A streaming encoding profile is a pre-configured set of parameters that determines how a video is transcoded for online delivery: which codecs to use, at what resolutions and bitrates, and how audio is encoded. Profiles let platform operators balance quality, compatibility, and encoding cost with a single choice rather than dozens of individual settings.
What is an encoding profile?
When a video is uploaded to a streaming platform, it must be converted into multiple renditions — different combinations of resolution and bitrate — so the player can adapt to each viewer's bandwidth (adaptive bitrate streaming). An encoding profile bundles all these decisions into a coherent configuration: which video codecs to produce (H.264, VP9, AV1), which resolutions to include (360p through 4K), what bitrate to target at each level, and how audio tracks are encoded. Choosing a profile is simpler than configuring each parameter individually and ensures consistent, optimized output.
Defines the video codecs to produce (e.g., H.264 only, or H.264 + VP9 + AV1)
Specifies each resolution and its target/max bitrate (the encoding ladder)
Configures audio tracks: codec (AAC, Opus), bitrate, and sample rate
Sets the HLS segment duration for streaming delivery
Comparison of Videas encoding profiles
Videas offers three encoding profiles, each designed for different use cases. Higher-tier profiles produce more codec variants and higher resolutions, which improves quality and bandwidth efficiency at the cost of longer encoding times and more storage.
Feature
Premium
Standard
Basic
Video codecs
AV1 + VP9 + H.264
VP9 + H.264
H.264
Maximum resolution
4K (3840×2160)
1080p (1920×1080)
720p (1280×720)
Number of renditions
5
4
3
Audio codecs
AAC 192 kbps + Opus 128 kbps
AAC 128 kbps
AAC 96 kbps
Segment duration
4 s
4 s
6 s
Typical use case
Premium VOD, cinema, training
General-purpose streaming
Maximum compatibility, low bandwidth
How multi-rendition encoding works
Each profile defines an encoding ladder — a list of resolution/bitrate pairs. When a video is uploaded, the platform compares the source resolution to the ladder and only produces renditions that are equal to or smaller than the source. A 720p source will never be upscaled to 1080p or 4K, avoiding wasted storage and artificial quality. Each rendition is encoded for every codec in the profile (e.g., a Standard profile produces both H.264 and VP9 variants of each resolution). The output is packaged as HLS with fragmented MP4 segments, and the player selects the best codec and resolution based on the viewer's device and bandwidth.
No upscaling: renditions larger than the source are automatically excluded
Multi-codec: each rendition is encoded in every codec defined by the profile
HLS packaging: segments are delivered as fragmented MP4 over HTTP
Adaptive bitrate: the player switches between renditions in real time
Progressive encoding by priority tiers
Videas uses a progressive encoding strategy organized in priority tiers. Instead of encoding all renditions for one video before starting the next, the system processes the most important renditions for all videos first, then moves to higher quality levels.
Tier 0 — Playability: audio tracks + H.264 360p (video becomes playable as fast as possible)
Tier 2 — Full quality: H.264 1080p and 4K (source-matching quality)
Tier 3 — Alternative codec: VP9 at all resolutions (better compression)
Tier 4 — Premium codec: AV1 at all resolutions (best compression, slowest to encode)
How Videas manages encoding profiles
In Videas, the encoding profile is configured at the workspace level. When you upload a video, the platform automatically applies the workspace's profile: it analyzes the source resolution, filters the encoding ladder, and queues renditions in priority order. The progressive encoding system ensures that every video becomes playable within minutes, even when hundreds of videos are uploaded simultaneously. You can switch profiles at any time — existing videos keep their current renditions, and new uploads use the updated profile.
Standard is the recommended choice for most use cases: it produces VP9 and H.264 renditions up to 1080p, which covers the vast majority of viewers. Choose Premium if you need 4K output or AV1 for maximum bandwidth savings. Choose Basic if compatibility with older devices is your top priority and you don't need HD above 720p.
Yes. Changing the workspace profile only affects future uploads. Videos already encoded keep their existing renditions. If you need to re-encode existing videos with a new profile, you can trigger a re-processing from the media settings.
Modern codecs like VP9 and AV1 achieve 30-50% better compression than H.264 at the same visual quality. This means smaller files, less bandwidth usage, and faster start times for viewers with limited connections. Videas automatically serves the most efficient codec each viewer's browser supports, so you get the benefits without any extra work.
No. Videas never upscales video. If you upload a 720p source, only 720p, 480p, and 360p renditions are produced — even if the profile includes 1080p or 4K. This avoids wasting storage and bandwidth on artificially enlarged frames that don't add real detail.