Top 4 Video Hosting Servers: AWS, Google, Akamai, Azure Explained

If you are looking to leverage a video hosting server for your business there is never a one-size-fits-for-all. When it comes to video hosting every business has a unique set of requirements.

In this article, we will discuss different types of video hosting servers and their advantages.

What is Video Server Hosting?

Online video server hosting is a platform that allows users to upload, share videos, or live stream their video to the Internet. These can either be for the general public to watch or particular users on a shared network.

Video server hosting is perhaps the most extravagant technological innovation of the 21st century. This is because it has seen the fastest adoption into the mainstream than any other technology in the domain.

This adoption has been fueled mainly by the ever-increasing number of smartphones and mobile devices that can access the internet. This is not just for organizations and businesses; it’s also useful for the average person as well.

Let’s have a look at the best video hosting server providers-

1. Amazon Web Services

AWS is one of the best platforms for a video server hosting to generate new revenue with the most efficiency and reduced business risk. Almost one million people including enterprises like Goldman Sachs, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, etc are using AWS as their cloud platform for data and video hosting.

AWS provides AWS DRM security & helps enterprises to become resourceful, innovative, and dynamic. AWS provides them with the fastest pace of innovation, a secure environment, and the best operational expertise.

If you’re thinking of launching a new website, you should be considering whether to build it yourself or to choose a ready-to-use, hosted service from a company like Vdocipher that utilizes AWS services. AWS Video on demand helps the users to consume media ( streaming, both live and on-demand) it also allows you to watch video content either by streaming or downloading.

AWS Video-on-demand (VOD) is a way of streaming videos to people delivering media to a variety of devices. Video on Demand on AWS offers the following solutions.

• It involves ingesting media files, which includes (pre-and post-processing), and helps in publishing stages of the workflow.
• With the help of Amazon CloudFront AWS VOD solution delivers video content compatible for playback on multiple devices
• AWS Video on Demand reduces storage costs by automatically archiving video inputs
• AWS VOD (Video on Demand) helps you to secure your video content.

AWS Video Streaming Pricing

For new customers, AWS offers a certain amount of free resources with one-year duration. Below resources are available limited to a maximum of:

• 5GB of free S3 storage in the Standard tier
• 2,000 PUT, POST, LIST, or COPY requests
• 20,000 GET requests
• 15GB of data transfer outside S3

Amazon S3’s video streaming price for a gigabyte of storage space in its US-East region is currently about $0.021-$0.023. For more information on AWS video streaming pricing please refer to the pricing page.

Let’s have a look at the services provided by AWS-

• Amazon Storage (Simple Storage Service or S3)

AWS service allows you to host videos on amazon s3 and create an on-demand (YouTube-like) library with videos stored on an AWS video storage. Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) offers reliable, affordable, and fast data storage.

It facilitates an excellent AWS video storage facility for your video content. Amazon s3 video hosting comes with an infinitely scalable option, has built-in redundancy, and is available to you on a pay-as-you-go basis.

AWS offers a complete range of cloud storage services to support both application and archival compliance requirements. Select from the object, file, and block storage services as well as cloud data migration options to start designing the foundation of your cloud IT environment that is why companies like NetFlix, Dropcom, Kingcountry are using Amazon cloud storage services for video hosting.

• Amazon Elastic Transcoder (EC2)

Amazon Elastic Transcoder is a media transcoding in the cloud. It is designed to be a highly scalable, easy to use, and cost-effective way for developers and businesses to convert media files from their source format into versions that will playback on devices like smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Amazon elastic transcoder is very easy to use and provides seamless delivery and is very cost-effective.

• Amazon CloudFront CDN

If you want a fast content delivery network(CDN) that will securely deliver your data which can be videos, applications, and APIs to your customers all over the world with low abeyance, Amazon CloudFront will be the best choice for you. It has a very fast transfer speed and the environment is very developer-friendly. You can make your software available right at the edge where your users are, via the content delivery network with the highest security. Amazon CloudFront offers multiple options for streaming your media – both recorded files and live events. Amazon CloudFront is highly secure and programmable and has deep integration with AWS.

