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Video can sometimes require a large amount of resources. So it’s no wonder that with the ever-increasing popularity of cloud-based computing that someone realized it might be a good way to go with online video. This past week, Fire_Cloud  published a good post that looks at how “cloud computing,” can be applied to support online video destination sites.

If you’re not familiar with cloud computing then read on and find out how it’s helping some online video businesses keep things flowing freely in streaming media.

What is Cloud Based Computing with Video?

Cloud computing is when a group of computers are tasked with sharing the load for a particular service. Many common applications are in the SaaS (Software as a Service) industry where thousands or perhaps millions of users could simultaneously be wanting to use the service.

One server simply would not be able to handle that and so they take their service and spread it over multiple servers utilizing the power of them all. To the users there is only one interface or portal but on the backend there could be dozens or even hundreds of servers all working in unison to keep the flow of information from getting bogged down in the mire.

Taking that and applying it to online video is a tricky task as there are multiple things that need to be considered including where the video is going to be stored, how it will be delivered, where it will be delivered from and to, and transcoding (which not everyone will use). First and foremost in everyone’s mind of course is going to be storage space and bandwidth (i.e. delivery).

Video Storage

These days storage space is extremely cheap when compared to what it was even just 10 years ago. Nowadays the amount of storage space isn’t all that important as it’s quick, easy and cheap to get more. But what is more important in regards to storage is where that storage is physically located.

If you’re serving videos mostly to Europe  you will definitely want a European-based storage solution. However if you want to expand your audience into say North America, that storage solution isn’t going to be the best idea in the world and thus you’d want to also have an N.A. based storage solution.

Video Delivery

Now we have to talk about delivery because you’ve got two storage areas, Europe and North America. You don’t want your potential viewers to have to do anything extraordinary to view your videos and you want those videos delivered to them as quickly as possible.

That means your delivery system is going to have to know where those viewers are and then deliver the video to them in the fastest possible way by utilizing the closest server. A person in the Czech Republic shouldn’t be having video served to them from your North American server just like a viewer in Idaho shouldn’t get it from the European one, etc.

Many SaaS and content delivery networks (CDN) like Akama take this into account and through both geo-locating (via IP address) and reading the browsers settings can determine what is the best place for them to get the video from without the users even knowing it’s being done.

If you’re hoping to go global and seriously serve a lot of video to a lot of people in a lot of places (whew that’s a lot of a lots) then you’re going to have to take all of this into consideration and that’s one of the major places where cloud computing can help.

On the flip side of all that is if you want to run a video service that is going to accept user submissions. Those same storage servers will also act as receptacles for all the incoming video.

Again in order for the uploads to be successful and as fast as possible you’ll certainly want them to upload to the closest server to them. The CDN will then take that video and propagate it to your other storage servers so that it too can be fed out to the masses in the quickest possible fashion.

Benefits – Reliance

Of course, there’s far more to it than just that. For example you might have a video that suddenly goes viral and starts receiving massive amounts of hits and thousands of simultaneous streams. A single server or even a single location could very well not be able to handle all of that traffic.

With a CDN or some SaaS backup these spikes will be managed without fail. There are some phenomena on the web that have been termed things like ‘Digg-ified,’ ‘slashdotted’ and TechCrunched where some article, webpage, video, piece of information becomes extremely popular and the influx of traffic crashes the target of the popularity due to the sudden and unexpectedly heavy load of traffic.

With cloud-based computing, a spike like that can be handled by simply enlisting more servers and bandwidth to handle it. Of course models like this can create an astronomical bill at the end of the month as well so you need to do your research prior to getting something like that setup.

Transcoding Video Content

Transcoding is another area where cloud computing can really do wonders. We all know that when we upload a video to YouTube they take the video and then process it into a format that they can then use to stream to the masses. This is basically transcoding as they’re taking it from the originally encoded format and changing it (when necessary) into a format that their system understands.

If you’ve uploaded any number of videos to YouTube you know that some days this can take more than an hour for just a short 5 minute video.

If you’re going to run your own video sharing platform then you might have a lot of transcoding that needs to get done. This is especially true if you’re going to syndicate content out to other sites and each site has their own format and specifications. At this point you’re looking at either having to set up a farm of servers to get all the work done in a timely (i.e. real time) fashion. Of course you might setup your own cloud or transcoding farm as it were to handle this all. This will help to reduce your bandwidth and other expenses as you shuffle large files around getting them ready for viewers.

