Ip Cam, Wowza, and Amazon EC2 : feasibility study

Wowza Streaming Engine
1

Hello,

I’m starting a new project, and I’m a total newbie in wowza and amazon EC2.

The project isn’t really original. Basically, it’s a video surveillance system that use IP cams, with some extra features.

I know that the subject of IP cams is often discussed here, and I already got answers to some of my problems. But what I would like to ask you, it is if the whole system described below can be done like I think it is.

So the system must be able to :

  • Provide a (720p) live view from a RTSP stream.

  • Record another RTSP stream, 24/7, in mp4 480p.

  • The client should be able to access as quickly as possible to recorded videos (stored on S3).

  • The client can get an instant access to the videos of the last month.

First of all, are there “ready to use” configurations/solutions for this kind of use ?

From what I’ve learned, I know that :

But is it possible to get files of X minutes, store them on S3 and to stream them instantly ?

Also does one wowza server can handle multiples RTSP streams ? And if so, about Amazon EC2, can one single small instance can manage multiple cameras, doing all i’ve described?

Thanks a lot, and sorry for my english !

François

2

Hi,

All of the above is possible with Wowza.

To record the videos with a set duration in mp4 format you will need to use the LiveStreamRecord Module found here,

LiveStreamRecord Module

If the source stream is 720p and you require a 480p rendition you will need to use the Wowza transcoder, a tutorial for this can be found below.

Wowza transcoder tutorial

If you have a video on demand application set up you will be able to play the files as soon as each segment has finished recording.

Please see the video on demand tutorial for configuration details.

From the description you will only need to record the one transcoded rendition however depending on the amount of steams you’re wanting to transcode will change the hardware requirements of the server.

Transcoding is a CPU intensive process and to get a good idea of the hardware requirements for your scenario please see the transcoder benchmark.

I don’t think this will be possible on a single small instance based on the above requirements.

Jason

3

François,

A mounted EBS volume is supposed to be faster than ephemeral (local) storage. S3 has built-in security features. EBS volume is a drive associated with your EC2 instance, and is as secure as you make it.

Richard

4

Thanks a lot for your answer :slight_smile:

I assumed too that transcoding was CPU intensive, that’s why in fact each cam will “send” 2 separate streams : one in 720p for the live streaming, one in 480p for the recording ( the transcoding is done on the cam side ).

Assuming that, do you think it’s possible to handle multiples cams ( let’s say 10) on one small EC2 instance ?

François

5

Oh, another question : if the videos are stored on Amazon EBS, are they streamable ? What is the most secure storage, S3 or EBS ?

Thanks

François