CDN distributes the content over its various servers across the globe. The media file remains cached or temporarily stored on that CDN for other user requests in the same geographical region. The next time when a user requests the same content, the video file is served from the CDN, minimizing buffering, latency, and overwhelmed request burdens on the origin server. CDNs have freed host origins from the burden of distributing every content to the visitor from the website. The content is uninterruptedly served via CDN even when the servers go down, or the network is congested.

What is Video CDN or Video Content Delivery Network?

The streaming and delivery of a video stream require a considerable amount of resource utilization. This is attributed to video quality, video resolution, and higher bitrates of video streams, requiring more information to reach the users. Owing to the high performance and speed of distributing content without disruption to end-users, most websites now serve video content through CDNs. A video CDN is specially designed to support the smooth delivery of VOD platform and OTT platform content. For example, Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Dailymotion, they all use CDN. Most CDNs cache web content like web pages, CSS style sheets, images alongside video content.

Some video CDNs are built exclusively for video streaming. One such example is Open Connect, Netflix’s own distributed network. Content Delivery Networks or geographically distributed servers sit between the origin servers and the video players or clients to deliver a smooth viewing experience. In simple terms Video CDN can be considered as on demand distribution of a video file from nearby distribution centers which stores a copy for fastest delivery.

Understanding Video CDN terminologies through Analogies

Let’s understand some key aspects of a Video CDN and liken them to everyday situations:

• Global Distribution Network – Like a Chain of Grocery Stores: Think of the internet as a large city and your VOD website as a central warehouse that distributes goods (video content). A CDN is like having multiple grocery stores (CDN servers) spread throughout the city (the world). When a customer (user) needs groceries (video content), they go to the nearest store (CDN server) rather than the central warehouse, reducing travel time and ensuring faster service​.
• Caching – Library Book Reserves: Caching on a CDN is akin to how libraries work with popular books. Imagine a book that’s frequently checked out. Instead of ordering it from a central library every time, local branches keep copies on hand. Similarly, CDNs store copies of popular web content on local servers. When someone requests this content, it’s quickly delivered from the nearest server, rather than fetching it from the main server every time​.
• Dynamic Content Delivery – Personalized Shopping Experience: Delivering dynamic content through a CDN is like a personalized shopping experience. Imagine walking into a store where the sales staff knows your preferences and quickly brings you items that suit your taste. CDNs do something similar for dynamic web content (like user-specific data or live updates), optimizing the route and maintaining secure connections to deliver this personalized content efficiently​.
• Edge Computing – Local Decision Making: Modern CDNs are capable of edge computing, which is similar to having local managers in stores making decisions on the spot, rather than waiting for instructions from the central headquarters. This local decision-making speeds up the process and tailors the service to the immediate needs of the customers (users).

In essence, a CDN like Amazon CloudFront operates like a well-oiled, distributed network of resources, ensuring efficient, secure, and personalized delivery of web content to users around the globe, much like a network of local stores providing goods quickly, securely, and as per the local demands.

Why use Video CDN Streaming?

Let’s say someone made a video and uploaded it on a website or social video platform. The video became a sensation, and viewers from across the globe are requesting playback simultaneously. Or say a website hosting videos has high traffic and experiences surges at times. What will happen to the origin server when thousands of requests hit the website? Obviously, at some point, the server will struggle to cater to the bulk requests made at the same time. Some viewers may want to play the start of the video, while some may play the latter video segments.

Not only the origin server has the complete video file will get clogged up, but also the time it will take to cater to global demand will increase heavily. This is because of the difference in distance the origin and request. Although data travels at speed of time but such bulk requests from far away distance will start creating buffering zones. Some packets of video file get sent and there is a wait, and then the next one gets received. This latency is what the end user making a playback request will feel.

The end-user will face several playback problems like video buffering, latency, website crashing, poor video quality, etc. When video streaming platforms merge with CDNs, the video content gets delivered in an uninterrupted and smooth manner.

Benefits of CDN in Video Streaming

Minimizes Latency and Buffering time

Buffering time and latency are directly related to how close the video content is to the viewer. CDN improves the performance by delivering content from the nearest server irrespective of device, location, or network usage. As a result, the video renders quickly, reducing any delays and ensuring the user remains engaged.

Reduces load on the origin server

Serving content from the CDN servers reduces the origin server being overwhelmed with stream requests. In addition, CDNs act as load balancers and prevent traffic congestion by alternating the request flow from origin servers to CDN servers.

Website Security

Denial-of-service attacks (DDoS) and web-based attacks are becoming very common. It becomes challenging to distinguish bad traffic from genuine traffic to prevent attacks on websites and web applications. Advanced Content delivery networks mitigate a wide range of attacks, including DDoS, without affecting the delivery and content availability. CDNs act as virtual fencing guards outside the core network infrastructure.

Reduces Bandwidth costs

Deploying Video CDN reduces the website operating cost as most of the content is cached and served via CDN. The origin server does not have to serve the content again and again. Higher the data transfer, the higher the video bandwidth consumption and cost. Because the CDN works in front of the origin server, less content is transferred from the origin server, reducing bandwidth cost.

Video CDN Technology and object caching process

When a user requests a stream, the video is not delivered to the user’s device as a continuous file. The stream is, in fact, broken up into many smaller segments and further into bits. These bits get transferred from an online server, collected as segments, and then the user’s video player puts the loaded segment in the correct order.

This happens at the front end where the playback is requested, but as we already discussed, the online server here needs to be a CDN located nearest to the user.

Similar to playback, when a stream gets uploaded to a cloud CDN, each Video file gets uploaded in a stream on bits. These bits get distributed and cached by the CDN servers in strategically chosen locations across the globe. When a user makes a streaming request, the CDN caches the video segments as soon as they arrive from the origin server. Next time for the same stream request, the CDN serves those segments from the cache. This is faster as the media files are cached close to the clients and mitigate data packet losses.

Some CDNs start making copies of the video file as soon as it gets uploaded on the network, and others wait for a request from the nearest location and then make a copy. Also, these locations are Internet exchange points (IXPs) which are primary locations where different Internet service providers connect in order to provide each other access to traffic originating on their different networks. Through these high-speed connections and highly interconnected locations, a Video CDN provider is able to reduce time and cost with high-speed data delivery.

Role of AI in Enhancing Video CDN

The role of AI and Machine Learning (ML) in enhancing Video Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) is significant. AI and ML, two closely related technologies, are playing pivotal roles in improving CDN performance and efficiency. CDNs, which cache data in strategically placed data centers globally, utilize AI and ML to make intelligent routing decisions for content delivery, thereby improving server response times. These technologies enable network operators to identify traffic patterns and respond proactively to traffic demands, ensuring improved content performance. ML algorithms, trained on network data, can effectively make real-time routing decisions, reducing the occurrence of issues like HTTP errors or cache miss rates. This approach helps in managing increasingly complex networks effectively, enhancing user experiences, and unlocking new revenue streams. AI and ML-backed CDNs promise better performance at a more affordable cost, leading to excitement among industry leaders about their potential to deliver superior network performance and content delivery.

Impact of using a CDN vs not

The impact of using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) on website performance can be significant, as demonstrated by various metrics from real-world tests:

WEB

• GTmetrix Tool Analysis: A website’s performance rating improved from a B (85%) to an A (100%) after implementing a CDN. The Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which measures the time taken for the largest content element on the page to load, improved from 1.6 seconds to 0.381 seconds, making it at least four times faster.
• WebPageTest Tool Results: Testing from three different locations (Virginia, London, and Singapore) showed improvements in First Contentful Paint (FCP) and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) across all locations. For instance, in London, the FCP improved by five times (from 1.585 seconds to 0.390 seconds) and LCP by three times (from 2.585 seconds to 0.751 seconds)​.
• UPTrends CDN Performance Check: This test focused on the total time to load a page before and after using a CDN from multiple global cities. The results showed dramatic improvements. For example, in New York, the loading time decreased from 386 milliseconds to 60 milliseconds, and in Toronto, it went from 590 milliseconds to 11 milliseconds. These results indicate significantly faster loading times globally with the use of a CDN​.

Video

• LiteBreeze Case Study: By moving video storage to cloud storage and delivering video using a CDN, significant improvements were observed. These included enhanced streaming performance, increased storage capability, and reduced load on the application server. Additionally, by channeling uploads through the CDN and moving heavy tasks to background workers for asynchronous execution, both the speed and user experience were improved. The ability to handle higher traffic volumes was also enhanced by scaling horizontally.
• Study on Live Video Streaming: Research on live video streaming quality of service (QoS) suggests that high bandwidth is crucial for maintaining QoS. CDNs, by being positioned closer to the user area, reduce access time compared to scenarios without CDN usage. The study also compared popular live streaming formats like HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) and RTMP (Real Time Messaging Protocol) with and without CDN. It concluded that live video streaming with CDN exhibited better performance than without CDN.
• Disney Streaming Metrics: Disney Streaming emphasizes limited rebuffering, quick video start times, minimal playback failures, and consistent high-bit-rate experiences. Their approach involves using a range of metrics to track and improve CDN performance. These metrics help in assessing the reliability and consistency of CDN services across different geographic regions.

These statistics and case studies highlight the considerable benefits of using a CDN in enhancing website performance, especially in terms of loading times, which is crucial for user experience and SEO rankings.

Netflix Video CDN case study

The Netflix CDN (Content Delivery Network) and cloud architecture case study provides a comprehensive view of how the company has leveraged cloud services and developed its own CDN system to optimize content delivery globally. Here’s an updated overview:

• Migration to AWS: In early 2016, Netflix completed its migration to AWS (Amazon Web Services), marking a significant transition from relying on private servers to using cloud storage and computing. This shift was a clear indicator of the growing importance and reliance on cloud services for large-scale digital enterprises​.
• Microserver Infrastructure: Netflix’s infrastructure is divided into multiple microservers. Each of these servers has a relatively lower capacity and is dedicated to managing a single aspect of the service. This setup allows for the independent operation of each service component, contributing to the robustness and efficiency of the overall system​.
• Development of Netlix’s own OpenConnect CDN: As Netflix’s traffic and volume grew, third-party CDN providers couldn’t keep up with the demand. In response, Netflix designed its own CDN called OpenConnect. This system involves installing Netflix’s CDN appliances in data centers of local ISPs. OpenConnect uses algorithms to calculate local content popularity and intelligently distribute content, thereby maximizing offload efficiency and reducing upstream demand. This approach has significantly reduced buffer times for viewers and improved overall streaming quality.

This case study showcases Netflix’s strategic approach to technology infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of cloud services and the development of a proprietary CDN to maintain its position as a leading content provider on a global scale.

Live Streaming on Video CDN

In live streaming, video, audio or other media data gets streamed over the internet in real-time. The content in live streaming works without first being recorded and stored. There are five steps involved in live stream content creation and consumption by the end-user. The steps are video capture, segmentation, compression and encoding, content distribution and CDN caching, decoding and playback.

In live streaming, CDN caches the video segments as they get created in real-time. These segments get uploaded and are saved as copy of the original live stream. This copy will get further copied to various CDN servers located across the world. Thereafter, the video stream gets served from the CDN cache, not the origin server. But is there a waiting time between the live stream being cached and its delivery? If CDN efficiently caches each video segment, it becomes closer to being live rather than streamed directly from the origin server. Being closer to the user, serving CDN from live stream cuts down the round-trip time (RTT) to and fro the origin server. Also, CDN reduces latency, buffering and origin server overloading.

