9.b) Discuss in detail the following media applications of cloud computing technologies:
- Animoto
- Maya Rendering with Aneka
- Video encoding on the cloud
Answer:
1. Animoto
Animoto is a popular cloud-based media application that allows users to create videos from images, music, and video clips with ease. The process involves selecting a theme, uploading media, arranging them in a desired sequence, choosing a song, and rendering the video. The rendering is powered by a proprietary AI engine that automatically selects animation and transition effects based on the media provided.
Users can create 30-second videos for free, while paid subscriptions offer longer videos and more templates. If the user is unsatisfied with the video, they can request a re-render, which generates a different composition each time.
Infrastructure: Animoto operates on Amazon Web Services (AWS), utilizing:
- Amazon EC2 for web front-end and worker nodes.
- Amazon S3 for storing images, music, and videos.
- Amazon SQS for managing the communication between components.
- Rightscale for auto-scaling the system, adjusting the number of worker nodes based on load.
The system’s scalability is highly efficient, capable of using up to 4,000 EC2 servers during peak times without losing requests, though rendering may experience temporary delays.
Key Features:
- Automated video creation with AI-driven effects.
- Scalable infrastructure ensuring reliability.
- A flexible and user-friendly video creation platform.
2. Maya Rendering with Aneka
GoFront Group, a division of China Southern Railway, implemented a private cloud solution to improve the efficiency of rendering high-quality 3D models for train designs. The engineering department designs various types of trains, and visualizing these models through 3D rendering is an essential but time-consuming task. Cloud computing was leveraged to speed up the rendering process, reducing the time spent on iterative design improvements.
By transforming the department’s network of desktops into a private cloud managed by Aneka, GoFront engineers can submit rendering tasks through a specialized client interface. The tasks are distributed across all available machines in the cloud, utilizing off-peak hours (such as nights) when desktops are underused. Each rendering task triggers the local Maya batch renderer, collects the rendered results, and assembles them for visualization.
This cloud-based solution significantly reduced the rendering time from days to just hours, enhancing productivity and enabling faster design iterations.
3. Video encoding on the cloud
Encoding.com offers cloud-based video encoding and transcoding services, which are computationally intensive and require significant storage. With the increasing demand for video content across various devices and formats, cloud technologies provide an efficient and scalable solution for these tasks.
The service integrates with cloud technologies like Amazon Web Services (EC2, S3, CloudFront) and Rackspace (Cloud Servers, Cloud Files, Limelight CDN). Users can access Encoding.com through its website, XML APIs, desktop applications, or watched folders. To use the service, users specify the video’s location, the desired format, and the target destination.
Encoding.com also provides video-editing features, such as adding thumbnails, watermarks, or logos, and supports audio and image conversion. It offers flexible pricing options, including monthly fees, pay-as-you-go rates, and special rates for high-volume users. With over 2,000 customers, Encoding.com has processed more than 10 million videos.