2018年7月23日
By 1月时特约编辑
专题文章

一种混合方法指导了内部部署编码的变化

十年前, a live or video-on-demand (VOD) encoder ran on a standalone computer located in a server room or in a corner of your studio, 通过局域网连接到其他编码器或控制器. 今天, 随着计算百家乐软件被整合到虚拟机集群中, 或者私有云和公共云, encoding customers are seeking new deployment options to match their changing computing architectures, 编码公司正在做出回应.

要了解这一趋势的具体情况, I reached out to about 20 encoding companies worldwide and spoke to twelve vendors (some off the record) that serve a broad swath of live and VOD encoding markets. 在某种程度上, 我在很多市场都了解到这一点, 无论大小, 传统的“编码器作为独立设备”模式仍然占主导地位. 另一方面, 我了解到所有的供应商都在提供新的部署和许可模型, 一些是为了响应客户的需求, 有些是“建好了就会有人来”的计划.

这些讨论得出了下列结论.

市场在变化，但变化的速度不同

并不是所有的公司都在虚拟化他们的计算基础设施, 当然, and not all that are virtualizing are transitioning away from traditional encoding schemas at the same pace. 例如, Elecard 销售多种编码产品, including live encoder CodecWorks (which was used to stream the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017) and VOD encoder Converter Studio Pro.

据产品经理Vadim Blinov说, most CodecWorks users install the software in a single on-prem computer because they care more about performance, while scalability is achieved with more blades for high-density hardware configurations. 与此形成鲜明对比的是, 使用Converter Studio Pro, Elecard看到了对云版本的需求, 哪个正在开发中. 解释差异, Blinov评论, “许多客户希望访问云来管理他们的视频点播需求高峰. 我们在实时编码中没有看到同样水平的需求波动.”

同样的, Comprimato的实时转码器可以在任何带有gpu的标准x64服务器设备上运行, 也可以在数据中心通过Docker (图1). Although the company is experimenting with a cloud version, it hasn’t deployed that. 首席执行官Jirí Matela表示, “Customers we talk to aren’t ready to abandon the old-fashioned model of controlling equipment on-prem. 虽然他们问的是在云中运行或作为服务使用的能力, 他们似乎还没有准备好进行这种转变.”

变脸1

Comprimato的 Live transcoder can be installed in a server or in a virtual machine.

Anevia的 Jérôme Blanc described how the market was changing for his company’s Genova Live encoder. “我们的传统市场是广播公司和电信公司. 广播公司通常只提供有限数量的电视直播服务, 对家电和资本支出模式感到满意吗, 还没有看到虚拟化的好处. 电信公司提供更多的频道, 我们可以用电器, 但两三年前，他们希望只对软件定价. 有些人尝试过虚拟化, 但发现了负面的性能影响, 可能是因为当时它是基于虚拟机的. 这群人现在开始询问运营支出，而不是资本支出模式.

自2018年初以来, 我们看到了一种新的客户类型:OTT平台, who want to aggregate and offer live encoding and packaging services to broadcasters, 和电信公司,布兰科说. “他们在虚拟化基础上建立基础设施, 使用容器而不是虚拟机来获得最大性能, and either host it themselves (on-prem or rented space in an external data center that they manage) or trust a public cloud to host it (AWS, Azure). 他们需要 elasticity, because they can’t predict how many live TV services they will have to handle.根据Blanc的说法, this class of customer is also pushing for an OpEx model because that’s what it’s offering to its clients.

在视频点播领域，我采访了Ikuyo Yamada，雅虎首席执行官五车二系统该公司销售一种名为Cambria FTC的视频点播节目，该节目运行在Windows系统上. 正如山田所描述的, although most of Capella’s clients run Cambria in a traditional on-prem workstation, 大约30%的人现在安装在虚拟机或云中, which Capella supports with a floating licensing model that lets customers activate and deactivate Cambria installations to meet their worldwide 需要s. 下一个更新还将增加云的负载平衡.

据山田说, Capella hasn’t seen a lot of pressure to change from a CapEx to a usage-based model. “Our customers buy their encoders for a relatively fixed demand of VOD processing,” she says. “In these cases, a traditional licensing model is less expensive than most usage-based models.”

在光谱的另一端是像谐波该公司已经扩展了其产品线，以支持大多数可能的部署选项. 尽管像Electra 9200这样的产品仍然作为家电销售, 或者作为软件使用定制的现成硬件(如Electra X2或X2S), it’s also available for deployment in virtual machines (Electra XVM) or containers (Electra Docker), and even via SaaS with usage-based pricing (VOS 360) or a full software stack installable in a customer’s private or public cloud (VOS SW Cluster). 硬件和软件产品在传统的许可模式下销售, while the SaaS enables companies to access the same technology with per-use pricing. 所有产品采用相同的编码技术.

云正在进入内部部署阶段 ...

随着企业编码环境变得越来越像云, 传统的云编码供应商，比如编码.com and Bitmovin are offering their solutions for deployments inside the firewall. Gregg Heil，首席执行官编码.com他解释了为什么他的几个大客户选择了这种方法. “你可以想象, some of our largest media customers have massive compute and storage investments that they want to use,他说. “然而, 他们还希望能够根据需要进行弹性扩展, 接入关键视频工作流, and to avoid the headaches and costs of managing traditional in-house software and hardware encoders.

“我们可以运行编码.Com服务在任何数据中心. 在客户数据中心运行我们的混合解决方案时, 我们更新所有的引擎，以确保解决方案始终是最新的,他说. “不像老派的软件编码器, 当处理完成时, 客户可以无缝地将CPU百家乐软件重新用于其他功能.正如Heil所描述的，编码.Com单个应用程序存在于容器中, driven by an orchestration system that can keep all content inside the firewall for security-conscious customers. Other clients, who don’t see encoding in the cloud as a security concern, can burst to the 编码.com public cloud when on-prem compute resources are 100 percent used to complete all encoding jobs as quickly as possible.

同样的, Bitmovin 在客户的防火墙后面提供内部部署的编码软件, 具有公共云环境的溢出功能, 提供许多与编码相同的好处.com (图2). Bitmovin解决方案副总裁Igor Oreper表示, 因为Bitmovin编码服务可以在客户自己的基础设施上运行, 软件定价只是基于saas服务收费的一小部分. Oreper also advised that the public/private cloud native nature of the Bitmovin content processing service allows its customers to encode where it is most efficient for final delivery and most cost effective when considering total cost of ownership, 包括网络出口.

变脸2

Bitmovin offers its encoding services installation behind the firewall and as a public SaaS.

... On-Prem正在向云迁移

Most original cloud encoding services were just that: encoding services that handled the last stage of media creation and deployment, 加上编码和包装, but none of the antecedent workflows and none of the subsequent distribution roles. 随着云服务将其编码能力推向企业, traditional encoding vendors are porting the full functionality of their in-house workflow systems into the cloud. 这使得客户可以将更多的内部工作流程推送到云中.

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