Transcoding can be expensive and given the number of streams Twitch supports on a daily basis we cannot always guarantee transcodes for all streamers. In addition, we are often creating these transcodes using older processors acquired several years ago. Today, all of our transcoding occurs “in the cloud” on Twitch servers. Twitch offers transcodes to all streamers, but historically we’ve only been able to guarantee them to Partners. Similarly, if you use a more modern codec to represent the video, you can get improved video quality for the same number of bits. So, if you have a more powerful processor, you can create a more compact representation of the video in the same amount of time. Ultimately, these three factors determine the video quality that you receive for a given number of bits to store the video. the technology) that you are using to store and stream the video 2) the time taken when generating the transcode and 3) the processing power of the computer you are using when generating the transcode. There are three key factors in creating transcodes: 1) the codec (i.e. Having multiple transcodes is critical to ensuring all of your viewers have a buffer-free experience when tuning into your stream, regardless of their network connection. Transcodes refer to the process of converting your video into different resolutions so that Twitch can adapt a viewer’s experience depending on their bandwidth. If you haven’t, allow me to try and give a simple explanation of what they are and why you should care. If you’re a streamer on Twitch, you’ve probably heard about transcodes.

Twitch tv popshot