2023年11月6日
By Damien Sterkers Broadpeak视频解决方案营销总监
博客

CDN技术的未来:打开视频流媒体的下一个前沿

视频流媒体市场正在蓬勃发展. 据Grand View 研究称，全球视频流媒体市场规模被估值为 $89.030亿年预计将以21%的复合年增长率增长.从2023年到2030年的5%.

随着视频流媒体消费持续飙升, content delivery network (CDN) technology needs to evolve at a rapid pace in order to keep up. 同样的, 对高质量内容交付的需求比以往任何时候都高, and media professionals are facing the challenge of meeting these escalating expectations while trying to maximize their revenue. 然而, recent advancements in CDNs have opened up exciting opportunities for these key players to help tackle these challenges. This article will explore these advancements and the innovations that are shaping the future of CDN technology in video streaming.

流媒体面临的主要挑战

cdn是视频流工作流的关键组成部分, as they enable the efficient delivery of content to end users across different devices and geographical locations. 考虑到最近视频流媒体消费的加速, 对于视频服务提供商来说，使用先进的cdn比以往任何时候都更加重要.

目前该行业面临的一个主要挑战是产能. 随着消费者对视频流服务需求的增加, 特别是对于实时视频内容, cdn必须能够快速扩展以处理高峰流量. 这在体育赛事中尤为重要, 数以百万计的观众同时观看同样的内容. 同样的, 今天的观众期待的是卓越的质量, 具有低延迟和最小缓冲, 当CDN受到约束并接近其容量极限时，这是无法实现的. Furthermore, CDNs need to address the demand for increased energy efficiency and cost savings. 在广播环境中, 网络容量和功耗与用户数无关. 另一方面, 流媒体依赖于单播视频传输, requesting more network capacity and consuming more power — making it less energy-efficient than legacy broadcast systems.

另一个挑战来自视频业务的重大转变. 传统上, video service providers and delivery network providers were the same entity; but with the growth of direct-to-consumer streaming that becomes less true. cdn现在不仅管理网络运营商的内容, 而且内容也被越来越多的外部来源所提出. 视频世界正在开放，越来越接近互联网, 这也会影响底层的基础设施. cdn必须遵守更加通用和创新的标准, 特别是, 那些是云技术带来的.

这种新的视频传输环境迫使业界重新考虑安全问题. 视频网络不再是专属的私人系统. 在开放的同时, 他们需要更好地控制获取百家乐软件的途径, 遵守互联网最佳实践, 甚至超越它们——考虑到它们所传递的数据的价值. 应对这些挑战, 新技术创新正在改变cdn的运作方式, enabling streaming providers to securely deliver flawless video streaming experiences at an optimized cost while also offering opportunities to create new partnerships, 商业模式, 以及帮助他们最大化收益潜力的策略. CDN结构的演变——如组播ABR, 上下文感知的过程, 云基础设施, 开放的CDN, and multi-CDN — are paving the way for smoother streaming experiences with less congestion, 延迟, 服务质量问题, improving the user experience and keeping viewers more engaged with what they are watching.

提高CDN服务器的性能

最大化CDN的有效性, it is important to make sure that the streaming servers get the most out of the underlying hardware. 优化芯片组的使用, 内存, 还有网卡, 视频服务提供商可以显著提高CDN的性能和效率, reaching throughput rates per rack unit about 10 times better than what can be achieved using generic web servers and default configurations.

多播上

多播上 technology is empowering video service providers to deliver live video at scale. It enables streaming providers to deliver a single stream over the network to any number of viewers — compared with one stream per viewer in a traditional ABR delivery scenario. 通过从CDN和骨干网卸载流量, 组播ABR减少了网络中的拥塞和流量高峰的影响, 能够有效地向数百万并发用户分发实时内容. 流提供商使用多播ABR技术的一个很好的例子是TIM, 意大利电信运营商. TIM delivered the 2022 French Tennis Open (Roland Garros) in 4K leveraging multicast ABR, 为观众提供更高质量的体验.

上下文感知和动态性

Network operators cannot afford to increase their infrastructure spending at the same pace as the expected growth of traffic in the coming years, 这意味着cdn特别有必要提高效率. 实现这一目标的一种方法是使cdn更具动态性. 这通常在两个不同的级别上实现. 弹性可以在基础设施级别实现, leveraging containers and cloud orchestration technologies to automatically assure the hardware resources are where they can best be used. 另外, 通过确保，可以在流程级别添加弹性, 实时地, 可用的流媒体容量最好分配给不同的用户. 例如, 运营商可以为优质客户分配容量, 更大的屏幕, 或者更高价值的内容.

打开cdn到所有视频内容

Network operators also have a growing proportion of their traffic coming from video services that are not their own. 因此, a key evolution is to make sure the delivery of external content also benefits from the same optimizations. It’s a clear win-win deal since it allows operators to reduce the load on their network while at the same time securing better 质量 on external content providers’ services. For content providers to get simple access to a greater variety of network operator infrastructures, 并将它们添加到当前的CDN选项中, the multi-CDN strategy will likely have to evolve toward finer 和更多的 advanced selection processes. 例如, operators can locally discover and make the most of capacities or make real-time 质量 measurements and decisions.

提高能源效率

The pressure is on for video service providers to join the global initiative to protect the environment and improve energy efficiency. The latest CDN solutions are helping video service providers achieve better streaming performance and a reduced carbon footprint. 这也为网络运营商节省了大量的电力成本, dividing them roughly by a factor of four according to Broadpeak’s model when all presented evolutions are used. That means that in most cases the corresponding investment represents very little compared with the savings it allows in operational costs.

安全

Streaming relies on the same kind of open infrastructure as the internet; therefore, 它应该集成相应的安全约束. 然而, there is also an opportunity for video delivery networks to take advantage of existing and proven technologies. 这通常包括TLS加密和身份验证, 访问控制令牌, anti-DDoS措施, WAF应用保护, 和更多的. 由于高价值视频内容的敏感性, 不断添加更多的内容保护是很重要的, 并行, such as securing additional DRM and adding defensive measures like 24/7 monitoring and watermarking.

结论

解决视频流推广带来的重大挑战, network operators will need to renew their CDN architecture and implement several innovative capabilities, 如组播ABR, 开放的CDN, 以及上下文感知视频传输. 此外, it is the interest of all actors to open up these optimizations to all video service providers, thus reducing the overall pressure on networks and securing a much better 质量 than global CDN alternatives since the content can be cached and streamed much closer to end users.

使用高级CDN提供了解决可伸缩性问题的可能性, 质量, 以及视频流的安全限制. 此外, an advanced CDN also constitutes an opportunity for service providers and network operators to work together in rationalizing their business in a way that greatly benefits everyone.

[编者注:这是来自 Broadpeak. 流媒体接受供应商署名完全基于它们对我们读者的价值.]