Anyone working in video knows that along with fast startup and avoiding stalls (buffering), video quality is a key factor in satisfying your audience. We at Bitmovin have recently introduced three new ways video streaming services can optimize their streams to boost video quality without using more data. This presentation demonstrates how encoding innovations, like per-title encoding, multi-codec streaming, and per-scene adaptation, help reverse this trend and reduce bandwidth requirement for distributing the same, or better, quality video.

1. Mission
Boosting Video Streaming Quality
while Reducing Bandwidth

2. Who are we? Paul MacDougall
Solution Architect
Kieran Farr
@kfarr
Developer Marketing

4. Webinar Agenda
● Registration Survey Results
● What problem are we solving?
● Obstacles
● Existing Solutions
● Next Generation Solutions
● How to get started?
● Q&A

5. Registration survey results
● Improving visual quality of videos = 10.5%
● Reducing bandwidth required to deliver the videos = 8.5%
● Both, improving quality and reducing bandwidth = 81%

6. What problem are we solving?
For broadcasters targeting mainstream adoption of online video, most users
have the expectation of the same QoE as linear TV. There are many obstacles:
● Bandwidth Limitations
● Device Fragmentation
● Limited Insight Data
● Diverse Content
● Net Neutrality Issues

7. Existing Solutions
● Big bitrate ladder
● Ask your customers to get a better connection or upgrade devices
● Negotiate special peering agreements
● Better implementation of existing codecs

8. Next Generation Solutions
● Multi-Codec Streaming
● Per-Scene Adaptation
● Per-Title Encoding (AI Enabled)

9. Multi-Codec Streaming

10. ● Use the most efficient codec possible
● Match codecs to browsers dynamically
● Reduce bandwidth usage by up to 50%
● Deliver the best quality possible for each user,
based on their browser
Multi-Codec
Streaming

11. Codec Support
per Browser

12. Browsers Market
Share & Codec
Coverage

13. Codec Quality Comparison

14. Codec Quality
Comparison

15. Codec Quality
Comparison

16. AV1

17. AV1

18. Alliance for Open Media Members
(AV1 Group)

19. Per-Scene Adaptation

20. Per-Scene Adaptation
Client-Side
● Extracted and process quality data from
content
● Take quality data into account for adaptation
decisions
● Low complexity scenes can be “replaced” by
lower bitrate segments while maintaining the
same perceptual quality
Server-Side
● Extracted quality data during
encoding on a per-chunk base
(using metrics like PSNR, SSIM,
VMAF, or similar)
● Encapsulate and deliver quality
data with the content itself

21. Per-Scene
Adaptation

22. ● Deliver same or better experience while
using less bandwidth (e.g., lower
bandwidth countries or mobile)
● Avoid stalls by predicting high bitrate
scenes
Per-Scene
Adaptation

23. Per-Title Encoding

24. Per-Title Encoding

25. Per-Title Encoding
● Compute a special purpose bitrate ladder for
every title
● Use bitrate to encode content in a quality that
viewers can actually enjoy, but not more!
● Improves quality AND reduces bitrate for less
complex content
● Fully configurable by user
○ Upper limit for highest bitrate
○ Lower limit for lowest bitrate
○ Step sizes between renditions (SD, HD,
UHD)
○ etc.

26. Real-World
Example:
Movie Content ● Medium complexity
○ Partially complex textures
○ Fast moving scenes and some slow
scenes

27. Real-World
Example:
Movie Content
Standard Bitrate Ladder:
Per-Title Bitrate Ladder:

28. Real-World
Example:
Movie Content

29. Comparison - Movie Content
Standard Profile Per-Title Profile
240 kbps, 384x160 240 kbps, 512x217

30. Comparison - Movie Content
Standard Profile Per-Title Profile
5,800 kbps, 1920x804 5,097 kbps, 1920x804

31. Comparison - Movie Content
● Bitrate Reduction of 20%
● Storage Reduction of 33%
● Quality Improvement 101%

32. Real-World
Example:
Animated Content ● Low complexity
○ Simple textures
○ Low motion
○ Large homogeneous areas

33. Real-World
Example:
Animated Content
Standard Bitrate Ladder:
Per-Title Bitrate Ladder:

34. Real-World
Example:
Animated Content

35. Real-World
Example:
Animated Content
No visible quality improvement
at 45 db and higher
Encoding artifacts visible
at 35 db and lower

36. Comparison - Animated Content
Standard Profile Per-Title Profile
593 kbps, 360p 480 kbps, 1080p

37. Comparison - Animated Content
● Bitrate Reduction of 28%
● Storage Reduction of 88%
● Quality Improvement 30%

38. Summary
● We want it all -- high quality, low bandwidth!
● Complicating factors get in the way
● Existing solutions only go so far
● New solutions are finally available:
○ Multi-codec
○ New codecs like AV1
○ Per-scene adaptation
○ Per-title adaptation

39. How do I get started?
1) Educate yourself!
2) Research existing strategy and untapped opportunity
3) Contact us to schedule consultation session (sales@bitmovin.com)
4) Work with the team to activate and test selected features on your account
5) Come up with deployment plan
6) Go for it!