Encode vs Transcode & CPUs

thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2011
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So I've been reading around the forums suggesting a cpu for encoding & transcoding, but I'm a little confused and thinking maybe the two terms are being used interchangeably (not sure if that's a word lol). I was under the impression that encoding is taking the original file and changing it to a different type using something like handbrake or ripbot or what have you. On the other hand, I always thought that transcoding was an OTF process, where the cpu is being used to change the type to the native format of the display device while the file is being accessed/requested. Is this about the jist of these two terms? Reason I'm asking is because I'm thinking about upgrading the cpu (currently running Intel g620) in my server because the "transcoding" from the server to my android device over the internet is slow and choppy, whereas it streams fine on my LAN. I use handbrake to "encode" from the source to something like mp4 or mkv. Does this make sense?
 
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Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
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All of your digital media is already encoded, somehow. The two terms are interchangeable, in the sense that transcoding is encoding, but not all encoding will necessarily be transcoding. Transcoding is converting from one digital encoding format to another, usually with a standard IR between formats. In the case if analog to digital conversion, you are doing a first digital encode, not a transcode. After that, any further digital decoding and encoding is transcoding.

Reason I'm asking is because I'm thinking about upgrading the cpu (currently running Intel g620) in my server because the "transcoding" from the server to my android device over the internet is slow and choppy, whereas it streams fine on my LAN.
Repacking the video and sending it over the network is referred to as streaming. It likely has to convert it to a lower quality in real time*, and that conversion is transcoding.

If it works fine on your LAN, from the same server to your android device, your CPU is fast enough. In that case, the problem is internet speed to your phone/tablet, when you are at some remote location. What you would need to do is lower the video/audio bitrates for the stream, until it plays smoothly (depending on ISP and plan, you may have an artificially limited upload speed, too).

If you can monitor the actual speed you are receiving the stream at, when it is choppy, that would make it easier to find a good target. Disconnecting your android device from wifi, so as to use your wireless internet, would be the best way to get a maximum possible bitrate, while still at home.

* colloquially
 

Blades

Senior member
Oct 9, 1999
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Transcoding decodes one format (input), encoding the output of the decoder to a specified codec/format (usually h264). The name kind of explains itself.. but hardware transcoding implies both encode/decode done in hw.
 

AE-Ruffy

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Apr 15, 2012
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I think of it as

Encoding rewrites the entire media file into another format. From now on it will be in a new format.
Transcoding does this on the fly, the new "file" is never stored, just streamed. So if you want to watch it again later you have to transcode it again.
 

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
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I think of it as

Encoding rewrites the entire media file into another format. From now on it will be in a new format.
Transcoding does this on the fly, the new "file" is never stored, just streamed. So if you want to watch it again later you have to transcode it again.
If you store it to non-volatile media, you won't have to transcode it again. A given program may perform it on the fly, but that is not a necessity, unless it must be streamed live at an arbitrary lower quality or different format.

Transocding is a term used to differentiate encoding/decoding that changes the nature of the data (position to bit string, analog to digital, specialized media storage to flexible computer file, etc.) and encoding/decoding that changes merely the format and/or quality.