Easily Create iPhone Streaming Files with Encoding.com

If you're interested in using Encoding.com's platform to create iPhone Streaming (m3u8) files from your source content, there's a number of ways to achieve that using the options listed below. Our new HLS encoding has better adaptive bitrate distribution within the H.264 segments!

+ Use our web-based encoding software UI, located @ http://www.encoding.com/login, to designate an Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles or FTP site to use as your watchfolder. Turn an entire folder of content into iPhone Streaming (m3u8) files. All you have to do is select 'Add Task' and apply the iPhone Streaming (m3u8) preset from the dropdown menu in the watchfolder UI.

+ Upload a single piece of media with our 'Add Media' feature in the web UI. Select 'Add Task' and apply an iPhone Streaming (m3u8) preset to your encoding workflow from the dropdown menu. As with watchfolders, 'Add Media' can source from Amazon S3, Rackspace CloudFiles, FTP sites or your local drive / network.

+ Implement our powerful encoding API to submit source content and create Apple streaming video format files in a snap.

Don't forget to take a peek at our sample XML template for Apple TV creation.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<query>
    <format>
        <output>iphone_stream</output>
        <destination>ftp://***** the output iphone index file (.m3u8) *****</destination>
        <size>400x300</size>
        <audio_bitrate>56k</audio_bitrate>
        <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
        <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
        <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
        <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
        <profile>iphone_stream</profile>
        <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
        <two_pass>no</two_pass>
        <turbo>yes</turbo>
        <cbr>no</cbr>
        <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
        <keyframe>300</keyframe>
        <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
        <rotate>0</rotate>
        <file_extension>tar</file_extension>
        <hint>no</hint>
        <bitrates>600k,400k,200k,110k</bitrates>
        <framerates>29.97,29.97,15,10</framerates>
        <keyframes>90,90,45,30</keyframes>
        <pack_files>no</pack_files>
        <segment_duration>10</segment_duration>
        <add_audio_only>yes</add_audio_only>
        <still_image>first_segment</still_image>
        <still_image_time>5</still_image_time>
        <still_image_size>480x320</still_image_size>
      </format>
</query>

HLS iPad and iPhone streaming generate two types of files per Apple spec: the master index files (.m3u8) and the segmented mpeg-4 files (.ts). Our default presets use 10-second segments at 30fps (300 frames each), per Apple Technical Note TN2224.
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#technotes/tn2010/tn2224.html

#1 Please be sure to set “Tar segmented files” to OFF or NO, or you will get all the files zipped into one TAR archive file. XML flag as <pack_files>no</pack_files>

#2 Please make sure your index files are set to the proper MIME type on your server (application/x-mpegURL) so they pass the Apple Validator Tool, which I have available for download here:
http://www.pixelgoat.net/encoding/info/Apple_Streaming_ValidatorTool.zip

#3 Please DO NOT use two pass encoding, or you will see a blurry I-frame “popping” at the beginning of each 10 second video segment.

#4 Be aware that 5 different bitrates will output 30 segment (.ts) files per minute of video, so a 10-minute video will be 300 files. You will probably want to encode each video to a separate destination directory to keep your server organized.

You may login to your Encoding.com queue at
 https://manage.encoding.com/user/#queue

You may view our web interface tutorial for iPhone streaming at
 http://www.encoding.com/video/demo.mp4

SAMPLE XML – Send direct to API at manage.encoding.com
https://www.encoding.com/sendXml/

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