An alternative to that is to have a video platform that will do all of the transcoding for you and so you needn’t worry about setting up all the hardware, software, etc. While this might save you in initial outlay of cash and resources it could cost you in the end but that all depends on the contract you decide upon with your provider.

Cloud-based transcoding can even be achieved on a ‘for hire’ sort of basis. There are now places like Amazon (AWS) which allow you to hire out some of their idle server time and have it do work for you.

This is great if it’s both random and infrequent usage as contracts and prices vary widely and are often based on file sizes, bandwidth and time used.

Advertising & Revenue

Finally, though I may have missed a few things in this article, you need to think about your advertising and revenue channels. With all the data flying to and fro in the metrics and analysis of views you really need to be able to trust all those that are handling that data without fail. The ad data and revenue channels need to be considered as private and sensitive as it is all part of your financials.

That means the data can’t be in any way compromised or misinterpreted. This means you need to maintain as much control over the infrastructure that is being used by it as possible or deal with highly trusted partners.

Things to Watch Out for

Remember earlier when I talked about having multiple storage locations and serving the videos to the right people from the right locations? I wanted to expand a little on that. When you use a service to handle some of the facets of your business you are then dependent on them…and any other service that they use. For example let’s say that you use a CDN and they use AWS.

That means that is something goes wrong on the AWS side your CDN may not be able to do anything about it. In fact you might not even be able to get any type of satisfaction depending on the contract between them and the contract between you and the CDN.

There are also some other things to watch out for as well including perhaps a conflict of interest, usage of your data and metadata, etc.

Certainly all companies that you outsource or hire to do certain aspects of your online video delivery, tracking, reporting and content management will have some form of contract that needs to be in place. You just have to make sure that the contract will work in your favor in the event of some catastrophic failure or unforeseen event like data loss or compromise not to mention ethical business practices etc.

In Conclusion

Cloud computing is certainly the way to go, whether you seed and maintain your own clouds or use the power of some pre-existing clouds is up to you. Just remember that the point of these clouds is not to rain on your parade but rather to project you, your business and your profits

Digital TV Reception Tips

If the Windows operating system ever notifies you about a weak Wi-Fi signal, it probably means that your connection isn't as fast or as reliable as it could be. Worse, you might lose your connection entirely in some parts of your home.

If you want to boost the signal for your wireless network (WLAN), try some of these tips for extending your wireless range and improving your wireless network speed and performance.

 1. Position your wireless router, modem router, or access point in a central location

When possible, place your wireless router, wireless modem router (a DSL or cable modem with a built-in wireless router), or wireless access point (WAP) in a central location in your home. If your wireless router, modem router, or access point is against an outside wall of your home, the signal will be weak on the other side of your home.

If your router is on the first floor and your PC or laptop is on the second floor, place the router high on a shelf in the room where it is located.

Don't worry if you can't move your wireless router, because there are many other ways to improve your connection.

2. Move the router off the floor and away from walls and metal objects (such as metal file cabinets)

Metal objects, walls, and floors will interfere with your router's wireless signals.

The closer your router is to these obstructions, the more severe the interference, and the weaker your connection will be.

3. Replace your router's antenna

The antennas supplied with your router are designed to be omnidirectional, meaning that they broadcast in all directions around the router. If your router is near an outside wall, half of the wireless signals will be sent outside your home, and much of your router's power will be wasted. Most routers don't allow you to increase the power output, but you can make better use of the power.

If your router’s antenna is removable, you can upgrade to a high-gain antenna that focuses the wireless signals in only one direction. You can even aim the signal in the direction you need it most. Consider a Linksys high-gain antenna—they’re powerful and easy to install. Or shop for other high-gain antennas.

4. Replace your laptop's wireless PC card-based network adapter

Laptops with built-in wireless networking capability typically have excellent antennas and don't need to have their network adapters upgraded. These tips are for laptops that do not have built-in wireless networking.

