Live stream digital media

Azure Blob Storage
Azure Content Delivery Network
Azure Media Player
Azure Media Services

Solution ideas

This article is a solution idea. If you'd like us to expand the content with more information, such as potential use cases, alternative services, implementation considerations, or pricing guidance, let us know by providing GitHub feedback.

This solution is built on the Azure managed service: Media Services and Content Delivery Network. These services run in a high-availability environment, patched and supported, allowing you to focus on your solution instead of the environment they run in.

Architecture

Architecture diagram shows the flow from the live source through Azure live encoder to the streaming endpoint.

Download a Visio file of this architecture.

Components

  • Partner on-premises live encoder: Outputs the live source for ingest into the cloud as RTMP(S), or Smooth Streaming.
  • Stores large amounts of unstructured data that can be accessed from anywhere in the world via HTTP or HTTPS. You can use Blob storage to expose data publicly to the world, or to store application data privately.
  • Media Services: Ingest, encode, preview, store, and deliver your live streaming content. Live Events, Live Outputs, and Streaming Endpoints handle the live streaming functions, including ingestion, formatting, DVR, security, scalability, and redundancy.
  • Media Services Streaming Endpoint: Represents a streaming service that can deliver content directly to a client player application, or to a content delivery network (CDN) for further distribution.
  • Content Delivery Network: Provides secure, reliable content delivery with broad global reach and a rich feature set.
  • Azure Media Player: Uses industry standards such as HTML5 (MSE/EME) to provide an enriched adaptive streaming experience. Regardless of the playback technology used, developers have a unified JavaScript interface to access APIs.
  • Preview monitoring: Preview and validate a live stream before further processing and delivery.
  • Multi-DRM content protection: Delivers content securely using multi-DRM (PlayReady, Widevine, FairPlay Streaming) or AES clear key encryption.

Solution details

A live streaming solution allows you to capture video in real-time and broadcast it to consumers in real-time. This can include streaming interviews, conferences, and sporting events online. In this solution, video is captured by a video camera and sent to a Live Event input endpoint. The Live Event receives the input stream and makes it available for streaming through a Streaming Endpoint to a web browser or mobile app. The Live Event also provides a preview monitoring endpoint to preview and validate your stream before further processing and delivery. The Live Event can also record and store the ingested content in order to be streamed later (video-on-demand).

Potential use cases

This solution applies to anyone from large corporations to small content creators.

Next steps