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AWS: The Video Star

Or; How to Stream Video within Network Confines (And prevent piracy).



How it’s Delivered 
Content ————> Consumer
  • Compression happens.
  • Packaging happens based upon protocols.
  • How does it adapt to the variation in network speeds?


What’s it made of.
  • Over the Top Workflow
  1. The livestream from the stadium.
  2. Ingested
  3. Encoded
  4. Passed to origin server that sends it out.
  5. Someone requests it from the server.
  6. Packaging service formats it appropriately.
(Hub and spoke of origin servers to edge servers)

Consumer side of OTT 
  • Request goes to a Content Delivery Network that requests the content.
  • Said content is optimized for the network and device.

  • Adaptive Bitrate Streaming
    • When the network is unstable.
    • You can switch between bitrates at segmentation points.
    • Weak connection, smallest bitrate, stronger - Higher.

  • Adaptive streaming formats
    • Apple HTTPS Live Streaming for iOS
    • MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTPS)
    • Microsoft Smooth
    • Adobe HTTP Adaptive Streaming


  • Just in Time Packaging 
    • Based upon the device making the request.

  • Manifest manipulation.
    • Penalization with ads and time-shifted TV.
  - Manifests also lists the versions of a particular compressed source.

  • CDN
    • Content delivery network stores video in the most bandwidth efficient way in locations closest to the customers.
    • Have multiple edge locations across regions.

  • DRM Access Rights 
    • Restrict access to video not everyone should be able to see.
    • Encoder requests Key from Key Server, which authenticates it and gives a key.
    • Encoder encrypts key.
    • Player/Client requests key 
    • Key server gives decryption key to Player/Client.
    • P/C decrypts encoder file.




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