AWS Elemental MediaStore FAQs

What is AWS Elemental MediaStore?
AWS Elemental MediaStore is a media origin and storage service that offers the performance, predictable low latency, and consistency required for delivery and processing workloads like live streaming video. The service provides a write-behind cache, designed for performance, in front of object storage. It is an inexpensive method for pass-through and low-latency segmented content delivery, with predictable pay-as-you-go pricing.

Who can use AWS Elemental MediaStore?
AWS Elemental MediaStore is designed to meet the needs of all types of content providers. Video is increasingly important to companies from small businesses to global enterprises, as well as government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and schools, all of which can use AWS Elemental MediaStore to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their video operations. Companies in the media and entertainment industry, including film and TV studios, broadcast networks, pay TV channels and system operators, programming distributors, internet service providers, online video platforms, and professional sports leagues and teams, can all benefit from AWS Elemental MediaStore as part of their broadcast, streaming, and over-the-top video offerings.

Why should I use AWS Elemental MediaStore instead of managing storage infrastructure myself?
AWS Elemental MediaStore provides the performance required for demanding content processing and delivery workloads without needing to worry about building custom infrastructure or implementing best practices in object storage, so customers can focus on their workflow rather than worrying about their storage infrastructure.

How does AWS Elemental MediaStore improve performance?
When you write content to AWS Elemental MediaStore, it is automatically held in a replicated cache for the first few minutes after creation, and again after each update. This replicated cache gives performance, predictable low latency, and consistency, even with the high request loads and with the frequent updates common with files like streaming video manifests during live video streams.

What is the difference between AWS Elemental MediaStore and AWS Elemental MediaPackage?
AWS Elemental MediaPackage provides just-in-time packaging and live-to-VOD features as well as origination for live streams. If multiple formats and DRMs are required, or DVR-like features, you can use AWS Elemental MediaPackage. If the live streams are already in the correct formats and have any required DRM applied, you can use AWS Elemental MediaStore as a pass-through video origination and storage service that offers the performance and consistency required for delivering live streaming media combined with the security and durability AWS offers across its services.

Is AWS Elemental MediaStore a standalone service or is it dependent on other services?
AWS Elemental MediaStore can function as a standalone service or within a larger video workflow that includes other AWS Media Services. AWS Media Services are a family of services that form the foundation of cloud-based video workflows, which offer customers the capabilities they need to create, package, and deliver video, all accessible through the AWS Management Console and APIs. Working together with other AWS services, AWS Media Services offer a complete solution for processing and delivery of live or on-demand video content to consumers around the world, cost efficiently and with high quality.

How does AWS Elemental MediaStore work with AWS Elemental MediaLive?
AWS Elemental MediaLive is a video service that allows easy and reliable creation of live outputs for broadcast and streaming delivery at scale. An AWS Elemental MediaStore container can be selected as the output destination for an AWS Elemental MediaLive channel.

How is AWS Elemental MediaStore billed?
With AWS Elemental MediaStore, you are charged a per GB Media Ingest Optimization Fee when content enters the service and charged per GB price for content Storage (per month) for content that you keep in the service.. Request costs are based on the request type, and are charged on the quantity of requests. Visit the AWS Elemental MediaStore Pricing page for more information.

Which media workflow use cases are best suited to AWS Elemental MediaStore?
Serving live adaptive bit-rate video streams that require a HTTP origin are ideal use cases for AWS Elemental MediaStore. With predictable low latency and performance along with immediate read-after-write and read-after-update consistency AWS Elemental MediaStore is optimized to originate fragmented video and ensures the latest versions of manifests for live video streams, which are constantly updated, yet retain the same name, are always the ones that get delivered to players. And requests for video segments are served quickly and reliably providing a better quality of experience with less buffering.

Can on-premises workflows benefit from AWS Elemental MediaStore?
Yes, on-premises encoders such as AWS Elemental Live can write to MediaStore and get the benefits of the high performance media origination.

What is the durability of content written to AWS Elemental MediaStore?
Objects ingested into AWS Elemental MediaStore are sent to a replicated write-behind cache that transitions objects to storage backed by Amazon S3 shortly after they are written. While objects are normally transitioned quickly to Amazon S3, there is some chance that this process could be delayed or not occur at all. If your workload requires immediate durability, we recommend using Amazon S3 directly.