Stream Video with Azure: A Comprehensive Guide to Azure Video Streaming

Azure offers a robust video streaming solution that allows you to stream high-quality video content to a large audience.

With Azure Video Analyzer, you can process and analyze video streams in real-time, making it an ideal choice for applications that require low-latency video processing.

To get started with Azure video streaming, you'll need to create an Azure account and set up a Video Analyzer resource.

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Azure Video Streaming is a powerful platform that lets you stream video content on-demand. It supports multiple video formats like MP4 and Matroska/WebM.

You can integrate Azure Video Streaming with other Azure services for scalable and secure media workflows. This means you can easily connect it with services like Azure Container Instances and Azure Kubernetes Service.

Azure Video Streaming allows you to transcribe audio and video content, encode and decode video files, and stream video content on-demand. This is made possible by the platform's tools, services, and APIs for processing, storing, and delivering digital media content.

Azure Video Streaming is also AI-powered, offering advanced content analysis capabilities. This means you can use machine learning to analyze and improve your video content.

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To create an Azure Media Service, you'll need to follow a series of steps, starting with logging in and clicking on "Create a resource" or searching for "Media Service" in the search bar.

You'll then need to fill in basic details such as subscription and resource group name, and create a storage account with a unique name, kind, and replication settings.

Before deploying the resource, verify your details and click "Create" to provision the resource. Once deployment is complete, you can configure your media service by clicking "Go to resource".

Azure Media Service pricing varies depending on the service you choose. For Video On Demand Service, standard encoder pricing starts at ₹1.126 per output minute, while premium encoder pricing starts at ₹2.626 per output minute.

You can check pricing details for different services, including analytics, encoding, live video, streaming, and content protection, by navigating to the pricing page and selecting your deployment region and currency.

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Here's a summary of the key components of Azure Media Services pricing:

To create a Media Service in Azure, you'll need to start by logging in and clicking on the "Create a resource" button. This will take you to a page where you can fill in the basic details such as subscription and resource group name.

Clicking on the "Create" button will then prompt you to create a storage account, which requires providing a storage account name, kind, and replication settings.

You can also choose to enable classic APIs, which will allow you to use classic V2 APIs but will disable advanced security features such as managed identities.

Creating a new user-assigned managed identity is an optional step, but it's a good idea to do so for added security.

Before deploying the resource, make sure to review the filled details to ensure everything is correct.

Once deployment is complete, you can click on "Go to resource" to configure your Media Service.

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Here are the key steps to create a Media Service in Azure:

Pricing is a crucial aspect of Azure Media Service, and it's essential to understand how it works. For Video On Demand Service, the Standard Encoder Pricing starts at ₹1.126 per output minute, while the Premium Encoder costs ₹2.626 per output minute.

Azure Media Service Pricing is also broken down into several components, which can be summarized in a table. Here's a look at the key components:

You can check the pricing details for Azure Media Services by navigating to the pricing page, selecting your region and currency, and exploring the pricing options.

Azure Media Services is being discontinued, which means several associated services will also be shut down. On-demand Encoding, a feature that converts video files into various formats for online streaming, will be discontinued. This could impact users who rely on on-demand video content in different formats, potentially affecting their ability to stream content smoothly across diverse platforms.

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On-demand Encoding allows users to process video content and make it compatible across different devices and internet speeds. It's a crucial feature for businesses and content creators who want to reach a wide audience.

Live Streaming, which enables real-time broadcasting of events, conferences, and live shows, will also be discontinued. Users will need to find replacement platforms to broadcast and share live content with their audience.

The following services will be discontinued along with Azure Media Services:

The shutdown of these services will primarily affect businesses, content creators, and enterprises that rely on Azure Media Services for their video hosting, streaming, and protection needs.

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Video encoding and transcoding are crucial steps in preparing your video content for streaming on Azure. You can upload a media asset to Azure Media Services and encode it for streaming.

To encode a video source, start by selecting the input source as an asset and uploading your video file. You can rename the asset name as desired. Once uploaded, create a new transform and select encoding as the transform type.

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For live encoding, configure your on-premises live encoder to send a single bitrate video up to 32Mbps aggregate to the Live Event using RTMP or fragmented-MP4 input protocol. This will enable the Live Event to transcode the incoming single bitrate stream into multiple bitrate video streams at varying resolutions.

Better video transcoding is also available with Azure Media Services, but VPlayed takes it one step further with superior cloud video transcoding. This allows you to encode and transcode multiple video files together, optimizing video playback for every device.

