AWS for M&E Blog

Introducing the Updated AWS Well-Architected Streaming Media Lens

At Amazon Web Services (AWS), we are excited to introduce the next revision to the AWS Well-Architected Streaming Media Lens. The Streaming Media Lens consists of a comprehensive Lens whitepaper and a custom lens, which will become available in the public AWS Well-Architected custom lens GitHub repository.

The first version of the Streaming Media Lens launched in September 2021 provided architectural best practices for customers to design and operate high-scale video streaming workloads on AWS, focusing on video on demand (VOD), live streaming, and basic content delivery optimization. This revised version of the Streaming Media Lens expands significantly to provide architectural best practices for five comprehensive streaming scenarios: Interactive live streaming, low-latency live streaming, ad-supported content monetization, alongside enhanced VOD and live streaming guidance, plus all-new sustainability best practices focused on reducing carbon footprint in media workloads.

What’s being added in the Streaming Media Lens?

Expanded streaming scenarios:

  • Comprehensive guidance for interactive live streaming using Amazon IVS Real-Time Streaming with WebRTC support for up to 25,000 concurrent viewers
  • Enhanced low-latency live streaming patterns with JPEG-XS over ST-2110, LL-HLS implementation, and CDI (Cloud Digital Interface) workflows
  • Advanced ad-supported content monetization with Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) and Server Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI) architectures

Enhanced operational excellence:

  • Comprehensive observability frameworks with structured logging, distributed tracing, and cross-service correlation for streaming workflows
  • Large-scale event preparation best practices including capacity planning, pre-event testing, and war room procedures for high-viewership events
  • Automated incident response with detailed runbooks for common streaming scenarios (encoder failures, CDN disruptions, playback issues)

Advanced security and content protection:

  • Multi-layered DRM implementation with SPEKE (Secure Packager and Encoder Key Exchange) integration across AWS Elemental services
  • Forensic watermarking and session tracking for content protection and piracy prevention
  • Enhanced access controls with Amazon Cognito advanced security features, fraudulent access monitoring, and geographic restriction capabilities

Sustainability best practices:

  • Regional optimization strategies for reducing carbon footprint through renewable energy-powered AWS regions
  • Adaptive infrastructure scaling based on viewer demand patterns to minimize resource waste
  • Efficient encoding and delivery mechanisms including content-aware encoding (CAE), per-title encoding, and AV1 codec adoption
  • Intelligent storage lifecycle management with Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering and automated content archival policies

Architectures and links

The revised lens includes comprehensive reference architectures for each streaming scenario, detailed implementation guidance with AWS CLI commands and configuration examples, and extensive links to AWS solutions, partner integrations, and industry best practices to assist with your video streaming projects.

Who should use the Streaming Media Lens?

The Streaming Media Lens is useful for many roles, including:

  • Business leaders: To understand the strategic implications of streaming architecture decisions, sustainability initiatives, and ROI optimization across different streaming scenarios
  • Chief Technology Officers: To learn how to leverage new AWS services like Amazon IVS Real-Time Streaming and implementation guidance for competitive advantage
  • Solution Architects: To design solutions aligned with the tenets of the AWS Well-Architected Framework across all six pillars for streaming workloads
  • Operations teams: To implement comprehensive observability, automated incident response, and large-scale event management for streaming platforms
  • Security teams: To enhance streaming workloads with advanced DRM, content protection, and forensic watermarking capabilities
  • DevOps engineers: To implement automated deployment, monitoring solutions, and sustainability-focused CI/CD pipelines for streaming platforms
  • Media engineers: To optimize encoding workflows, implement low-latency streaming, and leverage new codec technologies for maximum efficiency
  • Sustainability officers: To implement carbon footprint reduction strategies and energy-efficient streaming architectures

Conclusion

The revised Streaming Media Lens is available now. Use the lens to improve your streaming workloads according to the tenets of the AWS Well-Architected Framework. Applying the Streaming Media Lens to your architecture can help you validate the stability, performance, and cost-effectiveness of your design, and get recommendations to address the gaps identified in the assessment.

AWS is dedicated to continuously evolving the Streaming Media Lens as a dynamic tool. As new AWS services are launched, streaming technologies advance, and industry requirements evolve, we will promptly update the lens to reflect these changes. Our mission is always to help you design and deploy well-architected streaming workloads so that you can focus on delivering exceptional viewer experiences and achieving your business objectives.

Special thanks to everyone across the AWS Enterprise Support, AWS Solution Architecture, AWS Professional Services, and Media & Entertainment communities, who contributed to the Lens. These contributions encompassed a wide cross-section of perspectives, expertise, backgrounds, and experiences in developing the new AWS Well-Architected Streaming Media Lens.

Contact an AWS Representative to learn how we can help accelerate your streaming business.

Further Reading

Naveen Kumar Jindal

Naveen Kumar Jindal

Naveen Kumar Jindal is a Senior Technical Account Manager specializing in the Media and Entertainment space at AWS. With over 11 years of experience in the industry, he has worked with media customers across the globe, helping them optimize and improve the operational efficiency of their workloads on AWS. Naveen is passionate about streaming architectures, performance optimization, and implementing Well-Architected best practices for workloads.