Concepts and terminology

AWS Elemental MediaPackage includes the following components:

Just-in-time packaging

MediaPackage performs just-in-time packaging (JITP). When a playback device requests content, MediaPackage dynamically customizes the live video streams and creates a manifest in a format that's compatible with the requesting device.

Origination service

MediaPackage is considered an origination service because it's the point of distribution for media content delivery.

Packager

A packager prepares output streams for access by different types of players. The packager type specifies the streaming format that MediaPackage delivers from the endpoint (either Apple HLS, DASH-ISO, Microsoft Smooth Streaming, or Common Media Application Format [CMAF]). Additional packager settings include buffer and update durations and manifest tag handling instructions.

A packager is a part of an origin endpoint. Each endpoint must have one, and only one, packager. To use different packager types for the same content, create multiple endpoints on the channel.

Source Content

Source contents are live streams and video files that MediaPackage ingests.

• For live video, source content comes from an upstream encoder, such as AWS Elemental MediaLive. MediaPackage supports HLS source content.

Stream

A stream refers to the content input and output of MediaPackage.

For live workflows, an upstream encoder sends a live stream as an input to MediaPackage to the channel. When a downstream device requests playback of the content, MediaPackage dynamically packages the stream (including specifying the packager type, adding encryption, and configuring track outputs) and delivers it to the requesting device as an output of the endpoint. An endpoint can produce multiple streams.

Track

Tracks make up the output content stream. MediaPackage includes selected video, audio, and subtitles or captions tracks in the output stream. The stream delivers the tracks to the player (either directly or through a CDN), and the player plays back the tracks based on player logic or network conditions (such as available bandwidth).

Live components

The following components apply to live workflows in MediaPackage:

Channel group

A channel group is the top-level resource that consists of channels and origin endpoints that are associated with it and that provides predictable URLs for stream delivery. All channels and origin endpoints within the channel group are guaranteed to share the DNS.

Channel

A channel represents the entry point for a content stream into MediaPackage. Upstream encoders such as AWS Elemental MediaLive send content to the channel. When MediaPackage receives a content stream, it packages the content and outputs the stream from an endpoint that you create on the channel. There's one channel for each incoming set of adaptive bitrate (ABR) streams.

Endpoint

An endpoint is part of a channel and represents the packaging aspect of MediaPackage. When you create an endpoint on a channel, you indicate what streaming format, packaging parameters, and features the output stream will use. Downstream devices request content from the endpoint. A channel can have multiple endpoints.