# Thumbnails for multiple live streams with low transcoder use

**URL:** <https://community.wowza.com/t/thumbnails-for-multiple-live-streams-with-low-transcoder-use/171>\
**Category:** Wowza Streaming Engine\
**Created:** [May 10, 2016, 11:24am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/thumbnails-for-multiple-live-streams-with-low-transcoder-use/171 "2016-05-10T11:24:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![system](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.wowza.com/system/32/447_2.png) [@system](https://community.wowza.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 11:24am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/thumbnails-for-multiple-live-streams-with-low-transcoder-use/171/1 "2016-05-10T11:24:17Z")

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Hi - we have about 50 live streams and none use the transcoder. We would like to get thumbnails of the live videos.

If we use the transcoder for each stream, the cpu usage will be horrendous - is there a way to use the transcoder to get thumbnails without huge cpu overhead?

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Jason\_Hilton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.wowza.com/jason_hilton/32/437_2.png) [@Jason\_Hilton](https://community.wowza.com/u/Jason_Hilton)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/thumbnails-for-multiple-live-streams-with-low-transcoder-use/171/2 "2016-05-16T15:26:26Z")

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Hi,

The ModuleTranscoderTimedSnapshot requires that you decode the sources and re-encode which is CPU intensive.

The only option without doing this is using the [ModuleCreateSnapshot](https://www.wowza.com/docs/how-to-take-a-single-frame-snapshot-of-a-live-stream-for-thumbnail-creation-modulecreatesnapshot%28ModuleCreateSnapshot%29) which requires that you install the [Wowza Module Collection](https://www.wowza.com/docs/utility-modules-for-wowza-streaming-engine-media-server-software)

Regards,

Jason

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**Author:** ![alan\_costello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@alan\_costello](https://community.wowza.com/u/alan_costello)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/thumbnails-for-multiple-live-streams-with-low-transcoder-use/171/3 "2016-08-12T18:28:19Z")

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**Here is the correct answer: [Generate thumbnail images](https://www.wowza.com/docs/how-to-generate-thumbnail-images-of-live-streams)**

🆒

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

Hi Jason,

I checked out the documentation, and it says:

“How to take a single-frame snapshot of a live stream for thumbnail creation (ModuleCreateSnapshot)” - That part was great.

I see the client code:

nc.call(“createSnapshotLive”, resultObj, “myStream”);

It looks as if the client individually makes a snapshot of a stream (I assume that is client actionscript)

We need snapshots of all 50 live streams available for viewers to click on like we have already for recordings.

The server really has to make all 50 thumbnails, and the client needs to be able to download them via http.

Any ideas? Is this possible? Have I mis-read something?

Thanks for the help,

Alan Costello

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![alan\_costello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@alan\_costello](https://community.wowza.com/u/alan_costello)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/thumbnails-for-multiple-live-streams-with-low-transcoder-use/171/4 "2016-09-09T18:00:41Z")

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Yes, it is very simple. Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Paul\_Shields](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.wowza.com/paul_shields/32/390_2.png) [@Paul\_Shields](https://community.wowza.com/u/Paul_Shields)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/thumbnails-for-multiple-live-streams-with-low-transcoder-use/171/5 "2016-09-09T15:20:10Z")

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Hi,

That example from Charlie our CTO is for taking a snapshot using the new HTTP Provider that he’s provided in that example. As you can see it now can be done without the need of the Transcoder.

This can quickly take a snapshot of the current live frame of the live stream referenced in the URL.

You can call this from anywhere and redirect the output to a file to automatically save your snapshot. For example, some customers have used the [original thumbnail HTTP Provider](https://www.wowza.com/docs/how-to-get-thumbnail-images-from-wowza-transcoder-with-an-http-provider) by call it using curl/wget and redirecting the output, e.g.

```auto
curl "http://[WOWZA-IP:8086/transcoderthumbnail?application=live&streamname=myStream&format=jpeg" > myStream.png
wget "http://[WOWZA-IP]:8086/transcoderthumbnail?application=live&streamname=myStream&format=jpeg" -O myStream.png

```

The new HTTP Provider should be able to be called the same way (though I’ve not tested the new one myself yet).

Regards,

Paul