Media accelerated video transcoding and enhanced H.265 RTMP

As the demand for video content increases, the need for efficient and scalable transcoding solutions becomes critical. For businesses managing a large volume of video streams, finding the right balance between performance, cost, and simplicity is key. Callaba’s video streaming solutions, when paired with media acceleration-enabled instances like Amazon EC2 VT1, offer a powerful solution for handling high-capacity transcoding tasks. The hardware-based media acceleration in instances like VT1 significantly improves performance and cost-efficiency, making them ideal for large-scale workflows.

Let’s break down why this combination is the smart choice and how it can benefit your video operations.

Handle more streams with fewer instances

The beauty of hardware-acceleratied VT1 instances is their ability to handle a large number of video streams without needing a ton of instances.

 For example:

• VT1.3xlarge can manage 16 streams of 1080p30. In contrast, c5.4xlarge handles only 6 streams.
• VT1.6xlarge can handle 32 streams, while g4dn.xlarge only handles 10 streams.

Let’s say you have 100 streams to transcode. You’d need:

• 7 VT1.3xlarge instances to handle all 100 streams.
• 17 c5.4xlarge instances or 10 g4dn.xlarge instances to do the same job.

Fewer instances mean fewer machines to manage, which not only saves costs but also simplifies your workflow. You’re getting more work done with fewer resources.

Easier scalability and simplified management

When you’re dealing with high-volume video transcoding, scalability and simplicity matter. VT1 instances make scaling easy. With their higher stream density, you need fewer instances, which leads to:

• Less complexity: Managing 7 VT1 instances is a lot easier than juggling 17 c5.4xlarge instances.
• Lower infrastructure costs: Fewer instances mean less spend on network management, storage, and other infrastructure costs.
• Better reliability: With fewer instances, there’s less chance of system issues, and the infrastructure is easier to maintain.

If you’re handling a large number of streams, using VT1.24xlarge, which can transcode 128 streams at 1080p30, lets you handle huge workloads with just one instance.

For a business, this translates into not only lower costs for the instance usage but also savings on operations, maintenance, and network management.

Significant cost savings per stream

One of the primary benefits of using VT1 instances is the significant reduction in cost per stream. Here’s how the numbers stack up:

• vt1.3xlarge can transcode 16 streams at 1080p30 at a cost of $0.65 per hour, translating to $0.041 per stream.
• c5.4xlarge, a CPU-based instance, handles only 6 streams at 1080p30 for $0.68 per hour, resulting in a cost of $0.113 per stream.
• g4dn.xlarge, a GPU-based instance, handles 10 streams at 1080p30 at $0.526 per hour, leading to a cost of $0.052 per stream.

Here’s a cost comparison for transcoding 100 streams at 1080p30 for 100 hours using different VT1 instances, alongside c5.4xlarge and g4dn.xlarge:

By choosing the vt1.3xlarge, you can achieve a significantly lower cost per stream : 

• 60% savings compared to c5.4xlarge
• up to 30% savings compared to g4dn.xlarge

The larger vt1.6xlarge and vt1.24xlarge instances provide similarly cost-effective solutions at higher capacities, making VT1 the best choice for organizations transcoding a large number of 1080p30 streams.

Bandwidth savings with H.265 

The VT1 instances are specifically designed for H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC codecs, which are the standard for high-quality streaming. 

And one of the standout features of using Callaba with VT1 instances is the ability to use enhanced RTMP streaming with H.265 (HEVC).

This allows you to deliver the same high-quality video streams while using significantly less bandwidth compared to the older H.264 (AVC) codec.

Here are the results for transcoding 20 streams at 1080p30 for 100 hours, comparing H.264 and H.265 (HEVC) :

Total Data Transfer

• H.264: ~6,866 GB
• H.265 (HEVC): ~4,120 GB

Total Cost

• H.264: ~$618
• H.265 (HEVC): ~$371

Total Savings: ~$247

This results in a 40% reduction in bandwidth usage and translates into a savings of about $247 for 20 streams over 100 hours. 

As you scale up your streaming operations, these savings become even more substantial, making H.265 a crucial element for reducing data transfer costs.

Reliable performance with the AWS Nitro System

The AWS Nitro System underpins VT1 instances, providing high performance and low virtualization overhead. This is crucial for real-time video transcoding, where latency, jitter, and performance bottlenecks can disrupt the viewing experience. By offloading many traditional virtualization tasks to hardware, the Nitro System ensures more consistent performance, reducing the risk of latency spikes or processing delays.

Additionally, the VT1 instances feature 25 Gbps of networking and 19 Gbps of EBS bandwidth, ensuring that even the most demanding workflows, such as 4K video transcoding or multi-camera live streams, can be handled with minimal latency and maximum throughput.

Conclusion

For organizations looking to transcode large volumes of video streams, Callaba with media accelerated instances offers the perfect solution. It combines lower costs, superior stream density, and simplified management, allowing businesses to scale effortlessly while saving significantly on transcoding expenses.

With up to 60% lower costs per stream and the ability to handle more streams with fewer instances, media acceleration provides everything you need for efficient, scalable video transcoding — without breaking the bank.

Learn more

• How to launch Callaba on Amazon Web Services
• How to create a playlist of videos with Pay Per View monetization
• Multilingual Web Player
• Set up SRT backup stream in case of main stream interruption

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