Overview of Video Latency, including its Causes, Measurements, and Ways to Reduce for Embedded Camera
- Vadzo Imaging
- Oct 15, 2023
- 4 min read
Video streaming solutions frequently boast of “ultra-low,” “extreme-low,” or even “zero” Video Latency, especially in Embedded Camera applications. While some technologies come close to achieving these goals, users often notice a lag between their actions and the streaming response. The level of Video Latency experienced depends on several factors, like content type and delivery systems. In this article, we’ll explore the causes of Video Latency, why it matters, and how to reduce it for smoother performance.
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What is Video Latency?
End-to-end latency, commonly referred to as “glass-to-glass” latency, is the time it takes for a single frame of video to travel from the camera to the display and is the type of Video Latency that is typically discussed. This type of latency is important for applications such as video conferencing, live streaming, and virtual reality. The speed at which data is delivered to an end user’s device can range greatly, from several minutes to a matter of milliseconds. Low Video Latency is defined as less than 1 second, while under 300 milliseconds is referred to as extremely low Video Latency. This means the user experience can be significantly impacted by just a few milliseconds of delay. It is measured in terms of the round-trip time it takes for a signal to be sent from one device to another. As a result, low Video Latency is essential to ensuring the user experience is satisfactory.
Why Is Video Latency Important?
When it comes to Video Latency, your application is the only factor that matters. Higher latency is completely acceptable for some use cases, such as recording and streaming previously recorded events, especially if it results in greater picture quality through robust packet loss prevention. However, for more dynamic applications, such as two-way video communication or online gaming, low Video Latency is essential to provide an immersive experience. There is frequently a latency of 10 seconds between the feed and the actual live feed in linear broadcast operations.
This can be an issue for customers who expect a live experience, which is why broadcasters take great care to reduce Video Latency as much as possible. To reduce Video Latency, broadcasters use various techniques, such as optimizing their networking topology, using high-performance hardware and software tools, employing specialized encoding and decoding algorithms, and implementing edge caching.
Video Latency: How Does It Occur in Embedded Camera Systems?
Depending on your supply chain and the number of steps involved in video processing, a variety of factors can cause Video Latency. Although each of these delays may seem insignificant on its own when together, they can add up. Among the major causes of Video Latency are:
Type of network and speed – The network you select to transmit your video through, whether it is via satellite, the open internet, or MPLS networks, affects both latency and quality.
Various aspects of the streaming workflow – Each of the individual elements in streaming workflows—from the camera to video encoders, video decoders, and the final display—creates processing lags that add to Video Latency.
Protocols for streaming and output formats – Video Latency is significantly impacted by the choice of protocol and distribution format, as well as the kind of error correction used.
How to Measure Video Latency
It was quickly realized how critical it was to have a tool that could accurately and consistently measure glass-to-glass Video Latency. The evaluation and comparison of various camera types and hardware compute platforms became relevant thanks to the glass-to-glass Video Latency measuring tool.
The primary design principle of this tool is to focus on the detection of the light source on the computer screen and the emission of the light source on the camera lens. This allows precise measurement of the time delay and distribution over time without requiring clock synchronization.
Ways to Reduce Video Latency in Embedded Camera Systems
There are numerous approaches to reducing Video Latency without sacrificing image quality:
Use a hardware encoder and decoder pair optimized for low latency, even on regular internet connections.
Choose a video transport protocol like SRT, which introduces less latency than alternatives while maintaining error correction.
Employ efficient compression like HEVC to maintain quality at low bitrates with minimal delay.
For those looking for a high-performance solution, the AR1335 Color 4K Autofocus USB 3.0 Camera offers excellent quality with minimal Video Latency.
Tailoring Video Solutions: Balancing Quality, Latency, and Compression
The ideal balance between bit rates, picture quality, and Video Latency depends on the specific use case. In security or ISR, low Video Latency is prioritized over image quality, whereas streaming and conferencing might lean toward better image fidelity.
Vadzo Imaging’s experts can help tailor the right camera solution to balance Video Latency, compression, and image quality for your needs.
To explore how our solutions, such as the AR1335 Color 4K Autofocus USB 3.0 Camera, can meet your needs, feel free to get in touch with us.
