Possible to edit/encode over 802.11ac?

MikeLV wrote on 12/13/2015, 2:09 PM

I've been trying to figure out if it's possible to edit/encode video over WiFi with 802.11ac. My source footage is AVCHD and I'll always be encoding for DVD, or to H.264, or .265 possibly in the future. I'd like to know if I could set up a server and actually edit video wirelessly. Is anyone doing this, and how has it worked out for you?

Comments

Tech Diver wrote on 12/13/2015, 2:40 PM

Yes of course you can refer to files across a network, but I gather that your question is more related to speed than whether it is possible to do such a task or not. As far as 802.11 ac is concerned, there are great variations in the max speed of the access points depending on the manufacturer. Although the communication standard can theoretically achieve higher speeds, the fastest access points you will find on the market are at 1.3Gbps (at short distances from the transmitter/receiver). Since wired gigabit Ethernet is not all that much different from the fastest 802.11ac access point, you could easily test if such throughput is adequate for you needs.

Peter

MikeLV wrote on 12/13/2015, 4:39 PM

I read from this page:
http://www.videomaker.com/videonews/2013/06/80211ac-wi-fi-unplug-your-video-editing-computer

Wireless Video Editing
Here’s what video editors will really love about 802.11ac: you won’t have to tether your workstation to your hard drive while editing with big files. You’ll be able to edit video on your laptop and connect remotely instead of manually to your external hard drive — unheard of with 802.11n — which will help cut down on that already messy tangle of cords. If you edit video at home, without an office, you won’t even need your data storage and your computer interface to be in close proximity. With 1.3Gbps Wi-Fi in your home, you can keep your network connected hard drive stashed in that second-story closet and still have the freedom to edit video while sitting on the couch or lounging by the pool.

“That’s all fine and dandy,” you may be saying, “but why does it matter now? After all, the technology has been available for a couple of years.” What’s changed is the confidence that buyers can have now that the Wi-Fi Alliance has started testing and certifying various 802.11ac devices (link is external). The Alliance’s stamp of approval ensures consumers that their wireless devices have a defined level of interoperability and security.

With its lightning speed and top-notch flexibility, the new Wi-Fi seems like a superhero with plenty of potential to edit video. Will it really save the universe from the evils of inefficiency and slow streaming? Time will tell, but right now, 802.11ac looks like it will be sticking around as the most powerful Wi-Fi technology on the market.

john_dennis wrote on 12/13/2015, 6:44 PM

I'm not a network expert and I avoid editing away from my workstations because my laptop has a 17" 1600x900 screen.

From Wikipedia:

"[I]This specification has expected multi-station WLAN throughput of at least 1 gigabit per second and a single link throughput of at least 500 megabits per second (500 Mbit/s).[/I]"

I'm guessing the single link limitation may be the drag or your editing experience.

MikeLV wrote on 12/14/2015, 12:28 PM

I'm not even sure what that means, "single link throughput"