleague just rebuilt it to handle HD video.

We use the Microsoft Media Encoder platform because it's good, and it's free. Essentially, it works like this:

Incoming video signal (HD/SD) > Video Capture card > Encoding software > IP Link to streaming server > Multicast/Unicast stream to the network.

We have found that on hardware I purchased over 5 years ago, we can support two HD streams, or about 5-6 SD streams going through the realtime software encoder. I do not feel that it's better than software encoding. Ever. There is no 2-pass, and since it needs to be realtime, it can't mull over things as long as a non-realtime encoder could. That said, I am generally quite pleased with what we get out of it.
 
oh wow. So it seems that the realtime software encoder is pretty good with cpu power that it can process so many SD streams with relatively older computer specs.

What about a realtime software encoder v.s. a realtime hardware encoder? Any benefit to using a hardware encoder other than not taking up CPU resources?
 
egproductions said:
What about a realtime software encoder v.s. a realtime hardware encoder? Any benefit to using a hardware encoder other than not taking up CPU resources?
Click to expand...

Never used a hardware realtime encoder. But you'll find them in many devices. Your camera, a Nanoflash, etc. They seem to work quite well if well designed.
 
Hardware encoders are seldom as good as their software brethren, since as Perrone put it, "it can't mull over things as long as a non-realtime encoder could." Not to say that a hardware encoder must handle things in realtime, but a streaming video would have to be in realtime, limiting the processing time that a card can take.

Short of perhaps Sony's in-house encoding platform for Blu-rays, nothing currently beats x264's software implementation of H.264 encoding.
 
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