What Is h.264? SD or HD?

MPEG4/h.264 is a newer standard for video compression, supported on most modern mobile devices as well as PC and Apple computers. When paired with AAC, a standard for audio compression, you can rest assured your media will reach the widest possible audience — desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets.  The h.264 standard can deliver “standard- definition” (SD) and “high-definition” (HD), in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. EarthChannel supports both SD and HD streaming. You can choose the optimal bandwidth and image quality for your audience and programming.

How Your Media Is Delivered

There’s no need to create a mobile version of your Live Stream or OnDemand programs.  EarthChannel does all the “heavy lifting” to assure that your media is delivered to your viewers, regardless of what computer or device they may be using. There’s no custom app to install or download – it just works!

Desktop viewers are delivered media via HTML-5 or Adobe Flash Player, one of the most widely supported browser plugins. Since Flash is not supported on most mobile devices, EarthChannel automatically changes the method of delivery to native h.264/AAC and takes advantage of the built-in player found on modern mobile devices. Using this method of media delivery, your viewers will have a consistent and unified experience regardless of what platform they choose.

The “Sweet Spot”

You never know what kind of bandwidth your mobile viewers will have when they choose to view your media — 3G, LTE, 4G, 5G? For that reason, your EarthChannel profile has been custom designed to provide viewers with the highest quality video, at the lowest data rate. We finely tune EarthChannel Encoders and profiles to ensure that you reach the widest audience with the fewest possible technical issues, all while providing the highest possible quality.

Encoder Specs

The EarthChannel Encoder has been custom designed to provide the highest quality at the lowest data-rates. This ‘headless’ appliance is fully-managed and bundled as part of your service. No need for monitoring, updates, or even connecting a monitor — everything is handled by EarthChannel.

A single-channel encoder is included in all packages that include a Live stream and can be expanded to up to 2-channels of SD or HD video when required. If your package requires more than 2 Live streams, then multiple encoders can be easily added. Learn more »