Media Apple FCP X

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Tip #1508: Streaming Subscribers Pass 1 Billion Worldwide

… for Random Weirdness

Tip #1508: Streaming Subscribers Pass 1 Billion Worldwide

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Tradition media is down, streaming media is way up.

Image credit: Ranker via TV Technology.

Topic $TipTopic

According to TV Technology (link) global streaming subscriptions jumped well past 1 billion. Reporting on the Motion Picture Association’s annual THEME report, TV Technology wrote that the total number of online video subscriptions jumped to 1.1. billion at the end of 2020.

TV Technology writes:

MPA’s categorization of online video subscriptions specifically refers to streaming services, like Netflix and Disney+. In 2020, 232.1 million new subscriptions were added across the world, a 26% increase from 2019. Meanwhile, cable subscriptions decreased by 2% in 2020, dropping to 530.7 million globally.

In terms of revenue, the pay-TV subscription market, which excludes online video in the MPA report, was $233.1 billion. Despite a decrease in subscriptions, cable actually grew its revenue by $871.4 million to $111.6 billion, keeping it as the largest subscription video market. Online video is the third largest subscription market and increased $14.3 billion (34%) in 2020.

When looking specifically at the U.S., online video subscriptions shot up to 308.6 million, an increase of 32%. Virtual pay-TV subscriptions also saw an increase, adding 12.1 million subscriptions in 2020, up 29%. Cable and satellite subscriptions both declined.

However, like the global market, cable remains the largest subscription market in terms of revenue in the U.S.

EXTRA CREDIT

Here’s the Motion Picture Association report.

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Tip #1509: 2 Newsletters to Track Broadcast Media

… for Random Weirdness

Tip #1509: 2 Newsletters to Track Broadcast Media

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

These cover technology, business and trends.

Topic $TipTopic

There are two reports I get every day that are very helpful in tracking what’s going on at the high-end of the media industry: broadcast and film.

First, is TV Technology. They are a part of Future US Inc., an international media group and leading digital publisher of dozens of special-interest publications.

TV Technology website: www.tvtechnology.com

Future US website: www.futureplc.com/brands/

The other is a daily newsletter from the NAB called “NAB Smart Brief.”

NAB’s Smartbrief is a daily snapshot of broadcast industry news pulled from numerous leading media sources. Smartbrief contains summaries of the news that matters to you, written by expert editors to save you time and keep you informed and prepared.

Smart Brief website: www.nab.org/news/smartBrief.asp

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Tip #1496: Caption Formats Supported by Premiere Pro

… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #1496: Caption Formats Supported by Premiere Pro

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

All these options exist because there is no single preferred standard.

Topic $TipTopic

The reason there are so many caption formats is that every distributor has a different preference. Here’s a list of the caption formats supported by the 2021 release of Adobe Premiere Pro (v. 15.0.0):

  • SCC
  • MCC
  • XML
    • DFXP (W3C TTML)
    • SMPTE-TT
    • EBU-TT
  • STL
  • SRT
  • DFXMP

Captions can only be embedded in these three pro video formats:

  • MXF OP1a
  • DNxHD
  • ProRes

EXTRA CREDIT

To illustrate the diversity of captions, here’s a link to an article showing which caption formats are preferred and supported by social media.

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Tip #1502: Media Encoder Supports More Codecs

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1502: Media Encoder Supports More Codecs

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Adobe continues to increase its support for HDR.

Topic $TipTopic

With the release of the 2021 update to Adobe Media Encoder, AME now supports more codecs.

Specifically, AME added support for:

  • ARRI Alexa Mini LF (ARRIRAW) footage Adobe Media Encoder now offers a comprehensive, cross-platform (Windows and macOS) solution for workflows, from camera media through to delivery.

Here’s a link to all of AME’s supported codecs.

In January, Adobe took another step in its move to support HDR media more extensively throughout all its applications. The default working color space and Gamma curve has been modified for all RED files.

File type Default working space in older versions of Adobe Media Encoder Default working space in Adobe Media Encoder version 14.8 and later
Red files Color space: Rec 709 Color space: RedWideGamutRGB
Gamma curve- BT.1886 Gamma curve: Log3G10
Komodo files Color space: Rec 709 Color space: RedWideGamutRGB
Gamma curve- Log3G10 Gamma curve: Log3G10

NOTE: All old projects continue to have the previous settings and are not impacted by this change. You can choose to change the colour space and Gamma space as per your requirements.

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Tip #1506: M1 Macs Accelerate 10-bit HEVC Compression

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1506: M1 Macs Accelerate 10-bit HEVC Compression

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

HDR requires 10-bit codecs and hardware acceleration.

Key settings in Apple Compressor to enable hardware-accelerated HEVC 10-bit compression.

Topic $TipTopic

I spent this last week learning more about the media capabilities of the M1 Mac.

The new M1 chip from Apple (part of the three new Macs launched last week) can accelerate encoding H.264, 8-bit HEVC, and 10-bit HEVC using hardware. This vastly speeds compression of these codecs.

NOTE: HDR media requires using a 10-bit codec, which is why compressing 10-bit HEVC quickly is important.