AWS Case Study with Netflix:

Amazon web services help online content provider Netflix to support seamless global service. This video hosting server enables Netflix to quickly deploy thousands of servers and terabytes of storage within minutes. Users can stream Netflix shows and movies from anywhere in the world, including on the web, on tablets, or mobile devices such as iPhones or android. With the support of the AWS video hosting server Netflix delivers billion of hours of content globally.

Key Advantages of AWS Hosting:

Here, are significant advantages of adopting AWS cloud services:

• Compute Cloud allows you to increase or decrease storage according to the need of your organization
• AWS enables you to select an operating system, programming language, the database of your choice.
• Broad & deep service offerings
• Robust partner ecosystem
• Trusted by high-profile customers
• High Transfer Stability
• Minimal information is lost during video hosting server and storage transfer
• Offers more data centers for availability and low latency
• Stronger support for Bl and analytics and DevOps
• Simpler licensing method

2. Microsoft Azure Cloud

Azure is an ever-expanding set of cloud computing services to help your organization meet its business challenges which give you the freedom to build, manage and deploy applications on a massive, global network using your preferred tools and frameworks.

As a cloud-based solution, Azure video hosting is flexible – you can back up your data in almost any language, on any OS, and from any location.

If you’re trying to find a platform for hosting, developing, or managing a web or mobile app, Azure provides the option of making apps autonomous and adaptive with features like AutoScale, patch management, and integration for on-premise apps.

Let’s have a look at the services provided by Microsoft Azure-

• Azure Content Delivery Network

This Content Delivery Network lets you reduce load times, save bandwidth, and speed responsiveness—whether you are developing or managing websites or mobile apps or encoding and distributing streaming media, gaming software, firmware updates, or IoT endpoints. 

• Azure Blob Storage

Azure blob storage is a very scalable, cost-effective cloud storage for your unstructured data. You can choose what you want to use and can only pay for those services. They have four storage tiers and you can select one of them depending upon how frequently you use your data.

Azure Case Study with Zone. tv: 

Zone. tv partnered with Microsoft for simplifying development with the machine learning power of Azure media services and video indexer. Zone. tv has the mission to make revolutionary changes in the distribution of personalized video content. With the help of Azure machine learning and video hosting server zone·tv customers now enjoy personalized video content that is engaging and reflective of their unique preferences.

Key Advantages of Azure:

Here, are some major advantages of using Azure cloud services:

• Capability for developers and users to create, maintain and deploy applications
• Fully scalable cloud computing platform offers open access across multiple languages, frameworks, and tools
• Total support for Microsoft legacy apps
• Greater awareness of enterprise needs
• Easy one-click migrations in many cases
• Conversion of on-prem licenses to the cloud
• Support for mixed Linux/Windows environments
• Offers inbuilt tool like Azure stack to help the organization deliver Azure service from its own data center
• It provides built-in security solutions that protect your data
  Azure cloud services are one of the cost-effective cloud platform options

3. Google Cloud

What is Google Cloud Platform?

Google Cloud is a highly reliable scalable cloud computing service that computes and stores data and helps developers build, test, and deploy apps.

Google Cloud’s security model, world-scale infrastructure, and unique capability to innovate will help keep your organization secure and compliant. Google launched the Google Cloud Platform in 2011. This cloud computing platform helps a business to grow and thrive. It also helps you to take advantage of Google’s infrastructure and provide them with services that are intelligent, secure, and highly flexible.

Statistics from market analytics firm Statista for the fourth quarter of 2020 show Google Cloud’s share of worldwide cloud-related revenue, among the eight leading cloud service providers.