Also, if there is a disruption of user’s local network and the stream gets stuck, the user can resume quickly from nearest CDN server.

Best Video CDN for Video Hosting

Akamai

Akamai Video CDN is the name given to the set of CDN products released by Akamai Technologies, which combine a group of CDN servers and CDN servers that can deliver video and media. Originally launched in the United States and Canada in the 1990s, the CDN products became available in other regions during the 2000s. Akamai was one of the oldest CDN providers of the market, with over 250K servers in 135 countries.

Akamai Adaptive Media Delivery offers a consistent, high-quality viewing experience and is optimized for Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) Streaming. Built on Akamai’s Intelligent Edge Platform, the solution delivers HTTP-based live and on-demand streaming media. Akamai Adaptive Media Delivery supports HLS, HDS, MSS, MPEG-DASH and CMAF music and video formats. The other Akamai media solutions include Media Services Live, NetStorage and Cloud Wrapper.

VdoCipher Video CDN

With AWS-powered servers, Video DRM  & CloudFront CDN infrastructure Vdocipher ensures video piracy protection with smooth video playback across 6 continents. Such an infrastructure can securely deliver your video content with reduced latency & high transfer speed via 275+ global points of presence (PoPs). This makes VdoCipher one of the best Secure Video CDN providers.

You can upload your video content and reuse the CDN-based encrypted version of your video through many modes. Even integrations are supported by a web interface as well as via API for technical and bulk usage. Also, your processed videos will automatically have adaptive bitrate streaming for different bandwidth support.

Note: DRM encryption for Videos is currently the best available technology to safeguard your videos from piracy. This technology is encouraged by both Apple & Google.

CloudFront

Amazon CloudFront is a Content Delivery Network managed by Amazon Web Services. The Amazon CloudFront offers multiple offers for media streaming, both live events and pre-recorded media files. For on-demand streaming, one can use multi-bitrate adaptive streaming in HDS, HLS, MPEG-DASH formats.

CloudFront is easy to use for video production with AWS Media Services like AWS Elemental MediaConvert and AWS Elemental MediaPackage. For Live streaming, CloudFront is optimized to handle high request volumes with ultra-low latency streams. AWS CloudFront uses a low latency origin server, AWS Elemental MediaStore, for live streaming. AWS Elemental MediaLive and AWS Elemental MediaConnect for video encoding and transcoding.

Cloudflare

Cloudflare CDN delivers high-quality video content across the globe with shorter video startup times and reduced buffering. Cloudflare’s CDN spans over 100 countries covering over 250 cities. For videos, Cloudfare offers performance and security services with SSL / TLS 1.3 Encryption, Cache Configuration, high-quality HTTP streaming, Live broadcast using Stream Player or any HLS/DASH player such as Shaka player. Other key features include Bandwidth Alliance partnerships to lower or eliminate data egress costs, Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) encoded video support, Integrated WAF and rate-limiting.

Tata Communications – Bitgravity

In 2011, Tata Communications acquired US-based Content Delivery Network provider, BitGravity. The acquisition of BitGravity, the first CDN to offer video on demand and live streams on the internet, enhanced Tata Communications global CDN offering. In 2008, Tata Communications invested $11.5 million in BitGravity and bagged clients like NDTV, Quick Heal and more. Tata Communications CDN supports Content Ingestion, Adaptive Bitrate, Video Transcoding, Transmuxing and video content distribution. Their Video CDN service delivers high-quality videos with fast start-up and reduced buffering across multiple devices.

Azure-Akamai

In 2019, Akamai integrated Akamai’s content delivery network (CDN) capabilities with Microsoft Azure Media Services and Blob Storage. For media organizations, the integration makes cloud-based video processing to playback easy and cost-effective. Through Azure Media Services, Akamai enhances the delivery of on-demand and live streaming with lower latencies and more media workflow integration choices. Microsoft Azure, Azure Media Services and Azure Storage with Akamai’s Edge mitigate the cost and maximize performance for content providers.

Verizon CDN (Edgecast)

Following the acquisition of Yahoo!/Verizon Media by Apollo Global, Verizon’s serverless and Content Delivery Network (CDN) services, has been rebranded as Edgecast. Edgecast offers CDN, streaming delivery services, Edge computing and serverless computing.

Coming to Verizon Web Acceleration, the content delivery network (CDN) offers high-quality performance for web and mobile apps. Using advanced caching techniques and over 165 PoPs, Verizon CDN reduces latency and maximizes web speed. Having stringent security and massive capacity, Verizon’s CDN solution is ideal for high traffic applications. It includes E-commerce, video stream optimization, live video streaming, online banking and more. Further, the intelligent load balancing and compression speed up secure content delivery even in the remotest locations.

Limelight Networks CDN

Arizona-based CDN provider Limelight Networks offers fast and secure delivery of video streams and other digital content. Limelight has nearly 135 global POPs and direct connections to 1000+ ISPs. Its on-demand and live video delivery services with advanced video delivery serve video at high-quality with the lowest buffer. Limelight cloud-based, end-to-end workflow includes automatic transcoding and transmuxing at multiple formats. Limelight’s online video platform is fully integrated with CDN. It lets you efficiently manage and serve video content without the need for custom coding or separate CDN integration. Limelight’s clients include FOX, Marvel, BBC, Nintendo and more.

Fastly

Edge cloud platform Fastly comes with real-time observability, programmatic control, streamlined workflows, built-in security and more. Fastly CDN is improving the user experience with decreased web and application load time. Fastly’s Streaming Media Delivery offers broadcast-quality VOD and live experience on any device with 145+ Tbps capacity.

Fastly supports all major HTTP video streaming formats with easy API integrations. Fastly’s modern CDN caches and rapidly delivers long-tail, on-demand videos. Fastly’s Origin Connect offers dedicated bandwidth for large spikes in live streaming videos. Latency gets reduced by sending traffic across secure private paths instead of over public internet. Other key features include Time to Live (TTL) controls, Edge logic and advanced content delivery control, Real-time log streaming, Always-on DDoS mitigation, Content compression and more.

Telco CDN

The exponential growth in Over-the-Top (OTT) streaming services has opened ways for mobile operators and communications service providers (CSPs) to gain revenues and subscribers. To do so, telecommunications service providers (TSPs) have started to launch their own CDNs. As they own the network over which content gets transferred, Telco CDNs have advantages over traditional CDNs. The data reaches the end-user more securely and quickly due to being cached deep in the providers’ network. Providers also get better control over their resources and cost advantage by having their own CDN. In India, Reliance Jio and Airtel have their own CDNs. Jio and Cisco have partnered for mobile CDN integration while Airtel is leveraging Limelight Networks CDN. Content providers with packages on quality of service (QoS) will emerge as the winner.

FAQs

How do e-Learning platforms benefit from Video CDN?

Online courses are full of static content like images, audio and video clips. Caching via CDN serves the purpose to serve online learning platforms faster and securely to learners from different locations. Other benefits include enhanced user experience, fast loading time, content availability even at excessive traffic or server outages. Deploying CDN also addresses data security and privacy concerns.

Do VOD, OTT and other media platforms use Video CDN?

For them using Video CDN is a must otherwise the latency will become too long and will also start blocking their main server. This also satisfies their purpose of serving a smooth user experience, fast loading time and video content availability even at aggressive traffic. Most OTT platform and other VOD platforms use secure video hosting services like VdoCipher to protect their original content from piracy as it is their most important data asset.

What is meant by Cache Miss and Cache Hit?

A cache miss is an instance when something gets searched up in the cache, and the data isn’t found. This happens when a request is made to the CDN for the first time. In case of a cache hit, the cache successfully serves the content or request.

What does Time-to-Live (TTL) refer to in respect to Content Delivery Network?

Time-to-Live refers to how long a cached content is served from the CDN edge server before a new copy gets fetched from the origin server. In other words, TTL controls the refresh rate of the cache copies stored on the CDN.

Does CDN affect a website’s SEO?

CDNs affect the SEO of a page and significantly improve the search ranking. CDN provides faster load time, image and session optimization, reduced latency, caching algorithms, and canonical headers to boost SEO.

References:

• What is a CDN? – Content Delivery Network Explained – AWS – link
• The State of CDNs Today and What AI‐Assisted CDN Means for the Future – link
• AWS Innovator: Netflix | Case Studies, Videos and Customer Stories – link
• How the Cloud and CDN Architecture Works for Netflix – link

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

The post Best Video CDN With Technology, Hosting, Streaming & Caching Explained! appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

The video streaming and video sharing landscape has been significantly transformed by technology, reaching an estimated $154 billion in over-the-top (OTT) video revenue in 2022, with the United States holding the largest share worldwide. The number of OTT users has risen to around 3.5 billion as of April 2023. This has been due to the ease of accessing content without the need for cable or satellite subscriptions. Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), a service allowing users to stream unlimited digital video content at a fixed rate, reached a global total of 1.2 billion subscriptions in 2021, a figure projected to grow by over 400 million within six years.

What is Video Streaming and Sharing Website?

Video Streaming and Sharing Websites are basically Online Video Platforms (OVPs). They are a product of video hosting services, allowing users to upload, convert, store, and playback video content on the internet. This is often facilitated through a large-scale, structured server system with specialized capabilities. Users typically upload video content via integrated video hosting services for mobile or desktop applications, or other interfaces such as APIs. The video content uploaded can be shared with other users and platforms through internal or external APIs. These video files can range from short clips to full-length TV shows and movies. An example of a video streaming and video sharing website is YouTube.

Model and Infrastructure

These Video Platforms can operate on various business models, including software as a service (SaaS), eLearning, do-it-yourself (DIY), or user-generated content (UGC) models. They come equipped with an end-to-end infrastructure for uploading, sharing, encoding, managing, playing back, styling, delivering, distributing, downloading, publishing, and measuring the quality of service or audience engagement quality of the experience of online video content. This is usually manifested as a User Interface with login credentials.

Playback and Analytics

They also provide a custom video player or a third-party video player that can be embedded in a website. Video Platforms not only collect data for themselves but are also required to provide online video analytics to video publishers. It contains detailed insights into video performance, such as the total number of video views, impressions, unique views, video watch time, stats on user location, visits, and behavior on the site.

Security

Some video platforms with premium content require encryption of content with DRM, which increases the cost of using the service. Videos may be transcoded from their original source format or resolution to an encrypted format which further uses a dynamic key exchange mechanism during the playback. For maximum security, the key does not reflect under network and other transfer mechanism and get stored in a device-enabled black box.

Preliminary Considerations for Video Streaming and Video Sharing Website

Before launching into the creation of a video streaming and video sharing website, it’s essential to lay down some groundwork. Here’s what some objectives to ponder over:

Defining Your Target Audience

Your target audience is the group of people who will be most interested in your product. A target audience profile typically includes specifics such as location, age, gender identification, job title, industry, education level, household income, interests, hobbies, and platform usage. For example, brands like Nike and Starbucks target influential individuals and higher-income professionals, respectively, tailoring their marketing strategies to these specific groups. You can hold a consumer analysis survey to know answers about user needs, pains, and gains.

