What is Amazon Elastic Transcoder?
Amazon Elastic Transcoder is a scalable cloud service for converting media files. You upload your source videos to an S3 bucket, define a transcoding preset (target format, resolution, bitrate), and Elastic Transcoder automatically produces the desired output files.
The service processes common input formats and produces outputs for web (MP4, WebM), mobile (HLS for iOS, Smooth Streaming), and other platforms. Elastic Transcoder scales automatically with volume: whether you process individual videos or thousands of files simultaneously, the infrastructure adapts.
Core Features
- Presets: Pre-defined conversion templates for common devices and formats
- Pipelines: Processing workflows with configurable parallelism
- Thumbnail Generation: Automatic preview images from videos
- HLS Segmentation: Adaptive bitrate streaming for iOS and web
- S3 Integration: Seamless input and output via S3 buckets
Typical Use Cases
Video-on-Demand Platform: Automatically convert uploaded videos into multiple resolutions and formats for adaptive streaming playback across different devices.
Content Management Systems: Integrate Elastic Transcoder into your CMS to automatically convert uploaded videos into web-optimized formats and generate preview images.
Mobile App Backend: Process user-generated videos for playback on various mobile devices, including HLS streaming for iOS.
Benefits
- No own transcoding infrastructure required
- Automatic scaling at high volume
- Pay-per-use without upfront costs
- Simple integration via S3 and SNS
Integration with innFactory
As an AWS Reseller, innFactory supports you with Amazon Elastic Transcoder: designing media processing pipelines, selecting optimal presets, and migrating to AWS Elemental MediaConvert for advanced requirements.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Amazon Elastic Transcoder?
Amazon Elastic Transcoder is a cloud-based media transcoding service. It converts video and audio files from S3 into formats optimized for playback on smartphones, tablets, PCs, and other devices.
What is the difference to AWS Elemental MediaConvert?
Elastic Transcoder is the simpler, older service for basic transcoding. AWS Elemental MediaConvert offers advanced features like DRM, HDR conversion, and professional broadcast formats. For new projects, AWS recommends MediaConvert.
How is Elastic Transcoder billed?
Billing is per minute of transcoded output. Prices vary by resolution (SD, HD, Audio). There are no minimum fees or upfront costs.