How does the live stream encoding works? A live stream from a source that captures video – e.g., a webcam – is sent to a server, where a streaming protocol such as HLS or MPEG-DASH will break the video feed into smaller segments, each a few seconds in length. The video content is then encoded using an encoding standard. The encoding standard in wide use today is called H.264, but standards like H.265, VP9, and AV1 are also in use. This encoding process compresses the video by removing redundant visual information. For example, in a stream of someone talking against the background of a blue sky, the blue sky does not need to be rendered again for every second of video, since it does not change a lot. Therefore, the blue sky can be stripped out from most frames of the video. The compressed, segmented video data is then distributed using a content delivery network (CDN). Without a CDN, very few viewers will actually be able to load the live stream – the final section of this article expla