Identifying Your Niche

Identifying your niche involves defining what makes your platform unique. In the video streaming market, there are over 3.5 billion users worldwide as of April 2023, with the highest share of revenue generated by Subscription Video-On-Demand (SVOD) channels. Yet, other video streaming options also exist such as pay-per-view, broadcaster video-on-demand, ad-supported video-on-demand, and hybrid platforms like HBO Max, Disney+, and Netflix. Understanding these nuances can help you carve out a unique space in the market. This niche can be language localization, regional content, field-specific training videos, etc.

Studying the Competition

Look at what successful competitors are doing right. By April 2023, the number of OTT video users worldwide stood at around 3.5 billion, with major streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ leading the market. Also, consider video-sharing platforms such as Utreon, Dailymotion, Metacafe, TikTok, Facebook Watch, Twitch, and others. Examining their history, strategies, and algorithms can provide insights into what works and what to avoid.

Building Your Brand Identity

Your brand identity is how your business presents itself to and is perceived by the world. It should be built around your target audience and unique selling points. For example, the video-sharing platform TikTok is known for its short-form video content, appealing to a younger, more digitally native audience. Moreover, the brand identity must be consistently communicated across all channels and touchpoints to create a unified and recognizable image for your platform. Keep in mind the concepts of positioning and messaging before spreading the word about your brand identity.

Technical Aspects of a Video-Sharing Website

Understanding the Technical Infrastructure

Video streaming and video sharing website require a complex technical infrastructure to function effectively. Crucial components of such a video platform include a content management system for backend and end users, a video player, API or SDK-based integration, and a streaming server. The content management system allows backend handling via a dashboard, and frontend application for user upload, storage, management of videos, and also for displaying analytics. The video player enables users to view the videos, sharing functions can be easily integrated via APIs, and the streaming server delivers the video content to the user’s device.

Many advanced methods of video delivery like adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), delivery via CDNs, and CMAF are also utilized to enhance user experience with fast and optimal delivery. ABR works by dynamically adjusting the quality of a video’s delivery in real-time, based on the network and device capabilities of the viewer. Similarly, CDNs use a large network of servers that make copies of the video content to deliver it from the nearest requested node.

Choosing a Domain Name and Hosting Provider

The domain name being the online identity of your business should be memorable, easy to spell, and reflect your brand, niche, or the content of your site. You can purchase your desired domain name from domain registries, provided it’s still available. Some popular hosting providers include Google Domain (Now Squarespace), AWS Route 53, Bluehost, HostGator, etc.

Considering Storage and Bandwidth Requirements

Storage and bandwidth are two different and critical factors to consider when setting up a video streaming and sharing website. Storage refers to the amount of space required to store all the video files, while bandwidth refers to the amount of data that will be transferred from your server to your viewers during the playback.

The storage requirements mainly depend on the number, size of the videos, frame rate, resolution, and bitrates of videos. For example, UHD videos will require more storage space than HD videos. As for bandwidth, you’ll need enough to handle the maximum number of viewers you expect to have at any one time. You can basically think of it as if you have a 1GB video and it gets watched once till the end, then the bandwidth consumed will also be 1GB.

Additionally, if your video URLs are getting leaked due to security issues, then it might add to your bills because of bandwidth leeching. This means that unauthorized users will keep utilizing your bandwidth and the cost need to be borne by you.

Choosing the Right Platform and Technology

Website Development from Scratch vs. Using a Platform

When launching a video streaming and video sharing website, choosing between developing from scratch or using a Content Management System (CMS) platform is a critical decision. A custom-built website created by an in-house or outsourced team of developers allows for a unique design and functionality but is often more costly and time-consuming. On the other hand, CMS platforms offer templates that can serve as a basis for your website, saving time and financial resources​.

While a custom-built website can be tailored to your unique needs and potentially yield greater profits over time, a CMS-based site provides quicker development and user-friendly templates. Concerning security, a trusted team of developers could even implement basic encryption and further maintenance of the custom site could be outsourced. Alternatively, even with a CMS-based platform, a company could manage its video security at a very affordable cost by outsourcing it to a secure video hosting platform.

Performance-wise, a custom-built site only includes necessary code, potentially leading to improved speed and performance. In contrast, with a CMS, certain elements in templates and plugins could slow down the website. For plug-ins and extensions, control over their features is usually limited, and your site could become dependent on the updates and security of the company that created the extensions. Also, there are many CMS like Django admin which can provide scalability and speed.

Review of Popular CMS and LMS

When considering a platform for video streaming and sharing, both WordPress and Moodle come with distinct advantages. WordPress, a popular CMS, offers flexibility and numerous plugins for live streaming like WpStream, VdoCipher, and various others. These plugins enable you to integrate third-party solutions, apply DRM encryption to your videos, stream live content directly on your site, and bring your streaming audience to your website.

On the other hand, Moodle, a leading LMS, provides integration with advanced video hosting solutions like the VdoCipher plugin and live streaming plugins. It also supports video embedding from YouTube and other third-party websites, facilitating easy video sharing in an educational context.

Understanding Video Encoding and Formats

Video formats refer to how video information is stored on digital devices or servers, which consists of two main components: the Codec and the Container. The Codec, an acronym for compressor/decompressor, reduces the storage required for each video file. Codecs can be either lossy or lossless, impacting the quality and size of the video file​.

The Container keeps all the elements of a file together for synchronous playback, holding data related to audio and video. Some containers can also hold metadata and subtitles, identifiable by their file extensions like .mp4, .mov, and .avi​.

Among the many video formats, MP4 and MOV are quite common. MP4 is universally compatible and capable of storing various data types, making it a popular choice for online platforms like YouTube and Facebook. MOV, developed by Apple for QuickTime Player, is highly regarded in the film industry due to its multi-track capabilities, high quality, and ease of editing. However, it’s not as widely playable across devices as MP4, and its high quality comes with larger file sizes. Also, technologies like CMAF can also be used to combine file formats like mp4 and mpd to mp4d.

Considering Mobile Responsiveness and App Development

When building a video streaming and sharing website, it’s crucial to consider mobile responsiveness and app development. Today, a significant portion of video content is consumed on mobile devices, and your platform must cater to this audience.

To ensure mobile responsiveness, choose a platform that supports adaptive designs. For instance, WordPress offers a variety of mobile-responsive themes. The WPtouch Mobile Plugin makes your WordPress website mobile-friendly and provides a simple, elegant mobile theme for mobile visitors.

For developing an Android or iOS mobile app, using a hybrid mobile app development framework like React Native or Flutter can help you create an app for multiple platforms (Android, iOS) using the same code base.

Designing the User Interface and User Experience

Principles of Effective UI/UX Design

When designing the UI/UX for your video streaming and video sharing website, keep the following principles in mind:

Simplicity: Aim for a clean and minimalist design that allows users to focus on the content. Avoid cluttered layouts or overwhelming visual elements.

Consistency: Maintain consistency in typography, color scheme, and overall design across all pages. Consistent design elements help users navigate the website effortlessly.

Responsiveness: Ensure your website is responsive and adapts well to different screen sizes and devices for users on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices.

Accessibility: Include accessibility features to your website, app, and video like multi-language text support for a wide range of users, including those with disabilities. Consider incorporating features like keyboard navigation and alternative text for images.

Creating Intuitive Navigation and Search Functions

Here are some tips to achieve an intuitive navigation system for users to easily find and explore content.

• Include a text field and a search button: In the search box users write their queries, and with a search button, users click to initiate a search. Visitors should also be able to launch their search by either clicking the search button or pressing the “Enter”/“Return”/”Go” key when the search box is in focus.
• Place in an expected location: Websites that allow site searches tend to place the search bar in either the top-right or top-center of the web page. Also, it’s likely your users will want to conduct searches on other web pages besides your homepage. Placing the search bar in your header across most pages ensures users can do this from any site location.
• Include the search icon: Designers use icons to visually convey what a button or other page element does. The magnifying glass icon is a widespread symbol of search, so it’s recommended to include it in your interface. There are a few ways to add this icon to your bar: place it on the search button, inside the search box, or on a button that hides/reveals the entire search bar.
• Size appropriately: The size of your search bar will depend on its importance on your site and the expected length of a typical query.
• Clear Menu Structure: Organize your website’s content into logical categories and create a clear menu structure. Use descriptive labels for menu items, ensuring users can quickly understand where they will be directed.
• Search Functionality: Implement a robust search feature that allows users to find videos based on keywords, tags, or categories. Provide relevant search suggestions and filters to help users narrow down their search results.
• Breadcrumbs: Include a breadcrumb trail to show users their current location within the website hierarchy. Breadcrumbs enable users to backtrack and explore related content easily.

Designing Effective Video Thumbnails and Previews

Engaging video thumbnails and previews can significantly impact user engagement. Consider the following when designing them:

High-Quality Thumbnails: Use high-resolution images or video frames that accurately represent the content of the video. A visually appealing thumbnail can capture the user’s attention and entice them to click and watch.

Playful Previews: Offer short video previews that automatically play when the user hovers over or clicks on a thumbnail. These previews should provide a glimpse of the video’s content and pique the user’s interest.

Customizable Thumbnails: Allow video uploaders to select or upload their own thumbnail image. This enables them to showcase the most compelling frame or image that best represents their video.

Enabling User Profiles and Social Interaction Features

User Profiles: Allow users to create profiles where they can manage their uploaded videos, create playlists, and customize their preferences. Profiles help users establish an identity and facilitate personalized experiences.

Social Sharing: Enable users to share videos easily on social media platforms, expanding the reach of your website’s content. Use professional tools-Hootsuite or Hootsuite alternatives to better manage and plan all types of content and interactions. Incorporate social sharing buttons for popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For mobile apps, you can use OS advanced sharing options, that allow you to share to nearly all messaging apps available in the device.

Comments and Likes: Implement a commenting system that allows users to leave feedback and engage in discussions around videos. Additionally, provide a like or thumbs-up feature to allow users to express their appreciation for videos. Such engagement can be motivated through external triggers like notifications and also by internal triggers of boredom, etc.

Recommendations and Playlists: Leverage algorithms and user data to provide personalized video recommendations and allow users to create and share playlists. This enhances the user experience by offering tailored content suggestions.

Implementing Video Upload with required technicalities

To enable users to upload their videos to your website, you need to implement robust video upload and processing features. Here’s how you can accomplish this:

• File Upload: Create a user-friendly interface that allows users to select and upload their video files. Use appropriate file size and format limitations to ensure compatibility and optimize storage space.
• File Import: Many times users need to transfer all video files from their existing video hosting setup to a secure and advanced option. In such a scenario a video streaming platform must allow importing video files from various options like Drive, Vimeo paid, etc.
• Video Validation: Implement a validation process to ensure the uploaded video meets the required specifications. Validate the file format, size, and duration to prevent the upload of corrupted or inappropriate files.
• Cloud Storage: Utilize cloud storage services like S3 to securely store and manage uploaded videos. Cloud storage offers scalability and ensures the availability of videos across different devices and locations.
• Video Encoding and Transcoding: Convert uploaded videos into different formats and resolutions to support various devices and internet connection speeds. Use video encoding and transcoding techniques to optimize file size and maintain video quality.

