Resources & FAQ

Q: How do I upgrade to the version of the solution that uses the most up-to-date Node.js runtime?

A: Video on Demand on AWS version 5.0 uses the most up-to-date Node.js runtime. Version 4.2 uses the Node.js 8.10 runtime, which reaches end-of-life on December 31, 2019. To continue using this solution with the latest features and improvements, you must deploy version 5.0 as a new stack. For customers who do not want to use the new functionality, you can update your existing stack to version 4.3. Version 4.3 keeps the same functionality as version 4.2 but uses the most up-to-date runtimes. For more information, see the deployment guide.

Q: What source video formats does the Video on Demand on AWS solution support?

A: By default, this solution can encode MP4, MPG, M4V, M2TS, and MOV files. The solution can be customized to encode any media file type supported by AWS Elemental MediaConvert.

Q: What output formats does this solution create?

A: This solution can encode your source videos into H.264 and H.265; SD, HD, and 4K MP4; and SD and HD HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), and Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH). The workflow can be configured to encode all videos in the same or to use metadata files to apply encoding settings on a video-by-video basis.

The solution also supports AWS Elemental MediaConvert Quality-Defined Variable Bitrate (QVBR) encoding mode which ensures consistent, high-quality video transcoding with the smallest file size for any type of source video content.

Q: What resolutions does this solution output?

A: This solution outputs 4K, 1080p, and 720p MP4, and any combination of 1080p, 720p, 540p, 360p, and 270p HLS and DASH.

Q: Can I customize and extend this solution for my specific needs?

A: Yes. This solution leverages AWS Step Functions, which breaks the workflow into individual steps that each perform a discrete function, making it easier to customize or extend the architecture for your specific video-on-demand needs. For example, you can modify or replace the encoding steps to produce different content sets. You can also add steps to extend support for more complex workflows, including image processing for poster artwork or additional custom data to the metadata file that will then be stored in Amazon DynamoDB.

Q: Can I customize the MediaConvert job templates to create different outputs?

A: Yes. This solution leverages AWS Elemental MediaConvert job templates to define the solution’s encoding options. You can customize the solution to work with any valid MediaConvert template. For more information, see the implementation guide.

Q: Can I deploy this solution in any AWS Region?

A: This solution uses AWS Step Functions, AWS Elemental MediaConvert, and AWS Elemental MediaPackage. Therefore, you must deploy this solution in an AWS Region that supports these services.