Video quality is a vital component to consider when presenting online. Studies have shown that individuals who believed they looked good on calls are more confident, and participants rate them as more competent and find it easier to focus and remember the content with higher quality video. However, it’s not always clear to know how to improve this. Quality is impacted by a wide range of factors; this includes your hardware, software, network, the platform you are using and the number of people on the call. Some of this is out of your control; however, many elements can be improved.
We’ll break this down into a few parts and explore each variable to see where you can make improvements. This includes your lighting and environment, the computer hardware, the software and the network.
In the right light
First, if you give your camera low-quality input data, you’ll get poor results. So, if you’re sitting in a dark room, the camera will struggle and try to auto-adjust to get the most light possible. What it will generally do to compensate is to reduce the frame rate (the number of frames per second) which can lead to choppy and poor-quality video.
In addition, with low light the video may look blocky; again, this is how the encoding is trying to process elements it can’t fully define. So, having adequate lighting ensures you have a solid starting point. For more info, we have an article specifically on lighting here.
Hardware
Clearly, you will also be limited by the hardware you use, which can be split into two main categories, your camera and the processing power of your chosen device (laptop, desktop, iPad etc.).
- Webcams
These days, most webcams have 720p as standard, with 1080p or 4k becoming increasingly popular. The number here refers to the number of pixels; more pixels means more definition and sharper images. Nearly all video conferencing platforms will max out at 720p, and often less, so unless you’re on an ancient computer, it’s unlikely to make a big difference. However, It’s not all down to pixels – The quality of the lens will have a significant impact. Think of your webcam vs a DSLR camera, they might have similar pixels but it’s the quality of these pixels and the lenses that make the difference. If you’re looking for external webcams, pay attention to this element. A 720p camera with a good lens and sensor is much better than a 1080p camera with a poor one. - Computer Resources
Video conferencing is very resource-intensive. What will have a significant impact is the power of your computer, so the processor, memory and graphics power it has available to use. If your machine is low on any of these, it can seriously affect your video quality. If you have an older computer, devices like iPads are often a better solution as they offer good processing power and up-to-date graphics. They also have good webcams, and the apps are designed to better utilise the hardware onboard efficiently. We’d always recommend closing down any unused software so the computer can focus its resources on the call and make you look your best. One example that might not be immediately obvious but that we’ve seen many times is that a second screen can draw significant resources, particularly on the graphics card. Unplugging extra screens can improve the video quality on the call if you’re struggling. In extreme scenarios, it could be worth restarting the machine before a call. RAM can sometimes get ‘locked up’ even if you’ve already closed the programs. Resetting ensures that everything is completely free and you have the maximum power available.
Network quality
Finally, the quality of your network will have a massive impact on video quality. This can be a bit of a dark art, and some factors will be entirely outside your control – i.e. how your ISP or the video conferencing system is routing your signal through the internet.
What you will have control over is your local network. Wireless is generally very fast, but if you’re in a room a distance from the router, you’ll notice a significant drop in speeds. If you run some speed tests, you’ll see how much this can change. A wired connection is often more stable and quicker overall, so running one to your desk can help. You will ideally want at least 5 Mbps up and down; more, of course, is better. You can, however, get by on less, but anything below 2 Mbps will have a noticeable impact on your video quality.
Other factors affecting the network are how much you, or anyone else in your house/office, are using simultaneously. In addition, it’s always worth pausing programmes that sync in the background, so things like OneDrive, GoogleDrive etc. as they tend to hog bandwidth when they are on. We’ve also made a short article focused on networks here.
Hopefully, we’ve covered the main aspects of video quality. We’d welcome any input and thoughts you might have. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but considering the above factors should mean you will get a better quality video if you appear at events virtually.
GoRemote offers a cost-effective service to get your sessions on track – our Checkr tool tests audio, hardware, network, lightning and positioning to ensure you get the best setup. Click below to try it out with a free test.
