How can I handle video uploads and processing efficiently in a video streaming app?

Brooks Liam 20 Reputation points
2025-08-29T03:53:51.4133333+00:00

I'm working on a video app where users can upload and stream videos. I'm trying to decide the best way to handle the video upload and processing part.

I want to avoid laggy or slow experiences on the client side, especially on mobile. Should I compress or transcode the video on the client before upload, or should I upload the raw file to the backend/cloud and process it there?

What are the best practices in terms of performance, cost, and user experience? Any recommendations on tools or services (e.g., Azure Media Services, FFmpeg, etc.) would be super helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Developer technologies | Windows Forms
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  1. Gade Harika (INFOSYS LIMITED) 2,175 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff
    2025-08-29T05:40:42.5933333+00:00

    Thanks for reaching out!

    Best Practices for Video Upload and Processing

    1. Client-Side vs. Server-Side Processing
    • Avoid client-side transcoding or compression unless absolutely necessary. Mobile devices often lack the processing power and battery life to handle this efficiently.
    • Upload raw or lightly compressed files to the backend/cloud, then process them server-side. This ensures consistent quality and offloads heavy computation from the client.
    1. Server-Side Workflow with Azure Media Services

    Azure Media Services (AMS) offers a robust pipeline for:

    • Content ingest via Azure Blob Storage
    • Transcoding into adaptive bitrate formats
    • Video indexing, encryption, and packaging
    • Streaming delivery via CDN integration

    A recommended architecture involves:

    • Using Azure Logic Apps to monitor uploads to Blob Storage
    • Triggering Azure Functions to create AMS assets and initiate transcoding
    • Publishing the processed video with a streaming locator for playback
      This setup ensures scalability, automation, and minimal latency for end users.

    Tools and Services You Can Use

    • Azure Media Services
      - Ideal for both live and on-demand streaming
      
            - Supports dynamic packaging, DRM, and CDN integration
      
                  - Handles multi-bitrate encoding for adaptive streaming
      
    • FFmpeg
      • Excellent for custom transcoding workflows
        - Can be used in backend services to preprocess videos before AMS ingestion
        
              - Useful for format conversion, trimming, watermarking, etc.
        
      Microsoft Stream
    - For internal enterprise video management
    
    - Integrates with OneDrive and SharePoint
    
    - Offers upload progress indicators and user feedback mechanisms.  
      
    Let me know if the issue persists after following these steps. I’ll be happy to assist further if needed. If the issue has been resolved, kindly mark the response as answered.
    

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