Adjusting encoder performance settings

Encoding is a CPU-intensive process. If you continually exceed the capabilities of your encoding computer, you can review the most recent hardware and software requirements to determine if you should upgrade to a more powerful computer. If upgrading is not feasible, however, you can adjust encoder performance settings to ensure success with encoding. (The settings only apply to sessions in which you use the Windows Media Video 9 codec.) Your performance choices are whether to place emphasis on better performance or on better quality. A better performance setting corresponds to lower CPU usage; a better quality setting corresponds to higher usage of the CPU power. Keep the following in mind when choosing performance settings:

• If the amount of time needed to encode is not important, you can use the better quality setting. This is most appropriate for a scenario in which you are both sourcing from a file and encoding to a file. The encoder takes as much time as needed to encode.
• If it is important that encoding keep pace with capturing, then use the better performance setting. This is appropriate for a scenario in which you are broadcasting, or for a scenario in which you are sourcing from devices and encoding to a file. For the encode-to-file scenario, you can also enable temporary storage for the captured content. With temporary storage, captured data is stored temporarily if the encoding process falls behind the capturing process.

For all of the scenarios, you may want to try different performance settings to find the balance between quality and performance for your computer. Keep in mind that other factors affect CPU usage during encoding. For example, session settings such as frame rate, bit rate, and frame size affect how much work the CPU needs to perform encoding. In addition, other programs running on the encoding computer leave less processing power for the encoder.

Related topics

• Achieving optimal system performance
• Hardware and software requirements
• Encoding or archiving a broadcast to a file
• To adjust performance settings
• To store captured content temporarily