Here are the key settings for encoding a video source:

With Azure Media Services, you can deliver videos in various formats to ensure compatibility with a wide range of browsers and devices. This includes both on-demand and live streaming delivery to clients such as mobile devices, TVs, and PCs.

The service can stream live sports events to a broad audience, encompassing soccer, baseball, college, and high school sports. It can also be used to broadcast public events like town halls, city council meetings, and legislative sessions.

Azure Media Services supports the creation of subscription video services and the streaming of DRM-protected content, catering to customers who need to restrict access to proprietary copyrighted work. It also facilitates the delivery of offline content for playback in situations like flights or road travel, where users might be disconnected from the network.

Here are some of the key capabilities of Azure Media Services:

Azure Media Services offers a wide range of capabilities that make it an ideal choice for building diverse media workflows. With cloud-based capabilities, users can leverage video and audio delivery, live streaming, and content analysis to reach their audiences.

You can deliver videos in various formats, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of browsers and devices, including mobile devices, TVs, and PCs. This includes both on-demand and live streaming delivery.

The service can stream live sports events to a broad audience, encompassing soccer, baseball, college, and high school sports. This makes it perfect for sports enthusiasts who want to stay up-to-date with their favorite teams.

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Azure Media Services allows for the analysis of recorded videos or audio content. This can be used to extract speech-to-text for building search indexes and dashboards, and gather intelligence on customer feedback, complaints, and other relevant data.

Here are some of the key features of Azure Media Services:

You can also use Azure Media Services to deliver a range of media source file and content streaming and protection formats to client technologies like HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), MPEG-DASH, and Smooth Streaming.

Live Event Types are a crucial aspect of Azure Media Services, allowing users to broadcast various types of events to a wide audience.

There are two primary types of live event types: pass-through and live encoding. Pass-through occurs when an on-premises live encoder sends a multiple bitrate stream, while live encoding takes place when an on-premises live encoder sends a single bitrate stream.

The choice between pass-through and live encoding depends on the specific requirements of the event. For example, if you're broadcasting a live sports event, you may want to use live encoding to ensure that the video is compressed and streamed efficiently.

Here's a summary of the two live event types:

Understanding the live event types is essential for setting up a successful live streaming workflow in Azure Media Services.

Dynamic filtering is a powerful tool that allows you to control the number of tracks that are sent out to players.

This feature is particularly useful when you need to manage large amounts of content and want to optimize the viewing experience for your audience.

Dynamic filtering can also be used to control the formats that are sent out to players, which is helpful if you need to support multiple devices or platforms.

For example, you might use dynamic filtering to ensure that only the most compatible formats are sent to older devices, while newer devices receive the full range of formats.

By controlling the bitrates that are sent out to players, you can also use dynamic filtering to manage bandwidth and ensure a smooth viewing experience.

This is especially important if you're streaming high-quality content over the internet, where bandwidth can be a limiting factor.

Dynamic filtering can also be used to control the presentation time windows that are sent out to players, which is helpful if you need to manage complex scheduling or playback rules.

For more information on how to set up and use dynamic filtering, be sure to check out the section on filters and dynamic manifests.

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Live transcription is a feature you can use with live events that are either pass-through or live encoding. It uses the Speech-To-Text feature of Cognitive Services to transcribe spoken words into text.

To get correct transcription data, you should use GOP sizes of 2 seconds for live events. You must use GOP sizes of 4 seconds or below for passthrough live events with live transcriptions.

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You can dynamically encrypt your live or on-demand content with AES-128 or any of the three major digital rights management (DRM) systems: Microsoft PlayReady, Google Widevine, and Apple FairPlay.

Dynamic filtering is used to control the number of tracks, formats, bitrates, and presentation time windows that are sent out to the players. This feature helps you optimize content delivery for different devices and networks.

Azure Media Services allows for the analysis of recorded videos or audio content, enabling organizations to extract speech-to-text for building search indexes and dashboards, and gather intelligence on customer feedback, complaints, and other relevant data.

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By using dynamic filtering, you can also control the quality of the video stream, ensuring that it's optimized for the viewer's device and network connection.

Here are some key features that help you customize delivery:

With Azure Media Services, you can deliver a range of media source file and content streaming and protection formats to client technologies like HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), MPEG-DASH, and Smooth Streaming. This flexibility ensures that your content can reach a wide audience, regardless of their device or network connection.