Google Cloud also offers different options for networking, such as virtual private cloud, cloud CDN, cloud DNS, and other optional features, and also offers management of big data and the Internet of things (IoT) workloads. Cloud machine learning engine, cloud video intelligence, cloud speech API, Cloud Vision API, and others also utilize machine learning in Google cloud. Suffice to say there are numerous options inside Google Cloud, which is most often used by developers, as opposed to line-of-business company employees.

Advantages of Google Cloud Platform:

• Offers higher productivity gained through Quick Access to innovation
• Employees can work from Anywhere
• Future-Proof infrastructure
• It provides a serverless environment that allows you to connect cloud services with a large focus mainly on the microservices architecture.
• Offers Powerful Data Analytics
• Cost-efficiency due to long-term discounts
• Big Data and Machine Learning products
• Offers Instance and payment configuration

Case Study of Google Cloud with 17 Media:

Asia is one of the fastest-growing markets for live streaming. In Taiwan, 17 Media is at the spearhead of monetizing streaming and content sharing in the region through its application and social networking platform. The business invites users such as experts, celebrities, and artists to stream videos that viewers can share, access, and interact with in real time. Cloud video hosting server enables 17 Media to cache load-balanced content close to its users via Google’s edge points of presence, keeping content serving costs and delivery times low. 17 Media is a very popular application in Asia, particularly in Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong.

4. Akamai

What is Akamai hosting?

Akamai is a SaaS-based CDN hosting solution that permits operators to optimize their network for content delivery and launch their video streaming services with a CDN that is dedicated to their network.

Content providers will get a world-class streaming video hosting solution that can be implemented quickly with less up-front cost, enabling opportunities for revenue growth.

Akamai is one of the oldest CDNs and is generally considered to be the largest global CDN. They have video hosting servers everywhere’ and a wide range of products and services.

Though if you want to use Akamai hosting you can’t just sign up and start using it. You need to get in touch with a representative to set up your account. While you are unable to start using Akamai instantly, the process of signing up for the services that they provide is relatively straightforward and should be hassle-free.

Case Study of Akamai  with AfterBuzz TV: 

AfterBuzz TV is one of the world’s largest digital broadcast networks, dedicated to producing postgame “after-shows” for favorite TV shows. When fans finish watching episodes from their favorite series, they can tune into AfterBuzz TV to see and hear expert hosts break down that episode, engage fellow fans, and interview cast and crew from the series. The network produces up to 200 hours of weekly programming in both video and audio form, broadcasts in over 120 countries. Akamai video hosting server helps them deliver this content globally.

Advantages of using Akamai Hosting:

• A leader in the CDN market, which means that they typically offer the best performance
• Adaptive media delivery and download delivery
• Provides media acceleration products
• Video hosting server in well over 100 countries
• Media services and media analytics
• Advanced security features
• Cloud-based DNS
• Provide a better online experience by providing video libraries, streaming video to any device.
• With the availability of adaptive media delivery, you can easily scale your service to serve a wide audience
• It offers excellent video playback quality

Market Share between AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Akamai

 

In many cases, there are video hosting providers like vdocipher.com who pre-package cloud servers and provide a ready-to-use dashboard, video player offering to make it easier for customers to use the services. 

FAQs

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1. What are the advantages of video hosting services?

A video hosting service eases the process of hosting and eliminates the storage and bandwidth costs associated with self-hosting. Without much technical skills, you can just upload your video and copy the link or embed the code provided. Users will get Enhanced Video security to protect data and video analytics to track video performance and understand your audience better.

2. Why does video streaming requires a special type of hosting?

In order to stream your videos it requires more data storage and network bandwidth than a simple webpage with texts. With the number of more concurrent users, the server’s storage-access speed and network interface should be able to keep up with a steady flow.

A shared-server hosting plan or even on a virtual public server is not recommended. If you have a large amount of data to store, a dedicated server is recommended.
A hosting plan with large storage and bandwidth will help you to host your video.

Increased consumption of online video requires sophisticated technology to maintain. Video hosting solutions provide options to manage your video files in the cloud, easily organize the content.