Note: Setting up video upload, streaming, encoding, CDN, import modules, custom video player, ABR, DRM, and other such things requires above-average technical skills. Even then creating a bug-free code takes time. Thus, it is advised to use a third-party video hosting solution like VdoCipher with more features than what is being described here.

Creating Video Playback and Streaming Capabilities

To deliver high-quality video playback and streaming experiences, consider the following features:

• Video Player Integration: Integrate a reliable and customizable video player into your website. HTML5 video players with support for adaptive streaming protocols like HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) and DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) are recommended.
• Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR): Implement ABR techniques to dynamically adjust the video quality based on the user’s internet connection. ABR ensures smooth playback by automatically switching to the most suitable bitrate for the user’s network conditions.
• CDN Integration: Utilize Content Delivery Network (CDN) services to distribute and deliver video content efficiently. CDNs store and serve videos from multiple geographic locations, reducing latency and improving streaming performance.
• Video Playback Controls: Provide essential video playbacks controls such as play, pause, seek, volume, and fullscreen options. Consider adding additional features like playback speed adjustment and subtitle support to enhance the viewing experience. You might also need a custom and secure video player as per your branding needs.

Ensuring User Privacy and Security

Implement the following measures to safeguard user information:

• Secure User Authentication: Use strong encryption and security protocols to handle user authentication and session management. Implement mechanisms like two-factor authentication to enhance account security.
• Secure Data Transmission: Encrypt user data during transmission using SSL/TLS protocols to prevent unauthorized interception and ensure data integrity. For video security, it is best to use a multi-DRM-enabled video hosting solution.
• Privacy Policies and Consent: communicate your website’s privacy and data policies to obtain user consent for data collection, third-party cookies, storage, and usage.
• User Data Protection: Implement measures to secure user data, including robust access controls, Geo-restriction, data backups, etc. Plus, use Excel alternative that can safeguard user data effectively, ensuring comprehensive protection beyond what traditional spreadsheets can provide.

Ensuring the security of your video content is crucial to prevent unauthorized access and distribution. While DRM offers significant protection, understanding its limitations is also important. Learn more about why is DRM not enough to protect video piracy.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Video Websites

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays a critical role in the success of video-sharing websites. Video SEO, in particular, is often underutilized but can significantly contribute to an overall SEO strategy. Video streaming web pages should align with your overall SEO strategy and generate a return on investment (ROI).

In general, video SEO works by optimizing video content, tags, descriptions, and video sitemaps to make them more discoverable by search engines. The key is to make your video content visible to the right people. It’s important to note that while YouTube SEO focuses on optimizing videos for the YouTube platform, video SEO is platform-agnostic, aiming to enhance video visibility across various platforms.

Alternatively, google also provides an option to add a video schema object via JSON-LD on all pages with video content. This helps Google index the video with all relevant information like title, description, etc. This schema let Google display your video content as rich snippets on queries related to your videos.

Monetization Strategies for Video Streaming and Video Sharing Website

Creating a successful video streaming and video sharing website involves more than just providing engaging content. It also involves implementing strategic monetization models that generate revenue while maintaining a positive user experience.

Monetization model choice depends largely on your target audience, the type of content you offer, and your overall business goals. For instance, if your platform hosts exclusive content, a subscription-based model might be most profitable. On the other hand, if your audience is broad and diverse, advertising could be a more effective strategy.

With Advertising as a monetization strategy, you can avail of several formats at your disposal. Banner ads can be strategically placed on your website to attract attention without disrupting the user experience. In-video ads can be implemented in pre-, mid-, or post-roll positions throughout your streams, providing a direct way to monetize your content.

Sponsored content and affiliate marketing are other viable options, which involve partnering with brands or companies to create content that promotes their products or services. This not only provides a revenue stream but also offers added value to your viewers if the sponsored content placement aligns with their interests. Affiliate marketing involves promoting a third party’s product or service in your video content, and earning a commission for any sales made through your referral.

Other modes like Paid memberships and Pay-Per-View (PPV), are effective for platforms with high-quality and exclusive content and users can get access to content for a monthly or yearly fee. PPV, on the other hand, charges users for individual pieces of content. This model is ideal for one-time events or exclusive content that has a high perceived value, like a live concert or a high-profile interview.

VdoCipher as a solution to piracy

One of the major concerns that video streaming websites and video content creators often face is video piracy. A solution to this concern is implementing a multi-DRM-enabled secure video streaming like VdoCipher.

VdoCipher is a video hosting and streaming service that offers the highest level of security against piracy. The platform ensures that your content is protected from unauthorized downloads and distribution, which are common issues faced by video-sharing platforms. The security is based on a combination of multiple technologies including DRM (Digital Rights Management), dynamic watermarking, screen capture protection, and IP and geographic restrictions.

DRM is a technology used to protect the copyright of digital media. VdoCipher provides Google Wideine and Apple Fairplay DRM to ensure that your videos are encrypted and can only be played as per your authorization.

Dynamic watermarking is another layer of security VdoCipher provides. It overlays a user-specific watermark (like email or user ID) on the video, which discourages users from recording the screen and distributing it, as it could lead to the identification of the source.

Screen capture protection and IP and geographic restrictions further enhance the security of your content. The former prevents viewers from recording the video using screen capture tools, while the latter allows you to control where and by whom your content can be viewed.

The integration of VdoCipher into your video-sharing and streaming website is made easy with APIs and SDKs provided for various platforms.

FAQs

How to stream video from AWS S3 bucket?

Create an AWS account, then create an S3 bucket, upload your video, make it public, and then use the S3 object URL to stream the video.

What does OTT stand for?

OTT stands for “Over The Top”, which refers to content providers that distribute streaming media directly to viewers over the internet, bypassing traditional cable or satellite television platforms

How much does it cost to make a website like Netflix?

As of 2023 web development project cost, it can range from $10,000 to $50,000 for a basic version, and for a more advanced version with more features, it can go up to $50,000 to $100,000. Remember that this figure is only for website development and not app development.

How much does it cost to develop an OTT app in India?

The cost to develop an OTT app in India in 2023 can range from $25,000 to $60,000 depending on the complexity and features of the app.

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

The post How to make a Video Streaming and Video Sharing Website appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

Nowadays, third-party HTML5 players use javascript to create and modify HTML video elements and controls for advanced looks and features. This javascript is mainly provided as a CDN-hosted JS file with the iframe URL of the video or audio file. This is not only done to add features but majorly to make the appearance and functionality of the player consistent for all browsers. Otherwise, the default looks and functionalities of playback vary across browsers.

Introduction to HTML5 Video Streaming

HTML5 markup language was first introduced to the public on 22 January 2008. It was the fifth and final major HTML version update as per World Wide Web Consortium(W3C) recommendation. This markup is used to structure and define rules for displaying content on the Internet as web pages. It is currently maintained by a consortium of major browser vendors like Apple, Google, Mozilla, and Microsoft called Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG). The main goals of the HTML5 update were to support HTML5 video streaming through HTML video controls and elements, easy readability and backward compatibility.

It lets the web browsers and parsers consistently understand the defined markup, thus allowing better readability for humans and software. HTML5 processing models are more capable of extending the use of markup and also allows the use of APIs for complex web applications. The cross-platform infrastructure allows low-end devices and browsers to perform smoothly for enhanced user experience.

To add support for HTML5 video streaming, many new HTML multimedia elements like < video >, < audio > and < canvas > were introduced. They were introduced with additional features like that of Javascript API to add more interactivity and control over the HTML elements and handle. This makes the HTML5 streaming package more powerful and ubiquitous than flash players. You can make customizations to the video or audio stream, change the playback appearance, and even apply mathematical rules for computation. Apart from streaming, HTML5 also focused on semantics and introduced elements like <section>, <header>, <footer>, <article>, <aside>, <nav>, and <figure> for basic web page structuring and SEO.

What is an HTML Video Element?

< video > element was added to add support for HTML5 video streaming in all browsers supporting HTML in 2008. It was introduced with additional features like that of Javascript API to add more interactivity and control over the HTML elements and handle. The use and classification of the attributes have been discussed later, but here is the basic anatomy of a < video > tag syntactically,

< video src=”video.webm” type=”video/webm” controls >

< /video >

Or

< video controls >

< source src=”movie.mp4″ type=”video/mp4″ >

< source src=”movie.ogg” type=”video/ogg” >

< /video >

Note: < source > tag is an empty tag. There is no need to close it except in the case of XHTML.

Video Element Optional HTML Attributes

An < video > element contains the following attributes that are frequently used. Other event-based and global attributes have also been discussed with their use.

Video Element compatible Global Media Events HTML Attributes

The < video > tag also supports Global HTML Attributes and Events attributes triggered by media like videos, images, and audio. The following Media Events attributes apply to all HTML elements but are most commonly used with media elements, like <audio>, <embed>, <img>, <object>, and <video>. These event-based attributes trigger a javascript attached with the specific attributes, and a javascript’s next styling, calculation, etc steps get performed. That is why the value these attributes require is a script.

What are HTML Video Controls?

We discussed the attributes of < video > element and here we will discuss basic controls as well as controls for customizations we want to place over the defaults of the player.

Basic Controls

Basic controls get initiated by using the controls attributes within the video tag. It is a boolean attribute and specifies the display of video controls like play,pause,seek, etc as symbols over the video player. It displays the following controls as per their availability.

• Play
• Pause
• Seek
• Fullscreen toggle
• Volume
• Alternate Audio Track (when available)
• Captions/Subtitles (when available)

Custom Controls

Custom controls are added via event based or optional attributes with the support of javascript. You can even make complex HTML handlers to initiate a calculated action of play, seek, etc by combining functions of various methods and arrange them in logic to form a complex function. Custom controls are also necessary to provide homogeneity across browsers via javascript. Here is a basic example of creating custom controls via HTML and Javascript API.

// Adding Video Tag with multiple source

<video id = "myVideoObject">

<source src = "1920x1080.mp4">

</video>

 

// Adding the HTML buttons with ID

<button id = "playButton"> Play </button>

<button id = "pauseButton"> Pause </button>

 

// Adding the JavaScript to identify HTML elements

var myVideoObject = document.getElementById ("myVideoObject");

var playBtn = document.getElementById ("playButton");

var pauseBtn = document.getElementById ("pauseButton");

 

playButton.onclick = function () {

myVideoObject.play ();

}

 

pauseButton.onclick = function () {

myVideoObject.pause ();

}

Need of HTML Video Elements and Controls

Earlier, if you were to copy the video playback code of a video from YouTube, it used to be a < object > tag and used to look like this,

<object width="720" height="480">

<param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/8FHI1AUFJKk&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param>

<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>

<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param>

<embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/8FHI1AUFJKk&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed>

</object>

It was a generic container for foreign objects like Flash movies. Browsers were more compatible with the < embed > tag to handle inconsistencies in the display styling. The object tag within the embed code used to carry various parameters but due to browser compatibility issues, the results were often a disrupted or unreadable player option. The plugins like flash and silverlight also inherited these issues and were not always able to match the browsers specifications due to being different technologies.

