FFmpeg for Adaptive Bitrate Production

Learn to encode to H.264, HEVC, and VP9 formats and produce HLS/DASH Output

What you’ll learn:
Use FFmpeg to encode to H.264, HEVC, and VP9 outputs
Create an encoding ladder for HLS and DASH distribution
Install FFmpeg on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Create and run FFmpeg command strings on Windows and Mac platforms
Understand video encoding basics like codecs, container formats, and encoding parameters like resolution, frame rate, and data rate.

Requirements
Some knowledge of how to create batch files is required
Some familiarity with video-related concepts like formats and resolution is helpful
Some familiarity with compression-related concepts like data rate and codecs is helpful

Description
This course will teach you how to produce high-quality video with H.264, HEVC, and VP9 with FFmpeg and how to create fully packaged HLS and DASH adaptive bitrate output. You’ll become proficient in FFmpeg and will learn the key fundamentals of video compression, encoding, and adaptive bitrate packaging.

The course includes downloadable batch files to accelerate learning and production with PDFs of all lesson files for printing and note-taking.

The course starts with the technology primer that covers the basics of compression and encoding. Then it details how to install FFmpeg on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers and provides an overview of batch operation on those platforms.

The next section covers generic file configuration options you’ll use for all codecs, including lessons on bitrate control, resolution, frame rate, I-, B-, P- and reference-frame settings. These are followed by lessons on H.264 and HLS, including instructions on how to use Bento4 to package for DASH and HLS.

The next sections detail how to encode and package with HEVC and how to encode with VP9. The final section details how to use line continuation characters in your FFmpeg scripts and concludes with a lesson on live encoding with H.264.

Who this course is for
Those who need to quickly learn how to encode videos with FFmpeg
Those who want to understand key concepts in video streaming and compression to make better encoding decisions