The Technology of Video and Audio Streaming, 2nd Edition

8Video encoding

Introduction

Encoding is the conversion of a video signal into a streaming media file. The video signal first must be compressed, then packetized, and finally encapsulated within a streaming wrapper. This chapter covers the encoding stage from a video signal to the point where the streaming file is transferred to the streaming server.

The encoding takes place in several stages. The first stage is to capture a conventional video or television signal and convert it to a file format that can be processed by computer software. The second stage is data rate reduction by scaling and compression to a bit rate that can be delivered over dial-up or broadband circuits. The third stage is to wrap the compressed video in a pack-etized format ...