Bitmovin Launches Managed On-Premise Encoding Based on Kubernetes

San Francisco, CA, March 7, 2017 (Newswire.com) - ​Bitmovin launches a managed on-premise encoding based on Kubernetes and Docker that works for VoD and Live and offers the same features (Scalable and Fast - 100x Realtime, MPEG-DASH, HLS, DRM, H264/HEVC/VP9, 4K/60FPS Livestreaming, HEVC Livestreaming, Captions, Subtitles, etc.) as their cloud encoding through the same API. Bitmovin’s customers include: Ooyala, Technicolor, ProSieben, RTL, Glomex, SBS, Bouygues Telecom, Zattoo, Toolbox, TVAE, Irdeto.

While on-premise encoding is nothing new, Bitmovin’s approach is different to traditional approaches that require specific hardware boxes that cannot be upgraded, maintained, scaled and managed that easily. Bitmovin’s managed on-premise encoding is based on Kubernetes and Docker - the same software stack that Bitmovin is using for their cloud encoding - and therefore connects seamlessly with their current operation. The customer datacenter that could consist of heterogenous of the shelf hardware will be treated like a region in a cloud. This approach allows the Bitmovin customers to encode on their own hardware in their local data centers (on-premise) with the same flexibility, speed and reliability as in the cloud. Bitmovin connects the local datacenter to their cloud while the management of the on-premise encoding works through their API. The solution is deployed, monitored, upgraded and supported as SaaS and updates of the system will be seamlessly delivered to the customers. Such a solution combines the benefits of SaaS with the benefits of an on-premise solution.

Giving our customers the flexibility to encode on premise or in the cloud while providing the same features, speed, reliability, support, upgrades and updates with one encoder that runs anywhere while still providing the benefits of a managed SaaS was a clear goal of our development efforts

Christopher Mueller, Chief Technical Officer at Bitmovin.

This approach allows Bitmovin to enable a smooth hybrid cloud workflow where their customers can encode their daily workloads on their own hardware (private cloud) and shift processing into the public cloud (AWS, Google) on peak periods. Bitmovin’s on-premise encoders are identical to their cloud encoders and follow the same distributed encoding approach, which allows you to reach similar speeds (100x Realtime) on your own heterogenous hardware as in the cloud. It's also possible to define how fast you want to encode your videos, e.g., certain videos with deadlines can be encoded with higher priority (the encoding will allocate more CPU cores) and others with lower priority can be encoded slower (the encoding  will allocate less CPU cores). Capacity planning will also be simplified as the same hardware that will be used for a specific task like video encoding can be used for other workloads during periods where less videos are encoded.

“Managed on-premise encoding with Kubernetes was the next logical step for us as our encoders are anyway platform agnostic and certain encoding workloads will always stay on premise. Customers can now connect their local servers and complete datacenters with our system and utilize off the shelf hardware for tasks where typically purpose built hardware encoders have been used,” said Stefan Lederer, Chief Executive Officer at Bitmovin.

Managed On-Premise Encoding Features

Bitmovin managed on-premise encoding features a number of important capabilities, making it truly enterprise-grade:

• SaaS-Managed: Managed on-premise encoding offers the benefits of a SaaS solution while utilizing your own infrastructure. Customers can focus on their core business as the solution is deployed, monitored, supported and upgraded as SaaS.
   

• Hybrid Cloud: Encode your daily workloads on premise on your own infrastructure and offload processing to the cloud on peak periods. Seamlessly through one API that can schedule your encodings on your own infrastructure or in the cloud, which allows to offload processing or can be used for failovers.
   

• High Speed: Managed on premise encoding can deliver the same speeds (100x Realtime) and scalability (scale encodings over multiple servers) as the Bitmovin cloud encoding due to the fact that the same software stack consisting of Bitmovin’s scalable encoding software, Docker and Kubernetes is used in the cloud and on-premise. File transfer times are eliminated as the files never leave the local network - large files from your postproduction do not need to be moved to the cloud - live streams will be processed in house with basically no delay.
   

• Flexibility: Managed on-premise encoding has the same feature set as the Bitmovin cloud encoding (MPEG-DASH, HLS, DRM, H264/HEVC/VP9, 4K/60FPS Livestreaming, HEVC Livestreaming, Captions, Subtitles, etc.) and offers the same flexibility that customers are used to from the cloud encoding, where updates and upgrades (new codecs like VP9, packaging formats like fMP4 for HLS, etc.) will be deployed continuously.
   

• Security: Keep your business critical content behind the safety of your firewall with the beauty to orchestrate, manage and monitor your whole infrastructure in the cloud. One unified and secure API with access control can be used to manage your on-premise and cloud encoding workflows.
   

• Runs Anywhere: Managed on-premise encoding can be used on any infrastructure with heterogeneous off the shelf hardware (AMD, Intel, ARM, etc.) and different types of servers (8 core Intel servers could be combined with 32 core AMD servers, etc.), while still delivering high speed encoding - thanks to Bitmovin’s distributed encoding approach. The same hardware could be used in parallel or during periods where less videos are encoded for other none encoding related workflows, which simplifies capacity planning. No need to invest massively in purpose-built hardware that cannot be used for other workloads and negatively impacts cost efficiency.

About Bitmovin

Bitmovin was founded in 2013 by the co-creators of the MPEG-DASH video streaming standard, used by industry leaders like Netflix and YouTube and currently accounts for 50% of US peak internet traffic. The company is laying the groundwork for a cross-platform future dominated by video content. Bitmovin, Inc. is based in San Francisco, CA, and Klagenfurt, Austria and is privately owned. Investors include Atomico, YCombinator (YC S15), Dawn Capital, SpeedInvest, Constantia New Business and a number of angel investors, including the former VP Engineering of Netflix, the former CTO of Cisco and the founder of Unity. www.bitmovin.com.

Contact

Tristan Boyd - Director of Marketing

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @BoydTristan

Source: Bitmovin Inc