将预先录制的视频提供给 Azure 媒体服务作为实时 stream

Question

I wish to do something that sound to me so simple but I struggle to find a solution.

I have a pre-recorded video that I need to fire up by API. I need that video to be stream live trough RTMP. Right now I do the following:

(All automated via code)

• Create an azure live event
• Get the input url for the live event
• Start a docker image with FFMPG
• Provide the parameters (origin pre-recorded video and target input for the live encoder)
• Get the output URL from the end-point
• Put it in a database
• Have an API that my web player query to know the status of the job
• Start the stream when my row in the database now have a output URL from the live encoder

It seam awfully complexes. And I am quite worry about many issues in such a flow:

• Performance issue with ffmpg
• Delay in booting all resources
• One component crashing in that flow

In the end I just want to start a live stream and tell it to use a MP4 instead of waiting for a RTMP feed....

Options >

• Restream.io let me schedule any video and start streaming it to my endpoint. I have to mess with their API to make that work and I would rather keep everything in azure.

I'm pretty sure I am missing a ridiculously simple thing here. Any help will be so appreciated!

Answer 1

First to answer people questions, I had this flow run over 300 test stream, each varying form 48 hours long to short 30 min streams.

The failed rate was extremely high.

• Media Service failing to boot in time
• FFMPEG dropping frame rate
• Very expensive setup as you can imagine
• Disconnect between Media Service and FFMPEG.
• Live Encoder failing to catch the stream back from FFMPEG

On the other hand, my normal stream performance (from a RTMP source) were incredibly stable.

• 10 days 24h/7 streaming on 10 endpoint encoder (Warning, you have to contact Microsoft to increase your limit of 5)
• More than 20 Terabytes across 350 cities around the world with stellar performance and very very low latency.

So for the pre-recorded video that are delivered as a 'realtime stream' experience for all my viewers, I went in a much simple way.

Option 1 when I DO needed Variable Bit Rate:

• Automated the script in OBS on a AWS G4 instance.
• Fully control via api (Boot up, shutdown and stream)
• Very detailed error state that I push to Azure Events Hub
• 0 failed rate on a huge volume of stream
• Cons: Not in my azure billing account

Option 2 when I do NOT need Variable Bit Rate:

• Setup a MP4 in Azure Media Service
• Json timestamp as metadata form my MP4
• Synch via Javascript my Azure Video player to follow the current timestamp in the MP4 and have all my stream event trigger the player and my app at the right moment for everyone watching.

Now I am attacking live translation for 5 languages on all VOD and RTMP... wish me luck.

Cheers!