Wireless network signals must be sent both to and from your computer. Sometimes your router can broadcast strongly enough to reach your computer, but your computer can't send signals back to your router. To improve this, replace your laptop's PC card-based wireless network adapter with a USB wireless network adapter that uses an external antenna. In particular, consider a Linksys Wireless-N or Hawking Hi-Gain Wireless-N USB network adapter. These add an external, high-gain antenna to your computer and can significantly extend your wireless range.

5. Add a wireless repeater

Wireless repeaters extend your wireless network range without requiring you to add any wiring. Just place the wireless repeater halfway between your wireless router, modem router, or access point and your computer, and you can get an instant boost to your wireless signal strength.

Check out the wireless-N repeaters from Linksys, Hawking Hi-Gain, ViewSonic, D-Link, and Buffalo Technology, or shop for a wireless-N repeater.

6. Change your wireless channel

Wireless routers can broadcast on several different channels, similar to the way radio stations use different channels. In the United States and Canada, these channels are 1, 6, and 11. Just as you'll sometimes hear interference on one radio station while another is perfectly clear, sometimes one wireless channel is clearer than others.

Try changing your wireless router's channel through your router's configuration page to see if your signal strength improves. You don't need to change your computer's configuration, because it can automatically detect the new channel.

To find your router configuration page, consult this quick reference table, which shows the default addresses for common router manufacturers. If the address is not listed here, read the documentation that came with your router, or visit the manufacturer's webpage.

7. Reduce wireless interference

The most common wireless technology, 802.11g (wireless-G), operates at a frequency of 2.4 gigahertz (GHz). Many cordless phones, microwave ovens, baby monitors, garage door openers, and other wireless electronics also use this frequency. If you use these wireless devices in your home, your computer might not be able to "hear" your router over the noise coming from them.

If your network uses wireless-G, you can quiet the noise by avoiding wireless electronics that use the 2.4 GHz frequency. Instead, look for cordless phones and other devices that use the 5.8 GHz or 900 megahertz (MHz) frequencies. Because 802.11n (wireless-N) operates at both 2.4 GHz and the less frequently used 5.0 GHz frequency, you may experience less interference on your network if you use this technology.

8. Update your firmware or your network adapter driver

Router manufacturers regularly make free improvements to their routers. Sometimes, these improvements increase performance. To get the latest firmware updates for your router, visit your router manufacturer's website.

Similarly, network adapter vendors occasionally update the software that Windows uses to communicate with your network adapter, known as the driver. These updates typically improve performance and reliability. To get the driver updates, follow the instructions for your operating system:

• Windows 7

• Windows Vista

9. Pick equipment from a single vendor

Although a Linksys router will work with a D-Link network adapter, you often get better performance if you pick a router and network adapter from the same vendor. Some vendors offer a performance boost of up to twice the performance when you choose their hardware (like their USB wireless network adapters). Linksys has the SpeedBooster technology for its wireless-G devices, and D-Link has the 108G enhancement for its wireless-G devices. These enhancements can be helpful if you have wireless-G devices and you need to transmit over a long distance or you live in an older house (old walls tend to block the signal more than newly built ones do).

If speeding up your connection is important to you, consider the next tip—upgrading your wireless technology.

10. Upgrade 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g devices to 802.11n

Although wireless-G (802.11g) may be the most common type of wireless network, wireless-N (802.11n) is at least twice as fast and it has better range and stability. Wireless-N is backward-compatible with 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g, so you can still use any existing wireless equipment that you have—though you won’t see much improvement in performance until you upgrade your computer or network adapter to wireless-G, too.

If you're using wireless-B or wireless-G and you're unhappy with your network’s speed and performance, consider replacing your router and network adapters with wireless-N equipment. If you're buying new equipment, definitely choose wireless-N. Linksys Wireless-N routers, for example, are powerful, secure, and simple to set up. So are Linksys Wireless-N USB wireless network adapters.

Find out which wireless technology is installed on your computer:

Windows 7

Windows Vista

• Windows XP

Wireless networks never reach the theoretical bandwidth limits. Wireless-B networks typically get 2–5 megabits per second (Mbps). Wireless-G networks are usually in the 13–23 Mbps range. The average everyday speed for wireless-N equipment is about 50 Mbps.

Don’t forget—the security of your wireless network is as important as its speed and performance. Learn about the different security methods.

Help make your network more secure: