What is Azure Media Services Streaming?
Azure Media Services provides a fully managed platform for live streaming and video-on-demand. The service enables encoding, packaging, and delivering video content to millions of viewers worldwide with adaptive bitrate and CDN integration.
The platform supports both live events and on-demand libraries. Videos are automatically transcoded into multiple quality levels and delivered optimized for various devices and bandwidths.
Core Features
- Live encoding with real-time transcoding for adaptive streaming formats
- Video-on-demand with automatic transcoding to multiple quality levels
- DRM protection with PlayReady, Widevine, and FairPlay
- CDN integration for global reach with low latency
- Support for HLS, DASH, and Smooth Streaming
Typical Use Cases
Live Events: Conferences, sports events, or corporate townhalls are streamed live to thousands of viewers worldwide.
Video-on-Demand Portals: Educational platforms, corporate media libraries, or OTT services host and stream large video libraries.
E-Learning: Training videos are provided in various qualities for different devices and internet connections.
Benefits
- Scaling from single streams to millions of concurrent viewers
- No streaming infrastructure required
- Integrated content protection prevents unauthorized access
- Adaptive bitrate ensures optimal quality at any bandwidth
Frequently Asked Questions
Which streaming protocols are supported?
Azure Media Services supports HLS (Apple), MPEG-DASH, and Microsoft Smooth Streaming. A video encoded once can be dynamically delivered in all formats.
How does DRM protection work?
Media Services integrates PlayReady (Windows), Widevine (Android, Chrome), and FairPlay (Apple) for comprehensive content protection across all platforms.
What does live streaming cost?
Costs consist of streaming units (for encoding capacity), data volume (egress), and optional premium CDN.
Can I migrate existing videos?
Yes, videos can be uploaded via Azure Blob Storage and then transcoded.
Integration with innFactory
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory supports you with video streaming projects using Azure Media Services. We help with architecture, integration, and optimization.
Contact us for a non-binding consultation on Azure Media Services.
