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Video on Demand on AWS

Process video-on-demand content on AWS

Overview

HAQM Web Services (AWS) provides two media solutions to cost-effectively deliver video-on-demand (VOD) content to global audiences using the AWS Cloud. The Video on Demand on AWS solution, and the Video on Demand on AWS Foundation solution both provision the AWS services required to build scalable, distributed VOD processing and delivery workflows. This page provides guidance to choose the streaming solution that best fits your needs.

Benefits

Reference implementation

Leverage the Video on Demand on AWS solution or the Video on Demand on AWS Foundation solution as a reference implementation to automatically provision the AWS services necessary to build a scalable, distributed video-on-demand workflow.

Customization

The Video on Demand on AWS Foundation solution can be easily customized and used as the starting point to create a more complex workflow. Alternatively, the Video on Demand on AWS solution leverages AWS Step Functions, which breaks the workflow into individual steps, making it easier to customize or extend the architecture for your specific video-on-demand needs.

Video on Demand on AWS Foundation

This solution is designed to help you start encoding video files with AWS Elemental MediaConvert. It can be easily customized and used as the starting point to create a more complex workflow.

Out of the box, this solution helps you to accomplish the following:

  • Automatically transcode videos uploaded to HAQM Simple Storage Service (HAQM S3) into formats suitable for playback on a wide range of devices.

  • Customize AWS Elemental MediaConvert job settings by uploading your own file and using different job settings for different inputs.

  • Store transcoded files in a destination bucket and use HAQM CloudFront to deliver to end viewers.

  • Manage costs, view logs, implement patching, and run automation runbooks for this solution from a central location.

In addition to the transcoded video, the outputs include input file metadata, job settings, and output details. These outputs are stored in a separate JSON file that can be used for further processing.

How it works

You can automatically deploy this architecture using each solution's implementation guide and the accompanying AWS CloudFormation template.

About this deployment

  • Version: 1.3.8

  • Released: 3/2025

  • Author: AWS

  • Est. deployment time: 10 mins

  • Estimated cost: See details

Deploy with confidence

Everything you need to launch this AWS Solution in your account is right here

We'll walk you through it

Get started fast. Read the implementation guide for deployment steps, architecture details, cost information, and customization options.

Open guide

Let's make it happen

Ready to deploy? Open the CloudFormation template in the AWS Console to begin setting up the infrastructure you need. You'll be prompted to access your AWS account if you haven't yet logged in.

Go to the AWS Console

Video on Demand on AWS

This solution extends the Video on Demand on AWS Foundation solution with additional features and several options that can be customized.

This solution provides the following features:

  • AWS Step Functions orchestration of the ingest, transcoding (including pre-and post-processing steps), and publishing steps of the workflow.

  • Choice of video file or metadata file trigger.

  • Delivery of videos to viewers with HAQM CloudFront, formatted for playback on a wide range of devices.

  • Input file metadata, job settings, and output details storage in an HAQM DynamoDB table for easy access by downstream consumers.

  • Optional automated archive of video inputs to help reduce storage costs.

With this solution, you can also choose to use AWS Elemental MediaPackage for packaging content into different formats and to apply digital rights management (DRM). MediaPackage can reduce storage costs for the outputs; however, there is a trade-off between packaging costs and storage costs.

How it works

You can automatically deploy this architecture using each solution's implementation guide and the accompanying AWS CloudFormation template.

About this deployment

  • Version: 6.1.11

  • Released: 3/2025

  • Author: AWS

  • Est. deployment time: 20 mins

  • Estimated cost: See details

Deploy with confidence

Everything you need to launch this AWS Solution in your account is right here

We'll walk you through it

Get started fast. Read the implementation guide for deployment steps, architecture details, cost information, and customization options.

Open guide

Let's make it happen

Ready to deploy? Open the CloudFormation template in the AWS Console to begin setting up the infrastructure you need. You'll be prompted to access your AWS account if you haven't yet logged in.

Go to the AWS Console