Bitmovin applies AI to video encoding

Bitmovin Launches AI-Enabled encoding

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Bitmovin, a world leader in online video technology, announces the launch of Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered encoding, dramatically speeding up processing and enabling service providers to deliver significant improvements in video quality. AI-enabled Encoding will be demonstrated for the first time at the Bitmovin booth (SU9901CM) at the NAB Show 2018 (April 10-14, Las Vegas Convention Centre).

A standard encoding process involves performing an in-depth analysis of the entire video before encoding is started. Bitmovin’s AI-powered Encoding technology works by continuously learning the parameters used in previous encodes, so that it can apply AI-optimized settings to every new video file. By enriching its containerized encoding software (which enables video to be split into chunks for more efficient encoding) with machine learning capabilities, Bitmovin is able to achieve both faster processing times and significantly higher quality with no increase in bandwidth.

“Bandwidth should never hold back operators from delivering the best possible quality experiences,” said Stefan Lederer, CEO and co-founder at Bitmovin. “Artificial intelligence is a step-change in encoding, allowing operators to significantly improve the visual quality of streams, eliminate buffering and improve consumer satisfaction.”

Bitmovin’s AI enabled approach allows each video to be handled far more efficiently as well as delivering significant quality improvements:

• First pass: a rapid high-level analysis, using machine learning to identify appropriate encoding settings as well as pre/post processing steps for each part of a video. The AI is trained using library content and will continue to learn over time.
• Second pass: a more detailed analysis of each part, fine tuning encoding parameters to ensure the best visual quality. Each section is analysed in parallel, cutting the overall time needed.
• Third pass: applies the analysis, using an optimized bitrate throughout the whole file, ensuring improved quality and streaming at optimal bandwidth efficiency.

Bitmovin has been a first mover in almost every significant development in online video, from building and deploying the world’s first commercial adaptive streaming (MPEG-DASH/HLS) HTML5 Player, to being the first to achieve 100x real-time encoding speeds in the cloud. All Bitmovin’s solutions are designed to be highly scalable, portable across any hardware and deliver the highest quality in the industry.

Bitmovin customers include fuboTV, New York Times, Periscope, RTL, Sling TV and Bouygues Telecom; collectively delivering several billion videos to consumers every day.