The HTML5 < video > element came as a good but not perfect fix for all these issues in 2008. It bought too many attributes and also the support of javascript API to handle dynamic controls over the player.

About Controls:

The basic controls are required for easy navigation across the video playback and custom controls provide homogeneity in styling and features across the devices. Nowadays, all open source and third party HTML5 players provide attached javascript with their embed code so that the player remains constant across devices and browsers.

Role of Javascript API to trigger Video Controls

Before taking about the Javascript API, let us look at the categorization of Media Elements which API provides,

• Methods like play() for reading the media
• Properties like currentTime to obtain or modify some time properties
• Events like timeupdate to trigger specific behavior for specific media events

The role which Javascript API plays can also be divided into two parts, one is writing javascript to control the player through attributes, and another is to instantiate those javascript methods with some added HTML elements. The HTML5 Javascript API has methods, properties, and events for <video> element. These allow you to control and modify default capabilities of <video> element and player using JavaScript. You can use the API to play video, pause it and play again at specific time using play() and pause() API methods.

For example:

var myVideoObject = document.getElementById ("myVideo");

myVideoObject.play()

myVideoObject.pause()

Similarly as objects, video elements also have several properties and events, like,

• currentTime : time at a given time in seconds
• duration : duration of the video file in seconds
• onplay : initiate a script when the media is ready to start playing

Sample styling of HTML Video Controls

You can change the appearance of various controls like play, pause, volume, etc through basic CSS for controls like,

.controls {

visibility: hidden;

opacity: 0.8;

width: 720px;

border-radius: 1px;

position: absolute;

bottom: 10px;

left: 90%;

background-color: blue;

transition: 2s all;

display: flex;

}

.player:hover .controls, player:focus .controls {

opacity: 0.8;

}

This CSS can be placed directly in the HTML document or can be imported via cloud hosted css link.

Need of Security for HTML5 Video Streaming

HTML5 video playback in itself does not have any default security. The basic encryption can be smartly cracked using any hack and softwares. Apart from strong encryption, we need the best key exchange mechanism so that it cannot be retrieved by any unauthorized user. What is now left is screen recording which can be addressed by additional watermarking features.

There are many open source codes available to apply encryption on HTML5 video playback through javascript. For example, the below Javascript code encrypts and decrypts your video files through a third party library.

var key = 'SUPER-SECRET-KEY';

var options = { algorithm: 'aes256' };

encryptor.encryptFile('myVideoObject.mp4', 'encrypted.dat', key, options, function(err) {

});

encryptor.decryptFile('encrypted.dat', 'outputfile.mp4', key, options, function(err) {

});

You can notice the key parameter in the above code, these keys are best secured at the hardware or OS level, which in today’s time is controlled by Google and Apple. This is the reason why normal video protection via javascript often fails. For reliable video security, the best possible way is through Google Widevine and Apple FairPlay license and set up of a DRM server. To help secure your videos, multi-DRM platforms like VdoCipher offer complete infrastructure at affordable pricing, saving coding requirements and capital investment.

FAQs

Do controls like play, pause, volume, etc, appear as default with HTML video element?

No, they do not display as default and can only be visible if you use the controls attribute with the video tag.

Do I need a plugin for HTML5 video playback?

No, after the introduction of video tag for HTML5 video playback, third-party plugins like flash or Silverlight are not required.

Why to use a Javascript file with an HTML5 third-party or open-source video player?

It is not mandatory to use the javascript file accompanied by a player. Still, in that case, you miss out on the added features and styling for different browsers, usually provided for homogeneity. This is why most players include a JS file with their embedded code. This JS file can sometimes be used to add Video SEO to the page or for security purposes.

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

The post Using HTML Video Controls and Elements for HTML5 Video Streaming appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

Here you can find our tutorial videos on upload/import and various other features in detail.

Detailed tutorial videos are included below –

• Upload/Import + Embed overview

Dashboard features & video setting details

• Multi-User addition to account & permission levels
• Adding more accounts/projects to same dashboard
• Get all videos data in csv (title, id, status, time added)
• Generating video page url to share directly to user (not embedding)
• Video settings overview (Thumbnail, title, tags, subtitles, replace video)
• Thumbnail & title change: Tutorial
• Subtitle addition (Multiple Language supported)
• Replace/Swap/Update Videos
• Video Files & Thumbnails Generated data & total storage for a video
• Api key generation (Client Secret key for your account)
• Webhooks to fetch video status via API

We have developed several features as part of our dashboard and as part of our API so that users can manage their videos. This blog covers all stages of a video-based workflow, from uploading video to using advanced analytics to assess video performance.

Upload

It is vital for our users the the time between video upload and when video being ready is minimized. Optimizing the time to encode and encrypt videos is an engineering challenge that remains top priority for our developer team.

The green Upload button can be used to directly upload videos from your device. You may alternatively import videos from URLs of MP4 or FLV files, from either HTTP or FTP.You can also import video files frmo Cloud Service Providers such as Dropbox and Google Drive, and from video service providers Wistia and Vimeo. If you require to bulk import videos from other sources please communicate to us at support@vdocipher.com.

Directly importing videos from URLs saves your device’s bandwidth usage and allows video file transfers to happen completely behind the scenes. There is a progress bar that shows the relative completeness of upload process. Once the video is uploaded, it shows in dashboard with any of the following status, which reflects the status of the video upload process:

You can check the video status by making an API call as well. If the video you uploaded is in Queued status for a long time, drop us a message at site chat or support@vdocipher.com, Generally a 15 min video should be encoded in 20 minutes time and be ready for release. However if you have uploaded multiple videos at once – say 50 or more then video upload may take more time.

Many of our enterprise customers have their customers or partners actually providing videos to them. In such cases, it becomes quite useful if the video transferred by them to your website or app directly reaches your account on Vdocipher. VdoCipher enables this functionality through upload APIs. To automate your upload process you can visit the following blog on Video Upload Using API.

We have optimized our encoding configurations to generate best quality videos at lowest bitrates. If you have any particular request with regard to resolution/ bitrates please let us know at support@vdocipher.com.

Integration into site or app

There are mainly three means of integrating VdoCipher to your website:

• Plugins – WordPress, Joomla!, Moodle, Drupal
• Player Embed Code with Dynamic OTP Generation
• Quick Embed via iFrame

To see the embed options videos please click on the Embed button for the respective video in the Dashboard.

Plugins – WordPress, Joomla!, Moodle, Drupal

The simplest way to embed secure videos through your CMS-based website is by using our plugin. The plugins for WordPress, Joomla!, Moodle and Drupal generate dynamic OTPs in the backend and send them to the front-end. The OTP generation and authentication happens completely under the hood of the plugin, and to embed the video you only require to add a shortcode, having the following format:

[vdo id= '1234567890']

Please visit Protect Videos on WordPress for more details on using our WordPress plugin. While WordPress remains the most popular Content Management System, our plugins for Joomla!, Moodle and Drupal continue to be very popular with content creators looking to protect their premium videos. Plugins for Joomla!, Moodle and Drupal have the same means of embedding video through the shortcode.

The following blogs give details on using VdoCipher plugin for the respective CMS:

• Protect Videos on WordPress
• VdoCipher plugin on WordPress directory
• Moodle Video Embed and Upload Solution
• Secure Videos in Joomla with VdoCipher plugin
• VdoCipher Joomla Extension

Player Embed Code with OTP Generation at Backend

VdoCipher’s secure video streaming requires backend authentication via unique tokens. For this your site backend has to make an HTTP request to VdoCipher API, which returns an OTP to authenticate playback session. This OTP is to be then appended to the player embed code on the site front-end.

The embed code would require the API Secret Key (also called API Key), which you can get from the Config section of the Dashboard.

Please note that the OTP call should always be made from the site backend (controller in MVC architecture). The received OTP (and playbackInfo) are then appended to the player embed code in the frontend (view in MVC architecture). This division across site backend and frontend is critical for ensuring maximum security. We have deliberately blocked OTP requests from site front-end, as this would expose your API Secret key to site visitors.

You can consult the following resources for website integration in different web scripting langugages

• VdoCipher API Page
• Protect Videos using Watermark
• Sample VdoCipher API Implementation for PHP
• Sample VdoCipher API Implementation for ASP.NET
• Sample VdoCipher API Implementation for Node.js

Quick Embed via iFrame

The Quick Embed option via iFrame is the fastest way to embed videos to your site. This is the best option when you are using ready-made website builder platforms such as Wix, Weebly or Squarespace. The following blog provides details on VdoCipher integration with ready-to-build site platforms

The quick embed code can be customized, with three features:

• You can set the embed code to expire for a period of time. By default the embed code expiry is set to 30 years.
• IP and Geo – You can limit access to certain IP addresses and to certain geographical locations only.
• URL Whitelisting – Video will play only if the video player is embedded to the main website. This ensures that piracy through URL sharing is avoided

Note that public embed code & URL whitelisting are less secure than integration through APIs or plugins. Also watermarking is not possible in that case. However even then the stream is fully encrypted and therefore piracy is still prevented from downloaders. Overall our security offerings are much more complete than our competition.

Please make sure that you only embed videos after you have edited all the required settings. We highly recommend that you opt for security through plugin or API, but if not possible we have simplified the process of Public embed code and URL whitelisting option.

Video detail management

You can manage video details, including title, description, tags, poster image and subtitles by clicking the Edit button for each video.

Add Tags

We have enabled a tag-based video management system, which makes it easier for users to categorize and manage their videos. You can easily add/ remove tags from the Edit menu.

Alternatively you may use the tagging API to update tags in your videos.

Thumbnail

By default, a random frame in the video is set as thumbnail. You can customize the poster image to capture your viewer’s attention and enhance click-through rates for your video. To set any other image, you can upload the image in the Edit section.

You may alternatively use the Poster image API to upload the new poster image.

Add captions to Videos

You can upload subtitles for any language that is part of the ISO 639-1 system, as a VTT file. Subtitles are really useful to reach out to newer audiences, as well as to help native speakers follow the video content better.

Filter and Search

Specific videos can be searched using ID, Title or associated tags using the Filter and Search option available in the dashboard. The complete details (id, title, status) of all videos can be downloaded at one go by selecting the Download CSV option.

You can alternatively use the Search API to search for videos based on tags, video ID or title.

Analytics – Usage details

You can see your account bandwidth and storage usage on a daily basis in the Analytics section of the Dashboard.

This data is received from CDN endpoints that accurately reflect the daily bandwidth usage. You can export this bandwidth data as a .csv file for any date range.

We also provide advanced video analytics about how viewers watch your videos. These analytics collect anonymized information about the most popular videos on your platform. These analytics are designed to provide you information about the relative performance of your videos, so you can see how best to improve your library of video content.

Please note that the measurement of video analytics is different from measurement of bandwidth usage, and may not track 100% of user sessions.

Testing for Secure Streaming

Once your video is ready you test secure video playback on any device. You can log into the Dashboard and simply click the play button to start video playback. You are welcome to test out downloader plugins or any hack your best developer can think of to try and download our videos.

Normally our video encoding settings have been optimized to stream highest quality videos at lowest possible bitrates. Indeed we often delight our users by streaming HD videos at 400kbps bitrates.

