Transcoding is the process of converting an audio or video file from one encoding format to a different with a purpose to enhance the number of suitable target units a media file could be performed on.

Overview

Encoding and transcoding are sometimes used interchangeably, but the two processes, though intently associated, are indeed different.

Encoding is the process of compressing video and audio files to be appropriate with a single goal device. Transcoding, however, permits for already encoded data to be converted to another encoding format. This process is particularly useful when users use a number of goal gadgets, equivalent to different mobile phones and web browsers, that do not all support the identical native formats or have limited storage capacity.

Encoding is a naturally lossy process, that means that it causes a certain quantity of data to be discarded and ultimately decreases audio and video quality. Encoding can use lossless compression, however it leads to decreased compression rates and increased media file sizes.

With that in mind, there are three types of transcoding:

Lossy-to-lossy: This is the least best form of transcoding. It means you already have a file with decreased quality and transcoding causes the quality to degrade even further. The only reason to use this type of transcoding is to decrease the bitrate and save space for storing on portable players.

Lossless-to-lossless: By taking advantage of better compression and hardware assist a file might be losslessly compressed. This type of transcoding is helpful for changing to new codecs without losing quality, but the resulting files are sometimes too giant to send to portable devices.

Lossless-to-lossy: This transcoding technique causes less quality loss than lossy-to-lossy and produces file sizes small enough for portable devices. You need to maintain archives of losslessly compressed files to actually leverage this transcoding method.

There isn’t any such thing as lossy-to-lossless transcoding. Once data and quality have been misplaced throughout the encoding or transcoding process they can’t be regained.

How Transcoding Works

Transcoding and encoding should not be confused with transmuxing which only converts the container format equivalent to MP4 and FLV (Flash). Alternatively, video and audio files are compressed by codecs comparable to VP6 and H.264. Nonetheless, much like transmuxing, transcoding may be carried out using FFmpeg, a well-liked open supply software designed to deal with all video and audio formats.

Examples of Transcoding

Transcoding is a powerful process that’s leveraged by major streaming organizations such as Twitch, which really makes use of each FFmpeg and its own TwitchTranscoder to stream video and audio on its platform.

The world’s largest provider of user-generated videos, YouTube, receives over 300 hours of uploads each minute—and it makes use of transcoding to make those movies available in 5+ completely different qualities and 5+ totally different formats. This means the unique uploaded content material might be transcoded into over 20 versions. YouTube kicks off the encoding and transcoding process as soon as the original upload is complete, which is why new videos are often only available in low-resolution until the higher-res videos are transcoded

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