Video Transcoding

What is Transcoding?

When you upload a video into Skykit Beam, it goes through a two-step process: first the video is uploaded into the system, and then it is transcoded—that is, converted to another video format to give you the best video quality possible.

Beam converts videos to a VP9 format, which compresses the video without affecting the video quality. It also enables better streaming to a variety of devices, from large monitors to smartphones. The VP9 format is the standard for YouTube videos and is supported by most major technology companies.

Beam transcodes video files by default.

The transcoding process can take some time, especially if the video file is large. This is why your video might not be available immediately after it's been uploaded. You can track the progress of the transcoding process in the Notifications drawer in Beam.

For more detailed information about transcoding, see the Wikipedia article or this blog post from StackPath.

Why Do We Do It?

The reasons for transcoding boil down to aesthetics and flexibility—transcoding ensures that your videos look as sharp as possible on all your displays and that they can play on most devices.

Do Videos Have to Be Transcoded?

Skykit Beam transcodes videos automatically, but you can choose to turn transcoding off. To opt out, contact support@skykit.com. If you do choose to skip this process, however, we recommend that you save your videos as MP4 files before you upload them into Beam.