However if you find any issues with video streaming, it may be for either of the following reasons:

• For the first time of playback, the video is not cached in nearest CDN servers, and the streaming is therefore a little slow. Once video is cached to the server, after second playback video quality and streaming improves quite a lot.
• It is possible that the available video bitrates are high when compared to your network connections. While adaptive streaming ensures that the best resolution is displayed for user’s network conditions, in such a case you may require custom encoding settings. Please communicate your issue to us at support@vdocipher.com, and we’ll ensure that optimized encoding settings are applied for your videos.

We have implemented many optimizations in our encoding settings to ensure the best user experience. These optimizations have enabled our customers to reach users across the world, including in corners of India and the African continent where internet connectivity is comparatively poor.

– Blogs & Site chat – There is lot of documentation on how to use, and what are the benefits and standards for various technologies at our blog. (vdocipher.com/blog), Search the blog for your required keyword to see related articles.

We ensure availability of our support team at the live site chat (bottom right of the vdocipher site). Please feel free to ping us to have a detailed conversation. Our support team would help you through most of your queries and problems.

For a full version 5 GB free trial of vdocipher secure video hosting & streaming , register at www.vdocipher.com

Siddhant Jain

CEO, VdoCipher. Writes about video tech, ed tech and media tech.

www.vdocipher.com/

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Such services are getting used by all major OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO, Hotstar, etc. They either go in for capital-intensive in-house solutions or less expensive outsourced solutions like VdoCipher. For companies like Netflix, in-house solutions give them more control but require large teams and infrastructure with licensing solutions. But for mid-size or early OTTs, a platform provider solution is a necessity.

What does OTT mean in media?

OTT, or over-the-top, refers to delivering movies, series, and TV content via the internet without the need for a traditional pay-TV subscription. This type of content delivery has recently seen a surge in popularity as more and more people ditch their expensive cable packages in favor of cheaper, more flexible online alternatives. People have sought ways to cut the cord and save money on their monthly TV bills. In addition, many OTT services offer exclusive content that can’t be found elsewhere.

OTT (over-the-top) services are delivered outside of traditional cable or satellite providers. This can include streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, as well as specific channels or content providers like HBO Now.

According to Statista, the user penetration in the OTT video segment is expected to reach 53% and the number of users is expected to cross 4215 m users by 2027.

Why OTT?

The cable and satellite industries are no match for the popularity of OTT streaming services. People prefer the flexibility and convenience of streaming and the low cost. OTT is available on multiple devices and can be watched whenever the consumer wants.

OTT services are also the present and future of the entertainment industry. They allow consumers to watch their favorite shows whenever they want and provide new ways of delivering content with interactive features.

Benefits of OTT services

Device independent viewing – With OTT, one can watch their favorite video content at any time on different devices. In a traditional TV setup, viewers have to watch the content at a fixed time slot and on a single device. To watch OTT content, you just need an internet connection or WiFi and a connected device.

Cost-effective – OTT platforms have a huge library of TV series, movies, documentaries, and regional content. All this is available at affordable pricing. In the USA, for example, Netflix pricing goes from $6.99/month to $19.99 for premium video content.

High-quality personalized content – Another good thing about OTT platforms is the availability of high-quality video content. From regional to content covering different genres, viewers can exactly find what they are looking for and only pay for that service or content.

Flexibility – OTT gives viewers the freedom to choose what they want to see and when they want to see. Viewers do not have to wait till a certain time to view their favorite piece of content.

Ad-free experience – Most viewers don’t like advertisements especially when they are watching videos. It interrupts the overall viewing experience. Most OTT gives you the flexibility to opt for an ad-free subscription. Even the advertisements are well-targeted based on the viewer’s online behavior.

A platform for creators and artists – OTT platforms have changed the landscape of the media and entertainment industry. Both artists and content creators have the opportunity to present their content among global audiences and gain popularity.
Regional and multilingual content – According to the FICCI report, the share of regional content will account for 54% in 2024. All OTT platforms have recognized the need to acquire regional markets with original content.

What are the challenges & solutions for OTT?

The challenges of OTT videos are many and varied. Perhaps the biggest challenge is simply getting people to watch your content. With so many options available, it can be challenging to stand out from the crowd. Additionally, OTT video providers are also facing challenges related to content and consumer privacy. Multiple OTT video providers have a competitive market for access to content, and there is a rise in the cases of video piracy and unauthorized video access. Finally, OTT platforms are still relatively new, meaning there is a learning curve for content creators and viewers.

Customer Retention

For the business model of any OTT platform, the audience is a key factor to focus on. Before creating content and expecting to get viewers, knowing your audience and generating content on what your viewers may like is very important. With such an increasing number of OTT platforms, retaining your customers and offering what they prefer is quite challenging.

Poor Technological Infrastructure

Technology is what drives a successful online business and holds true for an OTT platform. From APIs, and integrations to security, keeping all the technical aspects up and running considerably reduces the risks associated with any OTT platform provider.

Security and Video Piracy

The media industry has been facing piracy issues for a long time. Video piracy impacts not only the businesses, economy, and brand reputation but also the livelihood of those directly or indirectly associated with the video industry. The most secure measure in place to combat piracy is Video DRM.

Payment Processing Issues

An ideal payment gateway is one which has effortless payment gateway integration and customers smoothly follow the complete checkout process. Managing online payments, catering to international subscribers, managing multiple payment modes and most importantly security are the key areas to work on.

Buffering and Latency

Buffering and latency affect the viewing experience of users. Buffering causes the video to stop and start again while latency delays the duration between when the signal is sent and received. This causes synchronization differences between the audio and video.

Need for more storage

Video files especially 4K videos take up a significant amount of storage and an OTT platform needs to store a big amount of video files for streaming. They need to choose an OTT platform provider that can easily accommodate the growing demand of storage space.

Password Sharing

It’s a common habit of sharing your OTT login credentials with friends and family. It may lead to your account compromise and access to your personal information. From the perspective of an OTT platform, it leads to revenue loss and there is no record of who accessed your account and a single subscription is used by multiple viewers. OTT providers now limit the number of devices accessing the content and restrict unauthorized access.

Secure Content Storage

Content is the soul of an OTT platform. Any unauthorized access or leak of video content leads to monetary losses as well as a reputation. There is no scope for video piracy and illegal downloads. Therefore, OTT platforms must have robust security in place like DRM encryption, IP restrictions, Domain blocking, secure access, and regular monitoring of the security protocols.

Offline Streaming Security

When OTT content is downloaded from the platform and viewed offline, there is almost negligible control over content usage. When that content is freely distributed, no one will pay the subscription fee to watch it on any platform. To cater to this, OTT DRM technology controls unauthorized downloads and limits the time for which a video is available for download.

Screen Recording Protection

There are various ways to screen-record video content using a camera or microphone. The content becomes available for free although the video quality will be a bit distorted. To discourage this, dynamic watermarking is one such feature that makes a visible or invisible mark on the video to help identify the video source.

Geo-blocking and VPN Detection

Geo-blocking restricts content availability based on a viewer’s geographical location. OTT platforms use this feature to comply with the licensing agreements, enforce geographical restrictions and apply different pricing as per country or continent. Many users use VPNs to bypass the geo-restrictions and access the content in blocked regions.

As solutions, there are services ranging from video creation to marketing, but the most crucial answer is secure video hosting. This is because of the illegal downloads happening across the globe. It endangers the revenue from subscriptions or fees for premium video content. The secure video hosting provider also needs fast video delivery across the world. This is possible by using large-scale CDN providers like AWS CloudFront. Bulk upload, API, and SDKs are also important for an OTT provider looking to scale.

What are OTT Platform providers or OTT service providers?

An OTT platform provider offers online solutions to securely host on-demand or live content and broadcast them over the internet. An OTT service provider provides a platform or service for delivering over-the-top content. They typically offer a suite of features and benefits that allow content providers to reach their audiences directly, without the need for a traditional pay-TV provider. An OTT service provider offers the framework and video players to embed video content to various websites and channels for mass distribution.

Also, among the major features, a dashboard for video analytics and quick access options like embed and API are a must. The platform provider will also provide CDN infrastructure and multiple bitrates streaming for faster and uninterrupted access to videos.

Key features of OTT Platform Providers or Service Providers

• Increased security: an OTT provider serves people worldwide, so it is essential to have security a top priority. Otherwise, the potential for video piracy and other security issues is enormous. To protect their users, OTT platform providers must implement strong security measures. This includes securely encrypting data in transit, limiting content usage to only authorized devices, using strong authentication methods, and ensuring that their systems are constantly monitored for suspicious activity.
• Scalability: OTT service providers must offer scalable plans, so you can increase your content offering as your business grows.
• Flexible Pricing: In a highly competitive market, OTT platform providers must offer flexible and attractive pricing plans to win and retain customers.
• Customer support: Today, customer satisfaction is the key to success. OTT platform providers must offer superior customer support to stand out from the crowd. The provider must provide 24×7 customer support via chat, mail, and more.
• Easy to use video APIs: Video APIs for OTT platforms provide a way for developers to access and control video content. They also allow OTT providers to manage and monitor video usage. Additionally, video APIs can give OTT platform providers insights into how their users watch video content, which can help them improve the user experience.

VdoCipher as complete OTT Platform Provider Solutions

VdoCipher is best known for its DRM-encrypted secure video hosting solutions. The company offers its secure video streaming services to more than 2000 businesses across 40+ countries. Video streamed via VdpCipher cannot be downloaded illegally or by any internet plugin or software. Using Hollywood Grade DRM Encryption, the one used by Netflix to deliver the content on the web securely, Vdocipher protects your premium content from unauthorized usage and distribution. It takes a lot of time and hard work in making video content, and within minutes, it gets pirated online. With VdoCipher, one can not only protect their videos from video piracy but also boost revenue and deliver the content to the users in an easy-to-go way.

Features:

DRM Encrypted Video Streaming – Using Google Widevine and Apple FairPlay DRM, videos are DRM encrypted during encoding. The video can only be decrypted on the VdoCipher media player. This way your videos are secured from piracy and unauthorized usage and distribution.

Google Widevine DRM offers the highest security in Google Chrome, Android, and Chromecast. Microsoft’s Playready delivers video content protection on Windows platforms. Video creators who wish to stream premium videos on iOS and Safari require Apple’s FairPlay DRM license.

Dynamic Watermarking – Dynamic watermarking allows the insertion of watermarks into digital content like videos in real-time. This watermarking can be used to protect against unauthorized copying and distribution of digital content, such as video, audio, and images. Adding text to video using Dynamic watermarking deters screen capture and protects the video content. You can add viewer-specific moving/static watermarks with email, user id, IP, time stamp, and more.

IP and Geo-based Restrictions – IP geo-restriction is a way of restricting access to online content based on the geographic location of the user’s IP address. This can be used to prevent users from accessing content unavailable in their country or restrict access to certain types of content to only users in specific countries. Through VdoCipher API/Dashboard, you can easily configure any IP and country restrictions on your video content.

Session time restrictions – With our multi-DRM APIs, you can configure the session duration for playback during license generation. This proves very useful for sensitive content.

Rental constraint for offline files – It is possible to allow viewers to download an encrypted video version to their Android, iOS, or Chrome devices. The video can be made to expire after a specific time by specifying a rental duration. The access token also needs to be specified to allow license persistence. Our Android SDK enables managing downloads to and playback of offline videos.

