Video Streaming Quality: Encoding, CDN, and Playback
Video Streaming Quality: Encoding, CDN, and Playback Video quality comes from three linked parts: encoding, delivery with a CDN, and playback on the viewer’s device. Each part affects startup time, smoothness, and how good the picture looks. Clear choices in encoding and delivery help users see a steady, crisp video. Encoding basics Codecs decide how much data a picture uses. Common options are H.264, HEVC, and AV1. Newer codecs save bandwidth but may need more decoding power on some devices. The encoding ladder splits video into multiple quality levels: low, medium, high. This lets the player pick a low bitrate when the network is slow and switch up when the connection improves. Aim for balanced resolutions (720p, 1080p, 4K) with realistic bitrates like 2–4 Mbps for 720p, 4–8 Mbps for 1080p, and 20–40 Mbps for 4K, depending on codec and framerate. Two practical knobs are keyframe interval and encoding presets. Shorter keyframes improve error resilience but raise data, while ABR-friendly presets reduce spikes. For some audiences, 2-pass encoding helps quality at the same average bitrate. ...