What is a Video CDN? How to Optimize CDN Video Streaming?

It can be frustrating when you decide to watch a favorite video, and it lags. How about an important live conference that keeps buffering?

You would want to seamlessly share content with the maximum number of people as an organization. Here is where the concept of video CDN comes in.

This blog will explain all things related to CDNs—the value of video CDNs & CDN video streaming and their benefits. 

What is CDN?

Content Delivery Network (CDN) is also referred to as “Content Distribution Network.” The terms are used interchangeably.

Content Delivery Network is a technology that contains a network of servers placed in different regions globally. These are proxy servers that can store different types of content such as images, audio, & video files.

When users try to access any content, CDN helps them serve the file from the server closest to their location rather than from its original server.

Businesses can’t afford the cost of deploying servers worldwide due to the increasing demand for data. As a result, they usually rely on CDN providers (Akamai, Cloudflare, etc.) who have their servers deployed globally for their content delivery.

As predicted in early research, by 2022, 72% of all internet traffic will cross CDNs.

What is Video CDN?

Video CDN refers to a system with geographically dispersed servers to transfer media files by caching them. These networks typically cache content and store it in multiple locations. The video is then streamed from the nearest server to the user.

For instance, if you stream videos from the USA to viewers in Japan, it will be cached and stored in the servers placed in Japan. When your Japanese viewers watch a video of yours, it will be streamed from the server in Japan rather than the origin server in the USA.

As a result, CDN provides a high-quality and seamless video experience. Many websites & video streaming platforms use CDNs to make content delivery faster by avoiding slow loading speeds & buffering delays.

How Does a Video CDN Work?

Typically, when a viewer requests to see content, it is directed towards the nearest server or the “edge” server that serves the content.

The distance between the server and the user adds potential latency to the Internet connection. The speed of content reaching your device depends on the Internet speed and the distance from the origin server.

For instance, a video may load very slowly if the server is located at a distance and may load quicker if it’s fetched from a nearby CDN that has it cached. Edge servers resolve this problem.

CDN video streaming supports global content delivery, ensuring a smooth streaming experience. A top-notch CDN maximizes quality and reduces buffering for secure video streaming.

Benefits of CDN Video Streaming 

Video CDNs cut down the time to deliver video content from origin to end-user by connecting servers worldwide. Benefits of CDN video streaming include:

• Reduce Latency by Minimizing Distance

  The principle is the same as described in the above paragraph. The closer the server is to the end-user, the faster the video will load and play.

• Load Balancing

  Instead of overwhelming the origin server, a group of servers can handle streaming video to hundreds of viewers far better than just a single server.

• Content Doesn’t Exceed the Bandwidth

  Just like limiting cars to one lane can increase traffic; similarly, a network can pass through data within its bandwidth. If a stream delivers from multiple CDN servers, the network is less likely to be stuffed with traffic.

The Difference in Latency With and Without a CDN?

You can see the difference thanks to the research carried out by KeyCDN, and we have summarized it in the infographic below:

According to their research, if the origin server is in Amsterdam, the streaming also needs to be done in Amsterdam; it will not affect latency with or without CDN. However, if the streaming needs to be done globally, you can clearly see the difference in latency by using a CDN. Hence, a CDN is recommended if video streaming needs to be done globally.

What to Look for in a Video CDN?

You need to look for a few things before picking dedicated video CDNs. First, make sure that it has a massive, dependable network with servers wherever you’re attempting to reach. Also, pay close consideration to data transfer capacity.
While settling on what you’re searching for, consider a video management platform that accomplices with CDN providers for content delivery. These online video streaming platforms will often be more modest than the all-purpose CDNs yet deliver excellent functionality. These will probably give the greatest videos to your clients and the greatest value for your money regarding extra features at the cost.
Here are a few questions that you need to answer before making the final decision:

•  Does the CDN you’re looking for support live streaming?
•  Does the service support your adaptive bitrate (ABR) format
• Where are you storing your content?
• Where do you run your streaming server?
• What geographical coverage do you need?
• Pricing

VIDIZMO – A Complete Video Management Platform with CDN Streaming

As a business, you need more of a professional platform that will provide the user with more capabilities for enhanced video delivery. You’ll be getting the benefits of a CDN and a video platform all at once.

Content delivery is just one aspect of video streaming and management. There is much more depth in this world of streaming. A video content management system such as VIDIZMO caters to help cater to end-to-end video needs. 

It is a YouTube-like enterprise video platform that can be your one-stop-shop for all things video. Here is just some of what VIDIZMO has to offer:

• A YouTube-like video portal to stream live and on-demand videos to your external and internal audiences.
• Stream videos using modern protocols like HLS so that there are no bandwidth issues and the video is played seamlessly on almost every device and operating system.
• Video transcoding for all your videos to ensure optimized playback. With an enterprise content delivery network (ecdn), stream videos to a large audience on your corporate network by caching videos internally.
• Scalable live streaming enables you to stream regardless of the users. Scalable to an unlimited number of users while streaming on any device.
• It is an AI video software; all videos can be automatically transcribed and translated.
• Rich security is another factor offered by VIDIZMO. For example, you can share video temporarily through limited sharing capabilities, such as the number of views, link expiry time, or password protection.
• You can also limit videos by segregating your content into users and groups and permitting desired roles to access the content.
• VIDIZMO also provides a responsive HTML5 video player to be embedded on any website. It is customizable and can complement your brand colors. Thus, you can utilize cutting-edge technology to your advantage.

Wrapping Up

CDN video streaming combined with a video hosting platform is the one to opt for if you want a hassle-free experience. After all, why should online video delivery be this complex?

VIDIZMO ensures you get the highest quality and no service disruption by utilizing all CDN capabilities.

If you are still looking for the right video hosting platform, make the most out of VIDIZMO’s free trial today to experience it firsthand.