So I'm working on a startup that's going to involve storing / streaming videos including live streaming

So I'm working on a startup that's going to involve storing / streaming videos including live streaming.

I see many similar sites using amazon aws/s3, but the pricing is confusing and can get crazy, like 10tb storage + 150tb downloads per month costing something like $12k

But I can get a 100tb storage + 100tb transfer @ 1gbps dedicated server for a few hundred bucks.

Should I start off with a cheap dedicated server and see what my bandwith usage/profit before thinking about something like amazon S3?

I hope you don't plan on reinventing the wheel and have your own live streaming service...

i'll probably use wowza.

dont expect to run a service that pushes 100tb of video streams a month off one server. also remember if you're doing any encoding on the server you're gonna need a lot of cpu capacity, and that gets expensive

>Should I start off with a cheap dedicated server and see what my bandwith usage/profit before thinking about something like amazon S3?


Yes, no point paying for something you dont need, look into vlutr, digital ocean etc to see if your idea works first.

S3 is absolutely dirt cheap to get started. I'm hosting a high bandwidth website with video and lambda integration, and my monthly bill for it is like $3

yeah, i know, I guess i'll start off with a one server, and if the price catches up to amazon at some point i'll move over to amazon.

yeah I keep hearing people say this, but when I go to the s3 calculator it tells me its going to cost 11k to transfer 150tb/month.

What do you think that you're going to do different?

If the only thing your startup is going to do is _only_ live streaming, just stop now and don't waste the money and think of something else.

We're in this space at work, and the ship has sailed as far as delivering this basic capability. You simply won't be able to do it cheaper than the big companies can.

i'm going for the camwhore model, where streamers get tipped and I get a cut.

what about legal paperwork?

its probably going to be harder than the server setup

I've got something to tell you, user...

So many businesses have already made and automated that incremental step, that you will find it impossible to find a foothold.

You'll have to think of something really unique to do, because *just* delivering live streaming won't cut it.

BTW Wowza is a resource hog, so it'll eat your Amazon CPU budget.

You don't transfer everything from S3. Read up on cloudfront.

>i'm going for the camwhore model, where streamers get tipped and I get a cut.
Prepare to get sued.

sued for what?

Underage whores.

require id to sign up, simple.

how come mfc/cb haven't been sued out of existence yet?

>require id to sign up, simple.
lol

>how come mfc/cb haven't been sued out of existence yet?
Good lawyers + reputation.

>Good lawyers + reputation

lol.. really? you think they're always in court fighting off cases?

their toc clearly states you can't be under age, and they ask for ID before signing up models, if some dumb bitch uses a fake id they're not liable.

Cloudfront?

>they're not liable
Does not mean they can't be sued.

anyone can sue you for anything, doesn't mean it'll amount to anything.

That's not quite true dude. They are liable for providing the platform where illegal shit happened.

If you're doing storage and streaming you'll need a Content Delivery Network (amazon s3, akamai)

If you store everything on some vps somewhere it will mean people far from your server might have problems.
Google it and decide if it's right for you.. it's the norm for video streaming services There is a lot on information out there on the subject of video streaming so it sounds lie you need to learn the fundamentals/

>They are liable for providing the platform where illegal shit happened.
Yeah, also the profit angle is extremely problematic. You DON'T want to profit from CP even if it's an accident.

just because someone uploads cp on google drive youtube doesn't mean google is liable for it so long as they delete/report it.

camwhore sites are no different, except they actually ask for your id before you can post.

If they ran ads on it even once they are liable.

This is why you need lawyers even if you're not doing anything illegal. They're the ones who will inform you how to run the site in a way that minimises liability and when you inevitably get sued they're there to make sure things go in your favor. This is the boring legal shit that just needs to happen.

TOS is not some magic tool that removes all responsibility from a service owner, friend. Just be extra careful!

Me again. from ^^^
I happen to know that porn is such a pain in the ass that akamai doesn't even let you stream it unless you have a special contract that they have to offer..you can't even ask for it. You gotta have a homeboy working there.

Think about it... what you're doing is such a pain in the ass that major corporations walk away from a pile of cash

pied piper?