AAC 2-pass encoding

[system]

Hi there is Wowza safe to stream 2-pass encoded ABR Nero AAC files or is it better to use CBR encodings? Are there any implications for using ABR? I would like to acheive the best quality at a specific bitrate hence I would prefer to use ABR.

Thanks

Hash

[Charlie_Good]

If you use a decent size client side buffer of say 2-5 seconds(NetStream.setBufferTime) and you set a reasonable maximum bitrate as part of the encoding process, then you should be OK. People who are on the edge of having enough bandwidth to view the videos may have problems but folks that are well above the average bitrate of the video should be fine. The large client side buffer will give them a little wiggle room to handle the extra surge of bandwidth that is needed during faster motion parts of the video.

Make sense?

Charlie

[Charlie_Good]

The same answer applies. If you target a given bitrate (such as modem type bitrates) and assume 80-90% efficiency then ABR/VBR (variable bit rate) will work as long as you set a large enough client side buffer and the average bitrate it low enough to fit.

Charlie

[Hasham_Ahmad]

Absolutely. I suspect the variation in bitrate in ABR is small enough not to affect streaming reliability at reasonable bitrates on broadband, especially with a sensible buffer setting. I guess my concern is more for reliable streaming at lower bitrate audio only, say for modem users.