Encoding
Transcodely supports four video codecs, three audio codecs, five container formats, and two adaptive streaming protocols. This section covers everything you need to make informed decisions about your encoding pipeline.
Choosing a Codec
The right codec depends on your target audience, playback devices, and quality-to-filesize requirements:
| Codec | Best For | Compatibility | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| H.264 | Maximum device support | Universal | Baseline |
| H.265 | 4K content, bandwidth savings | Modern devices, Apple ecosystem | ~40% smaller than H.264 |
| VP9 | Web delivery, YouTube-style | Chrome, Firefox, Android | ~30% smaller than H.264 |
| AV1 | Next-gen streaming, best compression | Modern browsers, limited hardware decode | ~50% smaller than H.264 |
For most use cases, H.264 is the safe default. If you are targeting modern browsers and want better compression, combine H.264 with VP9 or AV1 using adaptive streaming.
Codec Decision Tree
- Need universal playback? Use H.264
- Targeting Apple devices or 4K? Use H.265
- Web-first delivery on Chrome/Firefox? Use VP9
- Optimizing for bandwidth on modern platforms? Use AV1
- Adaptive streaming with fallback? Combine codecs in an HLS/DASH output
Container Formats
Containers package video, audio, and metadata into a single file. Your choice of container affects which codecs you can use:
| Container | Codecs | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| MP4 | H.264, H.265, AV1 | General purpose, progressive download |
| WebM | VP9, AV1 | Web-optimized delivery |
| MKV | All codecs | Archival, maximum flexibility |
| MOV | H.264, H.265 | Apple ecosystem, professional workflows |
Quality Tiers
Every output has a quality tier that controls the speed-quality tradeoff and pricing:
| Tier | Price Multiplier | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
economy | 0.75x | Previews, thumbnails, non-critical content |
standard | 1.0x | General streaming, most production content |
premium | 2.0x | Broadcast quality, archival, flagship content |
Streaming
For adaptive bitrate delivery, Transcodely supports HLS and DASH packaging with multi-codec ABR ladders. A single job can produce a complete streaming package with multiple resolutions and codecs.
Section Pages
- Codecs — Side-by-side comparison of all video and audio codecs
- H.264 — Profiles, presets, CRF ranges, and all encoder parameters
- H.265 — HEVC encoding with 10-bit support and 8K levels
- VP9 — Speed settings, quality modes, and tile configuration
- AV1 — Numeric presets, film grain synthesis, and advanced filters
- Containers — MP4, WebM, MKV, MOV, TS compatibility and features
- Audio — AAC, Opus, and MP3 codec parameters
- Quality Tiers — Economy, standard, and premium encoding profiles
- Resolutions — Supported resolutions from 480p to 8K
- Streaming — HLS, DASH, CMAF, and adaptive bitrate configuration