4K的时代到了吗.265和VP9的采用? 不要太快

Where do we start a conversation about best practices for encoding in the first half of 2015? 如果你关注前沿的流媒体新闻, you might believe that it’s time to start thinking about delivering 4K content using the latest crop of “codecs in testing”—H.265和VP9. I feel that’s largely a distraction at this point in the game.

If the “un-plug-in” mobile browser world has taught us one thing about video, it is that a top priority should be to maximize ROI as much as possible from one codebase, 一种格式, and one delivery mechanism with one business objective: to reach your target markets.

确定, mobile browser fragmentation brings with it the reality of having more than one video format or delivery protocol to reach core markets. While a discussion of business drivers isn’t entirely absent from new technology conversations, I find it scary how often decision makers within companies are blinded by adoption of HTML5 or other “no Flash” technology approaches because they’d feel vulnerable otherwise.

那么，让我直接说点:H.264 will and should be your primary focus for the foreseeable future of VOD encoding. 为什么? 它拥有最广泛的机顶盒应用, 智能手机, 平板电脑, 移动浏览器, 桌面浏览器——到目前为止. 期. 确定, some browsers, such as Opera, don’t support H.264(并且很可能不支持H.265). 如果这些浏览器值得适应, then you might need to take measures to add another format to satisfy requirements. On desktop, Adobe Flash Player is still a legitimate fallback in the browser tech stack. 大多数优质内容提供, 特别是对于实时视频播放, 需要Flash来播放DRM视频. (This year’s Super Bowl, for example, didn’t use DASH.)

你如何包装你的H.264 content is largely dependent on your business requirements. 当然, the MPEG-4 container for “straight up” HTTP downloads or range requests with HTML5 browsers or plugin-assisted playback accommodates the bulk of nonpremium content. 对于优质内容, 在线直播, 和自适应流媒体(VOD或直播), Apple HLS has become the de facto container for deployment within 移动浏览器 on Android devices (version 4.0或更高)和iOS. Most premium DRM strategies won’t work in a mobile browser, 不管集装箱是什么, and will require native application support for implementation. 最终, the Media Source Extensions (MSE) and Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) will make premium content delivery via DASH a reality within 移动浏览器.

Where does that leave us with the next generation of video codecs? If you’re planning a long-term road map and want to be ready to hit the ground running with new video encoding solutions, 研究H的好处.265和VP9应该在你的待办事项清单上.

Should you buy encoders that support these codecs right now?

That depends on your comfort level with development software. I prefer to test directly with source software development kits whenever possible, particularly x265 (or “libx265”) and VP9 (“libvpx”) within ffmpeg to test the quality and speed of these forthcoming options. Many commercial vendors already support these formats, and the latest version of your preferred encoding software may be ready to go. Should you be deploying content with these codecs now? I won’t recommend active deployment until there’s a critical mass of support available.

作为视频解决方案架构师, I remember those days when my customers weren’t comfortable with releasing content that relied on a new video feature of Flash Player until 90 percent of the plug-in penetration was achieved. I encourage stakeholders of video content to take similar precautions whenever approaching the implementation of new video technology. Use technology when it satisfies core business requirements and your market has access to it.

This article appears in the May/June 2015 issue of 流媒体 如“4K, H.265, VP9 ... 不要太快.”