The State of Transcoding Solutions 2015
Ten years ago, 这可能是理想主义的，但并非完全不合理的希望在传输编解码器碎片, formats, and DRM schema would be resolved by 2015. Instead, 随着连接设备和操作系统数量的增加，情况变得更加复杂.
因此，当运营商做出投资决策以更新其内容转码功能时，他们在寻找什么? There are variables in product scope, content scope, financial considerations, and infrastructure capacity to consider. Here are the thoughts of select vendors in this space, 在4月份NAB的新产品发布之前聚集在一起.
“Today’s file interoperability isn’t perfect, and every system will have to cope with toxic files, pathological bitstreams, missing assets, 以及一系列的操作问题,” says Bruce Devlin, chief media scientist at Dalet Digital Media Systems. “他们必须做到这一点，同时为非常低级的编码和包装控制提供配置，以使文件适合大量的非标准交付规范.”
Emphasis on Automation
Devlin的处方是一个转码系统，它可以创建运营商新商业模式所需的所有输出格式, 但随着自动化水平的提高，操作员可以在不增加大量员工的情况下完成这项工作.
From a file-based perspective, operators require access to flexible resources, says Tony Jones, head of technology, TV compression for Ericsson. 而核心处理可以很好地处理日常的处理要求, he suggests, 运营商也会有获取新内容库的时候, 在这种情况下，爱立信认为云计算和其他随用随付选项对运营商更有吸引力.
“越来越多的企业希望通过云来管理内容处理的高峰, 同时也避免了与现场供应相关的巨额运营成本,” Jones says.
For linear content, Jones认为，在过去的12个月里，运营商的观点发生了很大变化. “A year ago, operators were primarily concerned with getting services up and running; now operators are having to pay storage and peering costs every time that content is viewed, 编码性能开始变得更加重要,” he says. “通过降低线性内容的比特率或捕获文件的大小, the CDN costs, peering costs, and storage costs can all be brought down. 现在，运营商比以往任何时候都更关注降低每次作业成本的方法.”
Time and time again, transcoder vendors argue that scalability, reliability, 面向未来的技术是打开运营商钱包的钥匙.
Flexibility typically has many parameters, outlines Chris Knowlton, streaming industry evangelist for Wowza Media Systems. 转码解决方案必须与他们现有的基础设施兼容, integrate with their existing workflows, 并可通过API完全访问，以实现定制管理和自动化.,” he says.
For Wowza, reliability includes predictable performance, round-the-clock operations, and redundancy for high-priority content. 可伸缩性包括扩展以利用更强大的硬件, scaling out across geographies, operating in on-prem and cloud computing instances, 并建立一种随使用情况扩展的许可模式.
诺尔顿说:“解决方案还需要经得起未来的考验。. 大多数运营商需要支持转码和转换成多比特率H.264 video and AAC audio, 哪些可以打包成常见的传统和自适应流媒体格式. 对于那些在许多设备中使用传统技术的新兴市场，支持H.263 video is sometimes still a key requirement. With streaming codecs, formats, and devices in constant flux, 运营商不能冒险购买一个不能满足未来需求的解决方案, such as HEVC video, 4K resolution, MPEG-DASH streaming, and whatever comes next. As technologies evolve, 最好有一个软件可升级的解决方案，这样他们就知道不需要每次更新都用卡车滚动.”
约翰·里斯克，媒体产品营销总监 Brightcove, 知道运营商会发现编码瓶颈是业务增长不可接受的障碍. 他说，运营商的购买标准应该是围绕自动扩展以满足需求的解决方案, 没有任何容量规划或其他操作摩擦.
“避免操作摩擦和费用的另一个关键是避免编码错误和过程中的任何人工干预,” Riske says. “内容提供商还需要即时访问最先进的视频格式和编解码器，以便他们能够尽快部署内容. Formats such as HLS and DASH are evolving rapidly, 内容提供商正在寻找能够及时满足他们需求的解决方案, without added expense or a long upgrade cycle.”
HDMI Dongles, Adaptive Bitrates Create New Challenges
爱立信提出的另一个趋势是更高版本的个人资料的增加, such as 720p50 or 720p60 full frame rate HDR. 这是由消费者在大屏幕电视上使用HDMI加密狗(如Chromecast或Roku Streaming Stick)推动的, 以及提高高端平板电脑的性能.
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