To enable 10-bit compression in Apple Compressor:

  • Create a new setting using the MPEG-4 category.
  • Change Codec to HEVC (top red arrow)
  • Set Encoder Type to Faster (this enables hardware acceleration)
  • Set Profile to 10-bit (this is bit-depth is required for HDR.
  • Be sure Multi-pass is disabled (Multi-pass disables hardware acceleration)

NOTE: Hardware acceleration for 10-bit HEVC is also possible for any Mac that has a T-2 chip.

EXTRA CREDIT

Here’s a tutorial on configuring an M1 Mac for video editing.

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Tip #1507: Enable Hardware Acceleration in AME

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1507: Enable Hardware Acceleration in AME

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Hardware acceleration for 10-bit HEVC is possible – but requires a very recent computer.

Hardware acceleration settings for HEVC in Adobe Media Encoder.

Topic $TipTopic

Adobe Media Encoder (AME) takes advantage of hardware acceleration for compression that is built into recent Macs. Here’s how to turn it on.

HEVC hardware acceleration for 8-bit media requires a relatively recent Mac. (My 2017 iMac supports accelerating 8-bit, but not 10-bit.) However, HEVC hardware acceleration for 10-bit media, which is required for HDR files, requires a Mac with either a T2 or M1 chip.

NOTE: The T2 chip first appeared in 2018 in MacBooks and 2019 in iMacs.

Assuming you have the right chips in your computer, hardware encoding is enabled in AME via compression settings.

  • Search for an existing HEVC compression setting (it’s in the System Presets > Broadcast category) or create your own using MPEG-4 as the root.
  • In the Export Settings panel (top red arrow):
  • Set Performance to Hardware Encoding
  • Set Profiles to Main for 8-bit video, or Main 10 for 10-bit video.

NOTE: My computer doesn’t support hardware acceleration, which is why Main 10 isn’t selected in the screen shot.

And that’s it. Hardware acceleration will speed encoding anywhere from 10X to 30X.

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Tip #1488: Totally Off-the-Wall Fun Fact

… for Random Weirdness

Tip #1488: Totally Off-the-Wall Fun Fact

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Camera lenses are also vital in the life sciences.

Image courtesy of Zeiss.com.

Topic $TipTopic

As I was researching this week’s tips, I came across the following from Zeiss.com:

To image a human brain with a microscope requires about 3 BILLION TERABYTES of storage!

And we’re worried about expanding frame sizes…?

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Tip #1491: Telestream Purchases Masstech

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1491: Telestream Purchases Masstech

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Asset management tools continue consolidating.

The Telestream logo.

Topic $TipTopic

As reported in TVTechnology.com, Telestream has announced an acquisition of Masstech, which constructs hybrid cloud-based storage and asset lifecycle management systems.

This move follows Telestream’s acquisition of EcoDigital and its Diva MAM platform back in October. Telestream has now made 10 acquisitions, which the company claims makes it the leading supplier to the content storage/management segment for the Media & Entertainment market.

Under the terms of this new deal, all Masstech resources will be transferred to Telestream. The company’s engineering and product management functions will be integrated with Telestream’s Content Management Business Unit and will be led by Geoff Tognetti. The goal of this unit will be to combine Masstech intellectual property with EcoDigital’s Diva into a single product.

Here’s the Telestream press release.

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Tip #1492: Shift to Digital Media Accelerating

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1492: Shift to Digital Media Accelerating

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

The world changes. Thought you’d like to know.

Average time US adults spent daily with media. (Courtesy: eMarketer/Axios)

Topic $TipTopic

As reported by Axios, the COVID-19 crisis drove digital media consumption to new heights, while traditional media stagnated, according to data from eMarketer.

What’s happening: Even before the pandemic, but especially after, time American adults spent on smartphones and smart TVs skyrocketed while time spent on devices like radio and linear television continued to decline.

Why it matters: Media companies that hadn’t already begun to realign their businesses around streaming and mobile were caught flat-footed by the pandemic’s digital boom. Those that did have been rewarded.

Driving the news: Disney said Tuesday that its streaming service Disney+ surpassed 100 million subscribers in just 16 months.

What to watch: eMarketer predicts that that these formats will claim even more daily media time going forward. Traditional TV, social media, tablets, and desktops/laptops will likely decrease in usage this year compared to 2020.

EXTRA CREDIT

Here’s the link.

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Tip #1468: Which is Better: WebM or MP4?

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1468: Which is Better: WebM or MP4?

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

While royalty-free is compelling for some, most of the time, MP4 is a better choice.

The WebM logo.

Topic $TipTopic

There are a gazillion codecs out there. WebM is one of the newer ones. Is it better than MP4?

First, as we all know, “better” is a very squishy term.

  • MP4 is based on the 2001 QuickTime File Format and supports a vareity of codecs: AVC, HEVC/H.264, and H.264. It is essentially ubiquitous – and plays on everything from computers to Bic pens. (OK, maybe not Bic pens, but just about everything else.)
  • WebM is much newer, released in 2010. Both create files about the same size – assuming the compression software supports tweaking the settings. WebM file sizes can be smaller than MP4, depending upon compression settings.

While the image quality of WebM is reported as “better,” but most consumers probably wouldn’t notice. Essentially, image quality is a wash.

SO, WHICH TO CHOOSE?

The big benefits to WebM are that it is royalty-free and newer. The big benefits to MP4 are virtually universal playback and full support in a wide variety of software.

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