Smart HTML5 Video Player – VdoCipher Smart HTML5 Video Player offers Adaptive Multi-bitrate Playback, Multi-language support, playback speed change, dynamic player controls, and much more like.

• HD Streaming even at low bitrates
• Pre-available player themes
• Easy embed options using iFrame, plugins, and API
• Video Analytics
• Secure Downloads on Android
• Custom Overlay and Tracking with JavaScript API

FAQs

What are the benefits of OTT video?

Consumers love the flexibility and convenience of OTT videos. They can watch their favorite shows at any time and from any device. OTT video also provides new ways of delivering content that fall outside traditional broadcast models.

How does OTT video differ from broadcast and cable television?

Traditional broadcast television is watched live and is provided through a closed system. Consumers must subscribe to a cable or satellite provider with limited content. OTT video is delivered over the Internet and is consumed through an open system. OTT services are typically much cheaper than traditional cable or satellite TV packages. They offer a much more comprehensive range of content, including many niches and international titles that are not typically available through conventional broadcasters. OTT also gives users more flexibility in how they watch content, as they can watch shows and movies on demand or even download them offline.

What are the potential downsides of OTT services?

With some great options out there, it’s essential to be aware of the potential downsides of OTT services. First, since these services are delivered over the internet, they can be susceptible to outages or slowdowns. Second, not all OTT services are created equal – some are of better quality than others. Finally, most OTT services require a paid subscription, which can add up over time. Overall, OTT services are a great way to watch TV without paying a fortune.

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

The post OTT Platform Provider for Video Solutions and Service appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

Corporate Video Hosting Services

Undoubtedly, video is an essential part of any marketing strategy. After all, it’s one of the most engaging and visually stimulating mediums available. But what about corporate video? Is it worth the investment?

The answer is a resounding yes! Corporate videos can help your business in several ways, from boosting brand awareness to increasing leads and sales. Here are just a few advantages of corporate video services:

Increase Brand Awareness

One of the main goals of any marketing campaign is to increase brand awareness. Video is the best way to achieve it. When done right, corporate videos can introduce your brand to a whole new audience and help you stand out from the competition.

Boost Engagement

People love watching videos. Video content is more engaging than any other type of content out there. So, if you want to boost engagement with your target audience, corporate video is the way to go.

Increase Leads and Sales

The aim or goal of any business is to increase leads and sales. Luckily, a corporate video can help you do just that. Thanks to its ability to increase brand awareness and engagement, a corporate video can ultimately lead to more conversions and sales.

Improve SEO

Another significant benefit of corporate video is that it can help improve your SEO. Thanks to the power of video SEO, your corporate videos can rank high in search engine results, making it easily possible for potential customers to find your business online. Getting advice from a reputable digital marketing company like Dagmar Marketing in Jacksonville also plays a huge part in improving your site’s overall SEO.

Enhance Your Website

Your website is often probably the first impression potential customers have of your business. So, it’s important to ensure it’s as strong as possible. Luckily, adding corporate videos to your website can help do just that. Not only will videos make your site more visually appealing, but they’ll also help improve user experience.

	Corporate	Personal	VdoCipher
Scalability	Required	Depends
multi-DRM	Required	Depends
HD playback	Required	Depends
Watermark	Required	Depends
APIs & SDKs	Required	Depends
Plugins	Required	Depends
Device Compatibility	Required	Depends
Dashboard	Required	Depends
Support	Required	Depends

Corporate video services can include a wide range of video production and delivery services businesses may need to promote their products or services or communicate with their employees. Video services can also include corporate event videography, product demonstration videos, corporate training videos, human resources videos, etc. There’s no doubt that corporate video services can benefit your business. So, if you’re looking to take your marketing to the next level, it’s time to invest in corporate video.

HD Video Hosting Services Benefits

HD videos are becoming increasingly popular as people realize the importance of having high-quality videos. These high-quality and high-bitrate videos offer a higher level of detail and clarity than standard definition videos, making them ideal for viewing on high-definition televisions and monitors. High Definition videos are less likely to suffer from compression artifacts than SD videos, making them suitable for viewing on computers and mobile devices.

HD video hosting services are online platforms that allow users to upload and share high-definition videos. Usually, these services come with a range of features, such as streaming videos in HD quality, Adaptive bitrate streaming, CDN, creating and sharing video playlists, and embedding videos on websites and blogs. Many HD video hosting services also offer paid plans that include additional features, such as increased storage space and the ability to remove advertisements.

There are many benefits to using an HD video hosting service. One of the significant benefits is that you can provide high-quality video content to your viewers. It can help improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, HD video can help to improve your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Finally, HD video can help increase the conversion rates of your website or blog.

Corporate HD Video Hosting Service Must-have Features

• HD Video Distribution through Internet
• Efficient Management of Large HD Video Files
• Multimedia Content Management
• Seamless Integration with Enterprise Systems
• High-speed Downloading
• Compression for HD Video as per your requirement
• Multiple video formats support
• Multiple streaming options with secure streaming
• Transcoding to any video format
• Dynamic Watermarking
• Video synchronization
• Analytics or Video statistics
• Customer Support 24/7

Need for Encrypted Video Services

The need for encrypted video services has become apparent to many companies in response to the rise in cybercrime and the increasingly sophisticated attacks on systems and data. Video encryption encodes a video signal using a secret key known only to authorized parties. Encrypted video can be decrypted only by authorized parties with a private key. By encrypting video data, companies can ensure that their confidential information remains safe and secure, even if the video files are intercepted by an unauthorized third party.

There are many benefits to using encrypted video services, including the following:

• Enhanced security – Encryption helps to protect against data breaches, video piracy, and cyber-attacks by making it difficult for unauthorized individuals to access confidential information. The best encryption technology available to prevent illegal downloads of a Video is DRM or Digital Rights Management.
• Improved compliance – Many industries are subject to strict regulations regarding protecting confidential information. Encryption can help companies to meet these requirements and avoid hefty fines.
• Improved customer satisfaction – In today’s digital world, customers are increasingly concerned about the security of their personal information. Companies can provide their customers with peace of mind and improve customer satisfaction levels by using encrypted video services.
• Increased efficiency – Encrypted video services can help companies save time and increase efficiency by reducing the need to monitor and protect confidential information constantly.
• Improved competitiveness – Companies that provide their customers with enhanced security and privacy protection often have a competitive advantage.

How to Select an Encrypted Video Service Provider

Many companies offer encrypted video services, and the features and benefits can vary significantly. Companies need to consider their specific needs before selecting a provider carefully.

When selecting an encrypted video service provider, several factors should be considered, including:

• Licensing Partnership – Advanced Encryption technologies like DRM require you to be a license partner with Google and Apple for protection across devices and browsers.
• The provider’s reputation – It is important to select a provider that has a good reputation in the industry and a proven track record of providing high-quality services.
• The provider’s experience – It is also important to select a provider that has extensive experience in providing encrypted video services. This will help to ensure that the provider is able to meet the specific needs of the company.
• Customer service – The provider’s customer service should be excellent, and the provider should be able to provide prompt and efficient responses to any queries or concerns.
• Pricing – The provider’s pricing should be competitive, and the company should be able to get value for money.
• Security measures – The provider should have robust security measures in place to protect the company’s information from unauthorized access.

Best HD Video Service providers for Corporate

VdoCipher – Secure Video Services

In the corporate world, online video security is absolutely essential. With the vast majority of businesses now relying on the internet for communication, collaboration, and marketing, the potential for data piracy is vast. A single data breach may cost a company millions of dollars and damage its reputation beyond repair. That’s why online video security is so important.

By encrypting corporate video communications, businesses can protect themselves from the threat of data breaches and cyber-attacks. Video encryption ensures that only authorized users can view corporate videos and that all data is safe and secure.

VdoCipher, a secure video hosting provider, has been helping e-learning, media websites, and apps protect their premium videos using Hollywood Grade DRM protection, Dynamic watermarking, video chapters and more. Serving over 2000 businesses across 40+ Countries, the videos streamed via VdoCipher cannot be downloaded using any downloader, plugin, or hack. This way, businesses boost their revenue and protect their video content from unauthorized access and video piracy. Additionally, VdoCipher video security includes the below features:

• Illegal video download prevention via Drm Encryption
• Dynamic Watermarking
• Amazon AWS Server + CDN
• Secure offline downloads on Android
• Geo and IP-based restrictions
• Screen Capture Blocking
• Smart HTML5 Video Player
• APIs, SDKs, and plugins for WordPress, Moodle, and more

Google Cloud Storage

Google Cloud Storage is a cloud-based video service that helps businesses manage and store their video content. Companies can upload, store, and share their video content securely and efficiently with Google Cloud Storage. It offers a variety of features and tools that businesses can use to manage their video content, including:

Accessible storage: Google Cloud Storage offers businesses a reliable place to store their video content. With Google Cloud Storage, businesses can easily upload and store their video content and access it from anywhere.

Flexible access: Google Cloud Storage allows businesses to access their video content from any device, anywhere in the world. Businesses can also share their video content with others and collaborate on projects using the Google Cloud Storage platform.

Scalability: Google Cloud Storage offers businesses the ability to scale their video content storage needs as their business grows. Companies can add and remove video content as needed with Google Cloud Storage without worrying about capacity or scalability issues.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides various services to help businesses stream video to their audiences. AWS offers multiple video streaming services, including Amazon Kinesis Video Streams, Amazon Elastic Transcoder, Amazon CloudFront, and Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3). Each Amazon service has its own set of features and pricing.

Amazon Kinesis Video Streams is a managed service that makes it easy to stream video to AWS for storage and processing. AWS Elastic Transcoder is a media transcoding service that helps businesses convert video into different formats for different devices. AWS CloudFront is a content delivery network (CDN) assisting businesses in delivering video content to viewers with low latency. Amazon S3 is an object storage service to help enterprises store and retrieve video files.

Note: VdoCipher uses AWS infrastructure coupled with DRM licensing from Google and Apple to provide the most secure video streaming across devices.

IBM Cloud Video

IBM Cloud Video provides a cloud-based platform for businesses and organizations to stream live and on-demand video. The platform is designed to be scalable and customizable and offers a variety of features, including content management, security, and analytics. The service provides many features, including video transcoding, live streaming, content management, and player customization. IBM Cloud Video also provides APIs that allow developers to integrate the service with third-party applications and platforms.

• HD live broadcasting
• Multi-CDNs
• Video Distribution and Workflow
• Mobile compatible player

Vimeo Livestream

Vimeo Livestream is a live video streaming platform enabling users to stream live video content to their audiences. It provides users with various features and tools to help them create and manage their live streams, including the ability to create and schedule live events, embed live streams on their website or blog, and monitor live stream analytics.

There are many ways that corporates can use Vimeo Livestream. One way is to use it as a live event platform to showcase product launches, conferences, or other corporate events. Additionally, Vimeo Livestream can be used as a training and development tool for employees. It can also be used as a marketing tool to reach new and existing customers.

FAQs

How to provide Video Hosting Services?

