March 2021 Summaries

Mux has launched a new documentation site, docs.mux.com, to enhance the developer experience (DevEx). The company realized that its previous documentation site was not sufficient for its goals and ambitions in 2021. As an API company, Mux considers documentation as a core part of its product. The development process involved user testing, content quality improvement, usability enhancement, terminology simplification, and style guide creation. The new docs site features improved search functionality, clearer terminology, and a more intuitive layout for better navigation between Mux Video and Mux Data documentation. Mux used the Next.js framework to build the frontend application, Algolia for search, and SwaggerParser to parse its OpenAPI v3 specification for generating API reference documentation. The company encourages feedback from users to continue improving their developer experience.

Mux introduces a clipping feature for live and on-demand video content, allowing users to generate clips at specific times almost instantaneously. This feature is useful in various scenarios such as trimming pre-roll and post-roll from live event recordings or creating clips of key moments during the event. Clipping can be challenging due to the need for speed and accuracy, but Mux's solution involves using fast clipping as a basis for accurate clipping through their just-in-time system. The feature is available via API by making a POST request to the /assets endpoint and has usage-based pricing.

The text discusses the history of internet video from its analog beginnings to modern digital formats. It starts with Philo Farnsworth's image dissector camera in the late 1920s and moves on to the development of NTSC, PAL, and SECAM standards for color television. The text then delves into the challenges posed by digital video transmission due to bandwidth limitations and processing power constraints. It highlights the introduction of the discrete cosine transform (DCT) in the 1970s as a solution to these problems and traces the evolution of video encoding standards from H.261 to MPEG-4, H.263, and finally H.264 AVC. The text concludes by promising a discussion on more recent advancements such as H.265 HEVC, H.266 VVC, and streaming video technologies like HLS and DASH in the next installment.

The Biden administration is urged to adopt a robust video strategy for its digital communication across agencies and departments. A suggested template could be the Voice of America (VOA) TV.gov, which ensures independence and integrity in programming. Key points include establishing a central hub for content from various sources, curating user-generated content, combining live and on-demand videos, providing easy-to-use publishing tools, leveraging social media without dependence, focusing on accessibility and SEO, using modern technology stack, distributing content to news outlets, and involving citizens in the community.