Tips for Better Streaming
Creating a good streaming media file is more art than science, but there aresome basic tips to follow that can help demystify the process.
Slow the motion
Streaming compressors make media files small enough to stream, but large enough to view well. They work by analyzing the data in the file, and discarding what is not needed. If your video is of a talking head (e.g., a newscast) the picture does not change much from one frame to the next. The compressor can discard much of the information onscreen, resulting in a better streaming file.
If, however, the action is fast a furious (e.g. a soccer game) then every frame is different, and the compressor has little it can discard. This will result in a larger file, and lower quality.
Choose your bitrate wisely
Bitrate is a term that describes the amount of information being sent, per second, in your stream. When you are creating a streaming video, you choose the bitrate at which you wish it encoded, usually as the last step.
We recommend choosing a bitrate in the neighborhood of 300 kbps for audiences with broadband (Cable or DSL) connections.
If you have audience members still using dial-up modems, we recommend encoding a second, seperate copy for them, at about 50 kbps.
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