How do you measure and improve the video quality of your compressed videos?

1 What is video compression?

Video compression is the process of reducing the amount of data in a video file by removing or simplifying some of the information. There are two main types of video compression: lossless and lossy. Lossless compression preserves all the original data and quality, but it can only achieve a small reduction in file size. Lossy compression discards some of the data and quality, but it can achieve a much larger reduction in file size. Lossy compression is more common and practical for online videos, as it can save a lot of space and bandwidth.

2 What is video quality?

Video quality is the subjective perception of how well a video looks and sounds. Video quality depends on many factors, such as resolution, frame rate, color depth, contrast, brightness, audio quality, and encoding format. However, video quality is not the same as video resolution. Resolution is the number of pixels in a video, while quality is how clear and detailed those pixels are. A high-resolution video can have poor quality if it is compressed too much, while a low-resolution video can have good quality if it is compressed well.

3 How do you measure video quality?

There are two main ways to measure video quality: objective and subjective. Objective methods use mathematical formulas and algorithms to calculate the amount of distortion or error in a video, compared to the original or a reference video. Some of the common objective metrics are peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index (SSIM), and video quality metric (VQM). Objective methods are fast and consistent, but they may not reflect the human perception of quality. Subjective methods use human viewers to rate the quality of a video, based on their preferences and expectations. Some of the common subjective methods are mean opinion score (MOS), difference mean opinion score (DMOS), and absolute category rating (ACR). Subjective methods are more reliable and realistic, but they are time-consuming and variable.

4 How do you improve video quality?

To improve the video quality of your compressed videos, you should choose the right compression format and settings. MP4 is a popular and versatile format, while WebM is more efficient for streaming and interactive video. Additionally, you can adjust the settings of your compression software, such as bitrate, frame rate, resolution, and quality level. A good video editor and converter can also help you enhance and optimize your video before and after compression. Lastly, you should test and compare your compressed videos with different formats and settings, as well as with the original or a reference video. You can use online tools, such as Video Quality Analyzer, Video Quality Tester, or Video Quality Comparison Tool to analyze and compare your videos.

5 How do you avoid common video quality issues?

Video quality issues such as pixelation, banding, artifacting, and lagging can affect your compressed videos. To avoid these issues, you should use a high-quality source video with a moderate compression level and suitable bitrate. Additionally, you should ensure that you have a fast and stable network for streaming and playback. This will help to deliver your video without delays, skips, or freezes.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?