Video encoder hardware buyer’s guide: Five key attributes to focus on
By Jamie G
Michael Monette of Epiphan Video‘s recent blog post goes over the five thing to consider when buying a video encoder. Check them out here.
First thing Monette suggests is the features and flexibility. You should list out all your production needs and be clear on them before making a choice. Figuring out what features the encoder you’re interested in just a matter of checking their product pages and tech specs.
Next Monette suggests considering the ease of use of the encoder you’re interested in. No matter what level of technical expertise you have, ease of use is important. If you are purchasing an encoder for a shared environment, you must make sure your encoder is user friendly.
Reliability is the next important thing to consider.
“Improved reliability is one of the major differences between hardware and software encoding. As dedicated appliances, hardware encoders do away with many of the interruptions and errors common with software encoders running on general computer hardware. Untimely OS updates, antivirus pop-ups, and unrelated software crashes just aren’t factors with hardware – which is why so many AV pros and professional broadcasters insist on it.”
Michael Monette
Next thing to consider is customer support. Is the hardware encoder brand your buying from offer tech support and warranty? Having good customer support gives users peace of mind. Make sure to check product reviews and testimonials before making your final decision.
Lastly consider innovation.
“The question to ask is, Does the company whose product you’re considering appear to value innovation? Evidence that points to “yes” includes what the rest of their product offering looks like, and how they’ve maintained or updated those products over time. Have they brought new features to existing products, adding value to their customers’ initial investment?”
Michael Monette
Now that you have the five steps to consider when buying your hardware encoder, you should look into the Epiphan family of Pearl products. The Pearl Mini, Pearl Nano and Pearl-2 all are versatile, intuitive, and reliable, and backed by rock-solid customer support. They features integrations with Panopto, Kaltura, and YuJa, and support a wide range of streaming protocols including Secure Reliable Transport (SRT). All Pearl systems come with Epiphan Cloud where you can access and control Pearl devices from anywhere!
Check out the full article here!
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