Video transcoding is the process of converting a video file from one digital format to another. This conversion typically involves changing the video’s codec, resolution, bitrate, or other parameters to make it compatible with different devices, streaming platforms, or network conditions.
Transcoding involves both decoding (uncompressing) and encoding (recompressing) the video data. Different software and hardware tools are used for video transcoding, and the choice of codec, resolution, bitrate, and other settings depends on the specific requirements of the target platform and the quality expectations of the end-users.
When you stream to a single site, transcoding is not needed. But for multistreaming, it may be required
When an Extra Transcoding is Needed?
Re-streaming technology allows handling several streams with only one transcoding process. But one important condition should be met: all streams should be exactly the same.
Cam sites often have different livestream requirements, and these differences can be attributed to several factors, including the platform’s target audience, technical capabilities, and infrastructure.
The specific live stream requirements of each platform are designed to ensure that content creators can deliver a high-quality experience to their intended audience while aligning with the platform’s technical capabilities and business model. Models need to be aware of these requirements and adapt their live streaming setups accordingly to reach their target viewers effectively.
| Site | Max. Resolution | Max. FPS | Max. Bitrate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaturbate | 4K | 60 | 20000+ |
| Stripchat | 1080p | 60 | 6000 |
| BongaCams | 1080p | 60 | 6000 |
| Cam4 | 1080p | n/a | n/a |
| MyFreeCams | 1080p | 60 | 7000 |
| Eplay | 1080p | 60 | 6500 |
| SoulCams | 1080p | 30 | n/a |
| CamSoda | 1080p | 30 | 6000 |
| Cherry TV | 1080p | 30 | 4500 |
| Cams.com | 720p | 30 | 2500 |
As you can see from the table above, if multistreaming, let’s say to Stripchat, BongaCams, and MyFreeCams, there’s no need to set up different preferences for the streams: the requirements of these platforms are about the same. If your equipment is good enough, you may have 1080p * 60FPS * 6000Kbps on each site.
If Chaturbate is added to this list, preferences can still be the same. 1080p * 60FPS * 6000Kbps will work fine on all platforms. However, if you have a 4K camera, a powerful processor, and a good network, you miss the possibility of having a higher ranking on Chaturbate thanks to 4K streaming. So in this case, an optimal set of preferences is:
- 1080p * 60FPS * 6000Kbps for Stripchat, BongaCams, and MyFreeCams.
- 4K * 60FPS * 25000Kbps for Chaturbate.
Suppose you want to add Cams.com to the list of your streaming targets. In this case, your optimal set of preferences is:
- 1080p * 60FPS * 6000Kbps for Stripchat, Bongacams, and MyFreeCams.
- 4K * 60FPS * 25000Kbps for Chaturbate.
- 720p * 30FPS * 2500Kbps for Cams.com.
How to Deal With Several Transcoding Processes?
There are 2 ways the transcoding processes may be organized for multistreaming:
Transcode Locally on Your Computer
The most well-known example of this approach is using OBS Studio + RTMP Multiple Outputs plugin. Streams to each target may have different preferences, so you need to transcode them on your computer once or even several times.
The transcoding process requires a lot of CPU/GPU resources. The higher the quality of the video, the more resources are needed. You need to have a very powerful processor and/or graphic card to transcode live streams with 1080p+ resolutions.
Transcode on Remote Server
The transcoding process may be handled by the multistreaming service. In this case, it takes place remotely and doesn’t give any additional load to your equipment. A transcoding option is available with Streamster starting from the Regular pricing plan.
Streamster also offers the remote transcoding option for streams from OBS: