Live streaming videos are an excellent tool for increasing your online presence and expanding your audience, but the technicalities can be intimidating. Several things can go wrong during a live video, including quality issues, buffering, lagging, low resolution, equipment malfunction, sound issues, and so on. With the actionable tips provided below, you can improve your VOD streaming quality or, at the very least, mitigate potential streaming issues.
The popularity of the VOD platform is growing at a breakneck speed. Here are some statistics and trends that demonstrate the limitless potential of online video streaming:
- The live streaming industry will be worth $247 billion by 2027.
- The global video on demand platform industry’s value will increase by 8.4 percent between 2021 and 2028.
- Every week, more than three-fourths of internet users watch online video content.
- Video content marketing increases revenue at a 50% faster rate than other types of content.
- Multistreaming will be massive by 2022, with many multistream platforms already available for streaming to multiple sources.
First, let us see.
VOD Platform
VOD, or video on demand, makes television shows, movies, and other video content available to users at any time. Users can select programming from a database of content and watch it instantly on a television, computer, or mobile device using an interactive system.
The Importance of VOD Streaming Quality
High-quality streams matter most because, unlike pre-recorded videos that can be cut and edited later, live streaming operates in real-time and without censorship. Because everything happens on the fly, it’s critical to test Video On Demand streaming quality ahead of time to ensure you can host live stream events without a hitch.
According to research, professional broadcasters risk losing up to 25% of their earnings if the quality of their streams isn’t up to par. Even if money isn’t an issue, creating content that your viewers enjoy watching is a no-brainer. Furthermore, when broadcasting virtual or hybrid events, the quality of a live stream directly impacts viewer experience and engagement. And, because live streaming quality is so important to viewers, it should also be a top priority to live streamers.
Improving VOD Streaming Quality is easy and inexpensive today, thanks to advances in technology.
How to Improve VOD Streaming Quality in 7 Easy Steps?
Luckily, there are countless ways to improve video streaming quality and deliver viewers with live video content that is reliable and high in resolution. The main thing to remember is- the higher the quality of your broadcast on your end, the better the viewing experience for your audience. While the resolution may vary based on your viewers’ internet connections and devices, you can’t go wrong if you optimize your upload quality and speed.
Let’s get started to increase the quality of your live streaming quickly!
# Use a Professional VOD Platform
The first step is to choose a professional, reliable, and top VOD platforms. When it comes to VOD streaming quality, the white-label online video platform you use can make or break your live streams. When looking for the best Video On Demand platforms, keep the features available in mind. Several video platform providers allow live streaming from any device, with any encoder, in full 1080p HD, and for any length of time.
# Tweak Your Live Encoder Settings
Almost all live streams make use of a video encoder. A software or hardware encoder is a device that converts live video into streaming-compatible formats. Encoding your video content allows it to get transmitted to your video-on-demand software for live or on-demand streaming to your viewers.
The quality of your live stream depends on your encoder. It all comes down to using the best video player (VOD player) settings on your live streaming website.
# Use HLS and MPEG-DASH for Video Streaming
The two most prevalent video streaming protocols used today to send video over the Internet are HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) and MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP). When it comes to providing video over HTTP, both VOD HLS Player and DASH have years of R&D, invention, and improvement behind them, and they are generally the first choices.
# Choose an Effective VOD CDN
The Video CDN that your Online Video Platform uses has a significant impact on the viewers’ experience.
CDN (Content Delivery Network)- is a network of proxy servers used for content distribution. The most effective video hosting platforms collaborate with powerful CDNs. However, you need to select an OVP (Online Video Platform) that uses a reliable global content delivery network. Choose a live streaming CDN with a sizable distribution network. It will allow you to provide high-quality streaming to viewers in a larger geographical area.
# Transcoding and Multi-Bitrate Streaming
Transcoding your video into different renditions to enable multi-bitrate streaming is another way your OVP can influence video-on-demand solutions.
Multi-bitrate streaming is the process of sending a live stream in multiple quality levels at once. Modern video players are adaptive in terms of bitrate. It means that they automatically detect and adjust to the viewer’s internet speed. They will send a low-quality video to a viewer with a slow internet connection. Those with a fast internet connection will get better video quality.
# Choose the Best Resolution
Choosing the best resolution generally requires a bit of a compromise. You want to use the highest possible video resolution so that your viewers can see the entire video. Whereas, in the case of live streaming, “highest resolution” does not always imply “best resolution.”
However, you’ll need a resolution that’s high enough to deliver a clear image. But not so high that it causes transmission lag. Professional broadcasters generally use resolutions of 1280 x 720 pixels (720p) or 1920 x 1080 pixels (1080p).
# Use DRM to Protect Your Content
If your streams are stolen and restreamed, your CDN bill will be higher than expected. And your revenue will fall compared to your costs.
When people steal your streams and restream them illegally, you will lose a lot of money. Especially if you are a pay-per-view, subscription-based, or advertising-supported service. Using a good DRM vendor and the right VOD Server Software can help alleviate video security issues.
Wrapping Up
We hope, with this blog, you know how easy it is to broadcast high-quality live content. It starts with practice, the right platform, settings, and setup. Probably, you won’t find the perfect Settings and video maker tools immediately, but by experimenting and receiving feedback. You can quickly achieve live stream quality that viewers appreciate.
