Need a Streaming Video Platform? Consider this first.

Demand for streaming video services has risen dramatically with the current social distancing measures in place. Because of our expertise with developing live streaming video, Video on Demand, and OTT platforms, several companies have reached out to us recently to explore using these technologies to serve their customers during this crisis better.

In many cases, these businesses wonder how to better connect with their clients when physical interaction is impossible. Some ask whether off-the-shelf solutions perform well enough, or if they should develop a custom platform. Many wonder what options are out there and what the technology makes possible.

The answers to these questions aren’t straightforward and depend heavily on your goals. Here we hope to breakdown the issues and give you perspective when thinking about expanding your online reach.

Off-the-Shelf or Custom Solution?

Video on demand and live streaming video platforms
Deciding whether you go with prebuilt solutions or design a custom video streaming platform requires making tradeoffs. Here are some considerations to think about when deciding what things are most important to your company’s goals.

Using a Video Streaming Service

Online solutions have the advantage of being fast and easy to set up. The cost varies across platforms, however. If you don’t require a lot of features, analytics, or need a lot of bandwidth, you may be able to find a video hosting site that’s free to use.

There are downsides to using an off-the-shelf video hosting service. Security is always an issue. If you choose a service that updates its security in a way you find objectionable, there’s very little you can do about it. Also, you relinquish control over the hosting of your data. If you want to record live-streamed events to post later as VoD content, you may need to use two different services, which makes organizing your content difficult.

Custom Video Streaming Platform

With a custom built platform, you gain greater control over customer experience. You can choose the level of security you need, and you keep control over your data. Branding the platform is straightforward, and you can integrate live streaming with your VoD platform. Building in robust analytics and efficiently managing content also becomes easier.

However, there are downsides to building a custom streaming video or VoD platform, too. Unsurprisingly, the upfront cost is likely to be higher. However, once you build the platform, maintenance costs will be relatively low. Also, consider the time to market, since a custom solution will take longer to implement.

Important Features for Your Streaming Video Platform

Regardless of how you choose to incorporate streaming video, whether you’ll host live streaming or provide video on demand or both, there are a few things you’ll want to make sure are in place to give you the best value for your investment.

Content management – As the amount of video content you’re providing grows, you’ll want to make sure that your platform makes it easy for your customers to find. To do that, you’ll need a robust search feature and a well-organized database.

Security – Piracy is still a big issue. You’ll need to be sure your content is protected. If you choose a third party to host your content, make sure you read and understand their privacy policies and security protocols.

Bandwidth restrictions – Streaming video can suck up a lot of bandwidth. Some paid services scale their pricing by the number of megabytes of your content that gets downloaded. If you build a custom platform, you’ll still need to be sure you have the bandwidth to support all your customers.