Obs Studio Software or Hardware Encoder Local Recording
Comparison alive streaming solutions? Researching the departure between using hardware and software for streaming? Looking to understand the fundamentals of encoding settings for streaming? Read on! We'll be going over all of that and more in this hardware encoder primer.
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What is a hardware encoder?
When it comes to streaming video across the spider web, uncompressed video and audio files are too large and bulky to send in existent fourth dimension. The solution is to compress these files first.
A hardware encoder is a dedicated appliance that captures, compresses (encodes), and delivers audio and video data to a destination. Specifically, a live streaming hardware encoder is a device that can stream video over local expanse networks (LAN), wide expanse networks (WAN), or across the Internet.
Online streaming destinations include streaming platforms like YouTube Live, LinkedIn Live, and Facebook Live as well every bit alive streaming services like Vimeo, Akamai, and Wowza.
Examples of live streaming encoders include Epiphan's Pearl Nano, Pearl Mini, and Pearl-2. In addition, many hardware encoders feature other capabilities, similar live video switching and local video recording.
Sound and video inputs on hardware encoders
Hardware encoders typically have a diversity of inputs that permit y'all directly connect higher-terminate video and sound equipment like cameras and microphones. For example, Pearl-2 can capture local video over HDMI, USB, and SDI inputs, analog sound inputs over XLR and RCA, and networked AV inputs over NDI, SRT, and RTSP.
Past contrast, to connect the same equipment to a general-purpose estimator system, you'd demand a capture card to stream video from a camera or a forepart-end audio interface for professional audio.
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Hardware encoders vs. live streaming software
Alive streaming software is an application running on full general-purpose, off-the-shelf computers (such as a laptop or a desktop machine). A few examples of streaming software include vMix, Wirecast, and OBS. Much similar a hardware encoder, live streaming software compresses and streams video to a destination.
The main difference is that hardware encoders dedicate all processing ability to capturing, encoding, and streaming. In contrast, estimator-run streaming software has to share resource with other processes on the machine. Hardware encoders are designed from the footing up specifically for encoding and streaming, which makes them a more reliable streaming solution compared to their software counterparts. This is why professional broadcasters rely on hardware encoders in mission-critical situations.
Encoding settings: Key terms to understand
Encoding settings take a direct impact on stream quality. By and large speaking, the college the settings (within specific value ranges),the higher the video quality.
Streaming platforms often offer a listing of recommended encoding settings for live streaming. It's a good idea to use them every bit a guide. Here is an overview of the key encoding parameters users have control over.
Codecs
A codec is the compression method for making media files smaller. Dissimilar codecs provide different types of pinch to fit specific use cases. Not all video codecs are fit for live streaming.
A few examples of widely used video codecs for streaming are Motion-JPEG (MJPEG), H.264/AVC, and H.265/HEVC. H.264/AVC is arguably the well-nigh commonly used codec today. H.265/HEVC is the next generation of codecs later on H.264/AVC. It promises identical quality to H.264 at virtually half the bitrate, decreasing upload bandwidth requirements.
Note that audio gets encoded separately from the video. The near commonly used sound codec is chosen AAC.
Encoding resolution
Encoding resolution is the video frame size, expressed in pixels every bit width ten meridian. Two common resolutions are 1280 x 720 (i.e., 720p) and 1920 x 1080 (i.due east., 1080p). Higher streaming resolutions such equally 4K are less popular because they require significant processing power, upload bandwidth, and 4K resolution support on the viewer's side.
Because anybody's setup is a little different, information technology's skillful practice to give viewers a selection of resolutions when viewing your content. If the CDN you're using includes transcoding (many exercise), there's no actress work to be done on your terminate. Just send the highest quality stream and the CDN will present the viewer with a range of resolutions.
Frame charge per unit
Frame charge per unit is the number of images encoded per second, in frames per 2nd (fps). Standard frame rates include 24, 25, 30, and threescore fps, with thirty fps existence the most widely used setting for online streaming.
Bitrate
Bitrate describes how much data is transmitted per unit of time. Bitrate is commonly measured in kilobits per second (Kbps) and less oftentimes in megabits per 2d (Mbps). The higher the bitrate, the college the video quality – but also the larger the file size.
Finding the correct bitrate setting is virtually balance. A low bitrate setting will crusade the alive stream to await jittery and depression quality. On the other hand, setting the bitrate besides high may cause video buffering for viewers because the file size becomes too large.
The bitrate setting will depend on the chosen codec, resolution, and frame rate. For case, the video bitrate range for a 1080p at 30 fps stream is between iii,000–6,000 Kbps, whereas the bitrate range for 4K 60 fps streaming is between twenty,000–51,000 Kbps.
In addition to adequately chosen bitrate, another crucial factor for high-quality online video commitment is sufficient local upload bandwidth. No affair how high the bitrate or how powerful the hardware encoder, low bandwidth can become the bottleneck for streaming quality.
Above is a screenshot of the encoding settings tab in Pearl Web UI
Streaming protocols: What they are and how they work
A streaming protocol is a method by which multimedia is delivered to the streaming destination. Information technology'southward a ready of rules that decides how to cut upward the encoded video into smaller chunks and evangelize information technology to the destination, on fourth dimension and in the right order. Dissimilar hardware encoders support specific sets of streaming protocols. In addition, some streaming protocols will only work with detail codecs, whereas other protocols are codec-agostic.
Unlike video streaming protocols tin can evangelize video online with varying degrees of delay. For instance, some protocols can instantly transfer data from the hardware encoder to the destination, whereas others take more fourth dimension. This is known as streaming latency.
For one-manner transmissions, some latency is no big deal. For events with interactivity, however, high streaming latency is unacceptable. Thus, latency requirement is i of the factors that inform the choice of streaming protocol.
One of the most usually used streaming protocols is the Real-Fourth dimension Messaging Protocol (RTMP) and its secure variant (RTMPS). RTMP(S) is a robust and universally supported protocol. Yet, it simply works with the H.264 codec and has some latency (iii–30 seconds).
HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) is some other common protocol supported by nearly every browser, operating organization, and even Smart TVs. HLS only works with H.264 and H.265 codecs.
A direct HLS competitor is MPEG-DASH. Unlike HLS, MPEG-DASH is a codec-doubter protocol. When it comes to streaming latency, both HLS and MPEG-DASH are on the college cease of the scale (30–45 seconds).
Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is an open up-source, codec-doubter streaming protocol. It enables robust, low-latency streaming even over suboptimal networks. Its power to deliver high-quality content in nigh real-fourth dimension over the Internet gives broadcasters a viable alternative to expensive satellite engineering science. SRT is non as widely supported as RTMP, for instance, but it is gaining popularity and support in the realm of hardware encoding.
Advice on choosing a hardware encoder
Hardware encoder models are priced based on the number and type of input connectors, supported streaming and encoding technologies, and, most importantly, processing power. Every additional input source and encoding channel adds actress load on the encoder'southward CPU. College-end hardware encoders, similar Pearl-2, can capture multiple audio and video sources, encode multiple channels at a loftier resolution, and stream to multiple destinations simultaneously. More basic models may only capture one or two sources and stream one program to one destination.
We recommend choosing a hardware encoder based on your encoding and streaming requirements. For example, if yous are looking to capture merely one input from a production mixer and stream it to a single online destination – consider a unmarried-channel encoder like Pearl Nano. On the other hand, if you are looking to capture multiple HDMI, SDI, and perhaps NDI sources and stream multiple encoded channels to multiple destinations – consider a workhorse hardware encoder like Pearl-2.
Originally published on June 2, 2019, this post was updated on November 1, 2021, with more than relevant information.
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