As the world hunkers down amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for video streaming platforms has surged like never before. As per the latest research study by Market Watch, the global cloud video streaming market is expected to reach $20,360 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 10.2%. This surge in demand has compelled businesses to leverage cloud video platforms to enhance their broadcasting capabilities.
Regardless of whether you’re a content creator or a business owner, it’s essential to be in tune with the changing landscape of this industry. Hence, it’s essential to comprehend the fundamental aspects of a cloud video platform, how it operates, and what benefits it provides.
In this blog,we’ll be delving into cloud video platforms. .
What is a Cloud Video Platform?
What is cloud video streaming? In today’s digital age, we consume more online content than ever, especially video streaming. And as a result, there’s a growing need for dependable and scalable video streaming solution that cater to these demands. And it is where cloud video platforms come in handy.
These platforms leverage cloud servers that can be accessed remotely via the internet to help businesses upload and stream videos to a broader audience. The great thing about these platforms is that they offer various infrastructure services such as transcoding, video processing, custom cloud video player creation, secure streaming, and CDN issues. This enables businesses to streamline their workflow and reduce the need to invest significant resources in these tasks.
How Does Cloud-Based Video Streaming Work?
Cloud-based video streaming is a popular way of delivering video content to viewers. This technology allows broadcasters to upload their video files to cloud servers, which process and convert them into different formats that can be played smoothly on various devices.
The video transcoding process happens in the cloud, which allows for creation of multiple versions of a single file without slowing down the initial encoding process.
Companies like Amazon and Microsoft own large data centers where the video streaming cloud servers are housed. As a result, broadcasters can host their video content for on-demand viewing or live-stream events to their audience using cloud-based streaming.
The advantage of this technology is that it allows businesses to scale up or down quickly based on their needs. Additionally, it gives broadcasters greater control over the delivery of their content and the ability to track and analyze viewership data.
Advantages of Using Cloud Video Streaming Platform
Cloud video streaming platforms have become increasingly popular for small and medium businesses due to their potential benefits. Here are some reasons why cloud video platforms can speed up your streaming game:
1. Budget-Friendly
Cloud video platforms only charge for the storage and bandwidth needed, which can be managed as usage increases. This saves businesses from investing large amounts of money upfront.
2. Accessibility
Viewers can access videos from anywhere with an internet connection, making it easier to reach a wider audience.
3. Zero-maintenance of Individual Infrastructure
Businesses don’t need to set up and maintain in-house servers or hardware for storage, as video cloud platforms handle it all.
4. Scalability
Cloud video platforms can quickly scale up as a business grows by upgrading storage and adding new features.
5. Potentially unlimited storage capacities
Cloud video platforms can cost-effectively store unlimited amounts of data, with backup and archive features that make storage potential limitless.
6. Security
Cloud video platforms have various security compliances, such as video encryption, DRM protection, online video watermarking, user authentication mechanisms, and access control for securing data.
7. Video-Focused Content Delivery Network
Some video cloud platforms have private content delivery networks optimized for video delivery, resulting in a better viewing experience.
8. Continuity
By storing content in the cloud, businesses can ensure it’s always available, even if part of their system goes down, as it can be replicated and maintained in multiple locations.
What Features Should You Look For in Cloud Video Streaming Platforms?
Now that you understand what a video cloud streaming platform is and its benefits let’s discuss some specific features to look for when choosing the best service.
1. Transcoding of Videos
Transcoding is a necessary feature in any cloud video streaming solution. It is the process of converting video files from one format to another to ensure compatibility with different devices and internet connection speeds.
The original video must be converted to multiple quality videos of different bitrates to ensure that content is delivered to every audience member with varying bandwidth and internet connectivity.
These transcoded videos should also align with different video streaming protocols to ensure smooth playback. The best cloud video streaming platforms offer high-quality video transcoding that provides seamless video delivery and ensures optimal viewing experiences for audiences.
2. Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A content delivery network (CDN) is a network of servers distributed worldwide that deliver web content to users based on their geographic location. CDN servers store cached content and deliver it to users with lower latency and higher performance.
Not every platform is created equal regarding streaming quality. Some cloud video streaming platforms partner with content delivery networks with geographically dispersed servers to help you deliver the best video experiences possible.
By leveraging top-tier global live-streaming CDN networks, these platforms have fewer buffering and latency issues associated with delivering video over long distances.As a result, a good CDN helps deliver video content quickly and efficiently to viewers, regardless of location.
3. High-level Security
Secure video hosting is one of the topmost concerns when creating content. With the rise of online video piracy and hacking, ensuring your content’s security is essential.
Restricting videos from playing on other websites, certain domains, and geo-restrictions, allowing shared videos to play for a limited time, and access control for multiple users internally are some of the security measures that should be taken into consideration while choosing a suitable video cloud platform.
The best cloud video streaming platforms offer high-level security features such as password protection, SSL encryption, and digital rights management (DRM) to protect your content from unauthorized access.
4. Scalable Storage
As your business grows, your video content needs will also increase. Cloud platforms allow you to increase your storage and server hardware, add more features, and integrate with your new IT systems.
Scalable storage is generally a great feature for cloud-based video management. Cloud video streaming platforms can scale their storage capacity up or down based on your changing needs.
With scalable cloud video hosting, you can easily manage your video content without worrying about storage capacity or server overload issues. It provides flexibility and cost-effectiveness for your business.
5. Video Content Management System
A Video Content Management System (VCMS) is an essential feature of cloud video streaming platforms. VCMS allows you to manage your videos efficiently, ensuring they are organized, searchable, and easily retrievable. With VCMS, you can upload videos in bulk, categorize them, and create playlists, making it easier for viewers to find what they want.
Additionally, VCMS offers valuable analytics to help you understand how your videos perform, including viewership, engagement, and retention rates. With this data, you can tailor your content to your audience’s preferences, increasing engagement and retention. In summary, VCMS streamlines your video management and provides valuable insights that can enhance your content strategy.
Conclusion
As technology evolves, video cloud platforms become increasingly popular due to their ability to offer innovative features that keep up with the ever-growing demand for high-quality video content.
Whether you’re a content creator, a business owner, or simply an individual looking to share your videos online, incorporating a cloud video platform into your workflow can be a game-changer. Furthermore choosing the right cloud video platform can significantly impact your business’s success. They can provide a cost-effective way to distribute video content while maintaining high quality and security.
Go ahead and use a cloud video streaming platform today!
