The Use of Data Compression in Live Video Streaming

We’ve all been on the receiving end of a poor quality live video streaming. Inconsistent quality, staggered audio and buffering are distracting and all contribute to a degraded experience. When live video streaming is a vital part of your business, high quality is essential. This is why data compression for live video streaming is an important component to consider. Here’s everything that you need to know about the use of data compression in live video streaming.

Why Use Data Compression?

Data compression is used constantly in today’s online world, through computers and networks.

While, in an ideal world, every user on the internet would have unlimited bandwidth to transmit the data they are after, this simply isn’t realistic. In order for many users to view a video or listen to audio, data compression needs to occur in order to transmit the data without compromising the end user’s experience.

For video, compression is commonly performed by a program with a specific formula that determines the best way to shrink the size of the data as needed. Audio is also often compressed in a similar fashion. Let’s dive deeper into how data compression works for video streaming (live or otherwise).

Live Video Streaming and Data Compression

As mentioned above, video compression occurs via a program that uses a specific algorithm to determine the best method for compression. This code works to take out redundancies within the video, reducing the amount of data required to deliver essentially the same data. Removing these redundancies typically requires 2 methods of compression:

Spatial Compression

Spatial compression works to remove pieces of the video or file to reduce the size of the file overall. If you’ve ever compressed an image file before in order to send it to a friend via email, you may have noticed that the picture becomes a little more pixelated if you try to enlarge it past its ideal size. This is an example of how spatial compression works, even with video. This particular type of compression examines each frame of the video to reduce the pixels. Spatial compression can be tailored to find the right amount of file reduction without reducing quality.

Temporal Compression

The complementary compression technique to spatial compression is temporal compression. Instead of reducing each ‘still image’ within a video, temporal compression compares each frame to the next to remove any information that is redundant and, therefore, not required in order for the viewer to have an adequate reception of the data.

VidOvation and V-Nova Collaboration

In order to deliver high-quality video compression for live video streaming, VidOvation joined forces with V-Nova to ensure that the best technology was available to its customers. The complementary duo provides an end-to-end experience since VidOvation specializes in designing a technological solution that fits with the customer’s current infrastructure and needs, whereas V-Nova possesses the technology to provide exceptional video quality per bit in comparison to other intra encoder solutions on the market.

VidOvation and V-Nova can now offer the full experience, with access to V-Nova’s high-end technologies:

• P+ – This data compression solution is the industry’s first significantly optimized software library for encoding and decoding enhanced video streams with MPEG-5 Part 2, low-complexity video enhancement coding (LCEVC).
• PPro – is a high-performance software library powered by AI for SMPTE VC-6 (ST-2117), which is primarily applied to professional production workflows and imaging applications.

By establishing this partnership, VidOvation and V-Nova are able to work together to create a solution that allows customers to lower costs, increase video quality or increase the number of services in the same network link. In particular, V-Nova’s P.Link solution helps businesses deliver video without significant latency, instead delivering high-quality streams from any location.

In addition to access to V-NOva’s technology, VidOvation also offers data compression solutions from Dirac. Dirac compression technology is designed to provide reference coding and decoding. In addition, Dirac technology acts as a prototype implementation that can be modified, enhanced and deployed without restriction. The decoder element of the technology has been designed to provide fast decoding whilst remaining portable across software platforms.

Find The Best Data Compression with VidOvation Solutions

If live video streaming is a part of your business, it’s time to consider a data compression solution with VidOvation. With years of experience creating tailored solutions for customers’ existing infrastructure and access to industry-leading technology, you can consider your data compression problems solved.

For a quote, questions, or other inquiries regarding bonded cellular solutions, contact VidOvation today.