You need to set up file storage with playback and place a layer before and after storage for security and privacy adherence. These mainly include encoding, transcoding, encryption, key management, and multi-bitrate support with CDN.

What Corporate Video Hosting Service is the best?

If you are looking for a complete hosting solution that also integrates global distribution via CDN, DRM, and other advanced necessities, then do a search for secure video hosting and pick the best provider, like VdoCipher.

Can Corporate Video Hosting Services protect against illegal downloads?

The most advanced way to protect your videos against piracy is to use a multi-DRM encryption system during upload and playback of your videos. This also protects screen capture on many devices and browsers. Google Widevine and Apple Fairplay are the most necessary license providers for multi-DRM support.

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

The post Corporate Video Hosting Services with Support & HD Video Streaming appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

Even when we talk about video production, let us look at some stats about production being in-house or outsourced. Nearly 76% of video production companies started investing in video production in the past few years. Out Of that 76%, nearly 45% handle production internally, whereas 28% hire a video production company, and 23% hire freelance for the same. This means that more than the majority depends on the external production of videos. This is when video production is not considered a technical or coding task.  When we talk about video delivery, i.e., about hosting and playback, it gets more skewed. Most of the creators looking to scale up need to go through various video service providers’ feature lists. This is because of the difficulty and bandwidth consumption during future migration. As a rule of thumb, go with the advanced security and integration-providing options.

Need for Video Service Providers

Video service providers are important because they offer a platform for hosting and streaming videos. This can be a great way to promote your business or brand, and it can also be a great way to connect with potential customers or clients. They also provide you with a way to reach a larger audience with your video content.

Video service providers are increasingly important for hosting and streaming video content. As the demand for video content continues to grow, so does the need for efficient and reliable video hosting and streaming services. Video service providers offer a variety of benefits that make them an essential part of the video content ecosystem.

Video service providers can offer scalable and reliable hosting solutions to accommodate the ever-growing demand for video content. They can also provide efficient streaming solutions that can help deliver video content to viewers without interruptions or delays. They can offer various benefits that can help improve the quality of video content and make it more accessible to viewers.

There are a lot of video service providers out there, and it can be hard to know which one to choose. Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a hosting and streaming provider for your videos:

• Ensure the provider has a good reputation and is known for providing high-quality service.
• Find out what kind of support the provider offers if you have any video problems.
• Ensure the provider offers the features you need, such as video transcoding, hosting, encryption, watermarking, and streaming.
• Make sure the provider offers a competitive price.

Global streaming market size year-wise projection – Source (Statista)

Types of Video Services

Hosting Video Service

There are a lot of different options for hosting video services. One can use a traditional web hosting service, a cloud-based service, or even a dedicated server. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you’ll need to decide which one is right for you.

Traditional web hosting services and Cloud-based services are typically the most affordable option with scalable storage, bandwidth and more cloud features like transcoding and encryption. Dedicated servers are the most expensive option, but they offer the best performance and support.

Streaming Video Service

Video streaming services are becoming more and more popular as Internet speeds and data caps continue to increase. This is especially true for live video streaming, which allows users to watch events as they happen in real-time. There are a number of different video streaming services available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

Netflix is one of the most popular video streaming services. It offers a huge selection of movies and TV shows, including many exclusive original titles. Netflix is available on a wide variety of devices, including TVs, game consoles, and mobile devices. Hulu is another popular video streaming service. It offers a smaller selection of movies and TV shows than Netflix, but it does have some exclusive original content.

Secure Video Service

There are a number of reasons to consider using a secure video service. In today’s world, data security is more important than ever. With the increase in cyberattacks, it’s crucial to make sure that your video content is protected. A secure video service will encrypt your video content, making it much more difficult for hackers to access. Additionally, secure video services will often offer additional features such as password protection and watermarking. This can further protect your video content and ensure that only authorized users can view it.

Best Video Service Providers

VdoCipher

VdoCipher, a secure video hosting platform, offers Hollywood grade DRM protection to protect your premium video content from online video piracy. Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a technology that helps content creators and distributors protect their copyrighted works from unauthorized use. When applied to video streaming, DRM can help prevent piracy and ensure that only authorized users can view the content. DRM can also help content providers control who can view their content and when. For example, a content provider could allow only users in a specific geographic region to view a particular video.

Using Google Widevine and Apple FairPlay DRM encryption, VdoCipher secures your videos from unauthorized access, illegal downloads or sharing. Internet plugins or software cannot bypass the security layer to download the videos streamed through VdoCipher.

• DRM Encrypted video streaming
• Dynamic watermarking with logo/image/viewer details
• Offline secure playback for app
• AWS powered server and CDN infrastructure
• Smart HTML5 video player (adaptive bitrate playback and multi-language subtitles support)
• OTP-based playback
• Easy to integrate APIs and SDKs
• VdoCipher WordPress plugin

YouTube

There are many video sharing websites on the Internet, but YouTube is the most popular. People watch billions of videos on YouTube every day and upload hundreds of thousands of new videos. YouTube is a great way to watch videos on any topic you can imagine. Whether you’re interested in music, news, sports, or gaming, you’ll find videos to watch on YouTube. You can also find helpful how-to videos, product reviews, etc.

YouTube is more than just a video sharing website – it’s a community. You can interact with other users by liking, commenting, and subscribing to their channels. You can also start your own channel and build up a following. Whether you’re just looking to watch a few videos or you want to become a YouTube star, YouTube is the place to be.

There are a few different ways that YouTube monetizes its content. The first is through advertising. YouTube sells advertising space on its platform to companies who want to reach the site’s vast audience. These ads can appear in several different forms, including pre-roll ads that play before a video, mid-roll ads that appear in the middle of a video, or overlay ads that appear on the bottom of the screen.

YouTube also allows content creators to join its Partner Program, which gives them a share of the revenue generated from ads that run on their videos. To be eligible for the Partner Program, creators must have a certain number of subscribers and watch hours.

Finally, YouTube allows content creators to sell merchandise through its Merchandise shelf feature. This will enable creators to promote and sell products directly to their fans through their YouTube channels.

Dailymotion

If you’re interested in video blogging or “vlogging,” you should check out Dailymotion. It’s one of the most popular video sharing websites globally and offers an excellent platform to share video content. Primarily owned by Vivendi, Dailymotion is a video-sharing technology platform.

Dailymotion is available in 18 languages and 35 localized versions featuring local home pages and local content. It offers several tools to help you promote your videos and grow your audience. For example, you can use the “Featured Videos” section to showcase your best content and the “Suggested Videos” section to promote your videos to a broader audience.

On Dailymotion, most videos are served with in-stream advertisements – ads that appear before, during, or after videos. Enabling video monetization allows you to share in the revenue these advertisements generate when served on your videos. The more views your videos get, the more income you earn.

Wix Video

Wix video is a cloud-based video platform that enables users to create and share videos. It offers a variety of features, including the ability to create and share videos, embed videos on websites, and share videos on social media. Wix Video lets you upload or stream videos of the highest quality from YouTube, Facebook, DailyMotion, etc. You can create your video channels like films, courses, portfolios and more and display them in a beautiful video gallery. Individual videos are available for purchase or rent, and whole channels can be made accessible to subscribers only.

SproutVideo

SproutVideo is a hosting and video sharing platform that makes it easy to upload, embed, and manage your videos. You can use SproutVideo to create and share video blogs or vlogs with your audience. SproutVideo is a powerful yet easy to use online video platform that helps businesses and individuals alike to showcase their videos in the best light.

First, sign up for a free account. Then, upload your video files to your account. Once the videos are uploaded, you can share them on your blog or website by embedding them in your posts.SproutVideo provides a simple, user-friendly interface that makes it easy to manage your videos.

You can track your video views, share videos with social media, etc. Plus, SproutVideo offers valuable features like video analytics and password protection to help you get the most out of your video. You can customize your video player, embed your videos on your website or blog, and even use SproutVideo to create and manage your own video channel.

Ways to secure digital video assets

As video becomes increasingly digitized, it becomes more vulnerable to security threats. Digital video assets can be subject to unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction. Thus, it is important to implement security measures to protect digital video assets. Security measures can include encryption, access control, and dynamic watermarking.

There are many ways to secure online video assets:

Use a secure hosting platform

Many secure hosting platforms are available that can help you protect your video assets. When choosing a secure hosting platform, there are several factors, such as the type of data being stored, the level of security required, and the budget. However, the most important thing to remember is that no matter what security measures are in place, there is always a risk that video data can be breached. The best way to protect against this is to back up premium data regularly and keep confidential information safe. Be sure to choose a platform that offers robust security features and can meet your specific needs.

Encrypt your videos

Video encryption is a process of encoding a video signal so that it cannot be decoded without a key. This key is typically only known to the sender and receiver of the encrypted video. Video encryption can be used to protect both streaming and downloaded video content. Digital Rights Management (DRM) encryption is a security measure that is often used to protect video content. When a video is encrypted with DRM, it can only be played back on authorized devices with the necessary decryption key. This prevents unauthorized users from accessing and copying the video content. Encrypting your videos is a great way to protect them from being accessed by unauthorized individuals.

Use a watermark

Watermarking your videos is a great way to deter unauthorized individuals from using or sharing your videos. Video watermarking is the process of adding a watermark to a video to protect it from unauthorized use. The watermark can be a logo, a company name, or any other image or text. The watermark is usually added to the video during the encoding process, and it is typically embedded in the video in such a way that it is difficult to remove.

There are many reasons why a company might want to watermark its videos. Watermarks can deter copyright infringement since they show that the video is copyrighted material. They can also help to track down unauthorized copies of the video since the watermark can be used to identify the source. Watermarks can also be used to prevent tampering or modification of the video since any changes to the watermark will be immediately apparent.

Several different methods can be used to watermark a video. The most common way is to embed the watermark in the video itself. This can be done by adding the watermark to the video’s metadata or adding it to the video’s pixels. Another method is to add the watermark to the video’s audio track. This is usually done by adding a short, silent audio section to the beginning or end of the video, which contains the watermark.

Use access controls

Setting up access controls is a great way to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to your videos. There are many different ways to set up access controls, so be sure to choose the method that best meets your needs. For example, access can be limited to certain people at certain times, or access can be denied altogether to certain areas. Additionally, video footage can be password protected so that only authorized personnel can view it.

Keep your videos private

One of the best ways to protect your videos is to keep them private. If you do not want your videos to be seen by the general public, set them to private when uploading them to your secure hosting platform.

FAQs

Why is a Secure Video Streaming Platform Important?

A secure video streaming platform is important for many reasons. It helps protect user data from being accessed by unauthorized parties, ensures that only authorized users can access the video content, and helps prevent video content from being tampered with or altered. A secure video streaming platform also helps to ensure that video content is delivered in a timely and reliable manner.

What are the benefits of DRM in Video Streaming?

DRM can provide many benefits to content creators and distributors. It can help prevent piracy, ensure that only authorized users can view the content, and track how it is used. These benefits can help content providers improve the customer experience and better understand the content they provide.

What are the benefits of video streaming?

Video streaming has many benefits, including watching videos without having to download them first, watching videos on a variety of devices, and watching videos in real-time.

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

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Siddhant Jain

CEO, VdoCipher. Writes about video tech, ed tech and media tech.

www.vdocipher.com/

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