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Codecs.

Video and audio codec deep-dives — AV1, VVC, HEVC, H.264, AAC, Opus.

May 9, 2026·12 min read·mezzanine / prores / dnxhd

Mezzanine codecs — ProRes, DNxHD, DNxHR, and the editorial workflow tier

Practical reference on mezzanine codecs — Apple ProRes profiles, Avid DNxHD/DNxHR, when to use mezzanine vs delivery codecs, and pipeline integration for editorial-to-streaming workflows.

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May 8, 2026·8 min read·hevc / hdr10 / x265

HEVC HDR10 encoding configuration — x265 parameters that get HDR right

Practical guide to HEVC HDR10 encoding with x265 — Main 10 profile, color signaling, master display SEI, MaxCLL/MaxFALL, the complete CLI configuration that produces conformant HDR10 output.

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May 8, 2026·8 min read·aac / fdk-aac / audio

FDK-AAC vs ffmpeg native AAC — encoder selection for streaming pipelines

Practical comparison of FDK-AAC and ffmpeg's native AAC encoder — quality at common bitrates, licensing constraints, build configuration, VBR vs CBR, when each is the right choice.

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May 8, 2026·8 min read·av1 / hevc / codecs

AV1 encoding economics — when AV1 actually saves money vs HEVC

Practical analysis of AV1 vs HEVC streaming economics — bandwidth savings vs encode compute cost, hardware AV1 break-even, the ROI threshold where AV1 pays off.

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May 8, 2026·9 min read·svt-av1 / av1 / codecs

SVT-AV1 preset tuning — preset 4 vs 6 vs 8 vs 10 in production

Practical guide to SVT-AV1 preset selection — quality vs encoding-time tradeoff at each preset, VMAF measurements, when to use preset 4 vs 6 vs 8 vs 10 vs 12 in production.

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May 7, 2026·8 min read·opus / codecs / audio

Opus — the audio codec for live, voice, and any pipeline that values latency

Practical reference on the Opus audio codec — architecture, libopus production tuning, low-latency vs music-quality tradeoff, container support, and when Opus beats AAC.

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May 7, 2026·8 min read·aac / codecs / audio

AAC — the audio codec every video pipeline ships, and what to know about it

Practical reference on AAC for video pipelines — AAC-LC vs HE-AAC vs xHE-AAC, FDK-AAC vs ffmpeg native encoder, bitrate tuning, multi-channel encoding, and container compatibility.

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May 7, 2026·8 min read·vp9 / codecs / google

VP9 — Google's pre-AV1 codec, and why most teams skip it now

Practical reference on VP9 — codec mechanics, libvpx-vp9 production realities, the YouTube-driven hardware install base, and the awkward middle position between H.264, HEVC, and AV1.

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May 7, 2026·8 min read·h264 / avc / codecs

H.264 (AVC) — the codec that won, and is still winning two decades later

Practical reference on H.264/AVC in 2026 — why it's still everywhere, x264 production tuning, the codec everyone targets first, and when H.264 is the only right answer.

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May 7, 2026·8 min read·hevc / h265 / codecs

HEVC (H.265) — the codec everyone uses and nobody loves

Practical reference on HEVC/H.265 — codec mechanics, x265 in production, hardware encode/decode maturity, the patent licensing mess, and why it's still the right 2026 answer.

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May 7, 2026·8 min read·vvc / h266 / codecs

VVC (H.266) — the codec MPEG built and the industry hasn't deployed

Practical reference on Versatile Video Coding (H.266) — compression efficiency, encoder ecosystem (VVenC), the patent-pool situation, hardware decode timeline, and where VVC stands against AV1.

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May 7, 2026·8 min read·av1 / codecs / aomedia

AV1 codec — what it is, where it wins, what it costs

Practical reference for engineers shipping AV1 in production — what AOMedia got right, encoder economics, hardware decode timeline, when AV1 beats HEVC and when it doesn't.

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