It helps them to adjust video quality and bit rate to gain higher results. Now that you know what an encoder does, lets take a closer look at the two different types of encoders. This thread is a quick compilation of the faqs being asked around and answered related to gpu and hardware encoding 1. Inside, streaming hardware contains its own cpu, video processing components, and special software to perform the. Enterprise level software, or soft codecs, include microsoft skype, cisco webex, gotomeeting, zoom, bluejeans, join. Without a capture card, software encoders cant work with nonusb video signals. In a hardware setup, the video and audio sources are connected directly to the appliance where they are processed and encoded locally. What platforms and devices are supported for gpu encoding mcebuddy supports intel quicksync, nvidia nvenccuda and amd vceamf which are used for decoding and encoding h. Software encoding is very much hardware dependent as well although hardware is allocated based on the computer or networks access to processors, memory, and network configuration. I export from premiere where i have an option hardware acceleration cheked when exporting, but, when i encoding in ame, there write software encoding. Other encoders are software applications running on a pc that capture video from a webcam or the computer. How to select encoding software for live video streaming. Managing an advanced production like using multiple cameras and audio inputs. If hardware decoding is possible, use hardware decoding and leave software decoding for anything that the hardware decoder doesnt support.
Never get confused in between software encoding and hardware encoding. Ideally, it should be a powerful computer and for best performance, it should be a dedicated computer. The time taken to complete conversion is measured in hours. What is hardware acceleration and why does it matter. The key difference is that a hardware encoder is a piece of physical equipment youll need to hook up, while a software encoder is a program that runs on a computer.
Often used in the context of encoderswhich can be software or hardware basedencoding takes a live video source and converts it to a file, so it may be live streamed or archived in a digital format. Guide to encoding software the best encoding software. The software designed to utilize the hardware isnt doing it well or cant run as stably as it does when using only the cpu. In short, enable hardware acceleration wherever you. Every video file has to be translated into codecs through encoding software in order to be streamable. Streaming hardware implies a dedicated appliance designed specifically for live streaming video. Hardware encoders use a physical box to read the information from your camera visual and audio. Intel quick sync video is intel s brand for its dedicated video encoding and decoding hardware core. Hardware gives you a dedicated device with a builtin feature set which may not tie up other equipment. Most people who use software encoding realize they are sacrificing some speed for quality.
So if software encoding wins in flexibility and quality, what about speed or latency. In the early days of streaming, every format and codec was defined by its capability to deliver ondemand content in one of three ways. This shift has been driven by cost savings of the initial hardware purchase. Encoding software is a tool that transcodes video from one format to another. Hardware vs software is a comparative topic that are related to components of the computer. Fewer resources to dedicate to video and audio encoding isnt the only limitation of software encoders. There are two types of encoders, hardware and software. A encoder basically have analog audio and video inputs then encode them in desired format and provides the encoded ip output. An encoder allows you to capture video content coming from a source you previously selected your webcam, a camera or your phone. Your browser does not currently recognize any of the video formats available. If one decoder gave a different output than another, that would mean something was implemented incorrectly. Pros and cons of using a hardware or software encoder in your live video. Keep in mind one thing that in software encoding cpu processing power is used for compression algorithms.
Difference between hardware and software video encoders. Video software production hardware live streaming cameras and accessories audio. Done on cpu which is the general purpose processor of the computer. However, youve encountered one of the problems with hardware encoding. One essential element for live streaming is functional live stream encoding software or hardware. So you need a video encoder and youre looking for tips and. Elgato game capture hd and hardware accelerated decoding.
Hardware vs software find out the 8 most important. Encoding versus transcoding in enterprise video qumu. If you want to livestream to twitch, mixer, or youtube live, youve had two options when it comes to video encoding. This post addresses the benefits of using a hardware encoder vs. Why hardware encoders are better for live streaming. Learn whats the difference between hardware and software encoder, start streaming from your encoder live today using.
Many of the current generation of computers have onboard hardware acceleration for video of 4k or higher using successors to h. The key difference is that a hardware encoder is a piece of physical equipment youll. What is the difference between hardware encoding and software encoding. Hardware vs software encodingdecoding comparison did anyone conduct a comparison between hardware and software in both decoding and encoding using amd and nvidia gpus. Load video file you wanna hardware decode and encode. Peter discusses the importance of both software and hardware encodi. Hardware decoding vs software decoding in 4k h264h265 video. They are available in form of portable, small boxes. Then under the video tab, go to encoding settings and set the performance to hardware encoding. Do you use a general purpose machine that you adapt to performing this math software or do you use a machine specially built just for doing this. It means there is a small chip on the motherboard specifically dedicated to decoding h264 video. When youre broadcasting, youre recording video and audio. While some highly tuned hardware encoders offer a latency down in the 30ms range, most software solutions run in the 300ms500ms range, if not higher. This process is called encoding this is why streaming software are also.
In todays article i want to talk about the different encoding options that are currently available to you for streaming or recording video files. To use macx for 4k video hardware decoding, free download macx video converter pro on your macbookimacmac promac mini or windows version for your pc. What is the difference between hardware encoding and. So when hardware encoding is the only performance factor was in these test it takes about 1. I am writing a paper on the differences and similarities between hardware encoding and software encoding. Results 1 to 16 of 16 what is the best hardware for video encoding. Done on a chip which is specifically designed for audiovideo encodingandor decoding. The name quick sync refers to the use case of quickly transcoding converting a video from. So when it comes to corporate video, both encoding and transcoding are critical. The different encoders allow you to use different parts of your hardwaresystem to do the hard work and encode your video file. Video compression codecs are designed to all decode the same result. These encoders are commonly used by professionals due to their awesome video quality. What is the difference between hardware decoding and. But at a higher data rate, there is no perceptual difference and hardware is way faster.
Unfortunately, it is not a perfect technology and result in lower quality video than using the standard software only mode. Hardware is the tangible component that is associated physically with the computer system, whereas software is the intangible component of the computer system. When debating which type of encoder to go with you should consider that while good, free encoding software exists, you still need a good computer to run it on. Software encoding x264 provides better quality for a given bitrate at the expense of making your cpu do all of the work. It has fixed, nonadjustable yet impressive video quality. Even in hardware encoding, theres software in the firmware, so in a way its all software. A blog by brad kult, hga architects, and engineers over the past several years there has been a shift from hardware to software video conferencing.
Theoretically, hardware encoding should be more efficient and be much faster than software. At first glace, the recent addition of hardware acceleration when exporting to h. Encoding best practices video transcoding, streaming. Software encoders software encoders are by far the most common type of encoder in use today. Hardware encoders are based upon dedicated processors and they follow specific algorithms for video encoding. To use intel quicksync, see faq 2 for driver details for h. While for hardware encoding gpu power is used for compression algorithms. The main a6 processor is not using or spending cycles decoding video, it has essentially outsourced that job to a highly specialized worker. When it comes down to it, video encoding is basically just math. Hardware vs software encoding performance benchmarking. Why ame doesnt use hardware acceleration if i have that posibilities.
Which is the best live streaming solution software encoder or hardware encoder. The net result of these hardware and encoding advances is that there is no longer a need for incamera encoding in todays computers. If the hardware sucks or youre not telling the controls to use adequate bitrate youll end up with mediocre results. The creative cow dvd authoring forum is for the discussion of issues related to dvd authoring, design and distribution. Everything you need to know about hardware and software encoders.
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