Creating a job with automated ABR

When you know whether you want to specify values for the optional limits, use one of the following procedures to set up automated ABR in your job. For more information about these optional settings, see Understanding how automated ABR works.

Console

To set up an automated ABR job using the MediaConvert console:

1. Begin setting up your job as usual. For more information, see Getting started with MediaConvert .

   Instead of following the general instructions for setting up output groups and outputs, follow this procedure.

2. Enable accelerated transcoding. This is optional, but we strongly recommend it. For more information, see Accelerated transcoding.

3. On the Create job page, in the Job pane on the left, next to Output groups, choose Add.

4. Choose a streaming output group type: Apple HLS, DASH ISO, Microsoft Smooth Streaming, or CMAF.

5. Below the Group settings section, enable Automated ABR.

6. Optionally, specify any Applying rules.

7. For the settings in the Automated ABR section, optionally specify values. These are the settings that specify limits that relate to the whole ABR stack. If you choose to keep the default values, you should get good results.

   For more information, see Understanding how automated ABR works.

8. From the Job pane on the left, below your output group, choose Automated ABR base output.

9. On the right, in the Base encoding settings for auto-generated ABR renditions section, optionally specify values for the limits that relate to properties of the renditions in the stack. If you choose to keep the default values, you should get good results.

   For more information, see Understanding how automated ABR works.

10. Optionally, specify values for encoding settings that aren't directly related to automated ABR, such as codec profile and level. Values you specify apply to all renditions in the stack. If you choose to keep the default values, you should get good results.

    For information about each individual setting, choose the Info link next to the setting in the MediaConvert console to view the setting description.

11. If your workflow requires video and audio in separate unmuxed outputs, remove Audio 1 from Base encoding settings for auto-generated ABR renditions. If you require video and audio to be in the same muxed output, skip this step.

    1. Choose the Audio 1 tab.

    2. Choose Remove audio in the upper right of the Base encoding settings for auto-generated ABR renditions section.

12. Optionally, add audio renditions. Follow these steps for each audio rendition that you want in your ABR stack.

    1. From the Job pane on the left, choose your output group.

    2. In the Outputs section, choose Add output with captions or audio to add a new output.

       Output 1 holds your automated ABR video settings and represents every video rendition in your stack.

    3. Choose the new output from the list of outputs.

    4. In the Encoding settings section, set up your audio rendition as you would for a job that doesn't use automated ABR. For more information, see Creating audio ABR streaming outputs.

13. Optionally, add captions. Do this as you would for a manually specified ABR stack. For more information, see Setting up input captions.

14. Optionally, repeat this procedure to create additional ABR packages in different formats. In a job that includes an automated ABR output group, all ABR output groups must use automated ABR.

API, SDK, or CLI

To set up an automated ABR job using the API, SDK, or AWS Command Line Interface (CLI):

If you use the API, CLI, or an SDK, specify the relevant settings in your JSON job specification and then submit it programmatically with your job. For more information about submitting your job programmatically, see one of the introductory topics of the AWS Elemental MediaConvert API Reference:

• Getting started with AWS Elemental MediaConvert using the AWS SDKs or the AWS CLI

• Getting started with AWS Elemental MediaConvert using the API

1. Determine the values that you want to set for automated ABR. If you keep all the defaults, you should get good results. For more information, see Understanding how automated ABR works.

2. Use the MediaConvert console to generate your JSON job specification. We recommend this approach, because the console functions as an interactive validator against the MediaConvert job schema. Follow these steps to generate your JSON job specification using the console:

   1. Follow the previous procedure for the console.

   2. In the Job pane on the left, under Job settings, choose Show job JSON.

Information for manually editing your JSON job specification

Find additional information, including where each setting belongs in the job settings structure, in the AWS Elemental MediaConvert API Reference. Links in this list go to information about the setting in that document:

Important

If you set up automated ABR by manually editing your JSON job specification, rather than exporting it from the MediaConvert console, you must explicitly set qualityTuningLevel to MULTI_PASS_HQ and rateControlMode to QVBR.

• Explicitly set these required settings:

  • Set qualityTuningLevel to MULTI_PASS_HQ.

    • AVC (H.264): qualityTuningLevel in the H264Settings properties table

    • HEVC (H.265): qualityTuningLevel in the H265Settings properties table

  • Set rateControlMode to QVBR.

    When you enable automated ABR, the usual required settings for QVBR, such as qvbrSettings and qvbrQualityLevel, aren't required. Instead specify the required automated ABR settings.

    • AVC (H.264): rateControlMode in the H264Settings properties table

    • HEVC (H.265): rateControlMode in the H265Settings properties table

• Set the accelerated transcoding mode to PREFERRED or ENABLED. This is optional, but we strongly recommend it.

• Optionally, specify these limits that relate to the whole ABR stack:

  • Automated ABR : abrSettings

    • Max renditions: maxRenditions in the AutomatedAbrSettings properties table

    • Max ABR bitrate: maxAbrBitrate in the AutomatedAbrSettings properties table

    • Min ABR bitrate: minAbrBitrate in the AutomatedAbrSettings properties table

• Optionally, specify these limits that relate to properties of the renditions in the stack:

  Note

  The API properties that correspond to these MediaConvert console settings function differently depending on whether they are in outputs that are part of an automated ABR stack.

  • Max resolution: width and height

    • In automated ABR: Use these settings together to represent the maximum possible resolution in the ABR stack.

    • In other outputs: Use these settings together to represent the output resolution.

  • Max frame rate: frameratecontrol, numerator, and denominator

    For information about how these properties work and links to them in the API Reference, see Converting the frame rate of your video.

    • In automated ABR: Use these settings to specify the frame rate of the highest-bandwidth rendition in your stack. If you don't specify these settings, MediaConvert uses the frame rate of your input video.

    • In other outputs: Use these settings to specify the output frame rate.