
Show HN: transcode.io - amrit_b
http://www.transcode.io
======
jcampbell1
I don't understand the use case. I upload a h264/AAC video file to my server,
and this service transcodes it into an h264/AAC video of the same resolution.

I also worry that since it is based on streams and heroku, that it doesn't re-
write the meta data to the beginning of the video after encoding. This is a
really important step as it cuts the time to first frame by 1/2.

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amrit_b
I have written about the use case here: [http://amritbera.com/journal/why-i-
built-transcode-io](http://amritbera.com/journal/why-i-built-transcode-io)

~~~
lostsock
I don't understand the service either or how your blog posting covers this.

Does your service automatically detect what type of video the users device can
play and transcode the source from whatever format you uploaded it as into
something that can be played?

Or does it simply upload the file from the server it is on to S3?

I can't see anywhere that you can specify transcoding to a different
resolution or format?

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amrit_b
The current transcoding option is MP4. Its like any format TO mp4. WebM coming
soon.

And its any resolution to 480p.

But all these will be configurable via the URL in a future release.

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nairteashop
If it's _to_ mp4, shouldn't the source path in the example URL be something
other than mp4? Unless I'm misinterpreting what the path parameter is...

I realize that the mp4 container can support a wide variety of codecs and
you're probably transcoding to h264/mp4, but IMO it would help to use
something else here (.wmv, .avi, etc) to drive home the use case.

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mkolodny
Transcoding is a pain, even when using an awesome service like Zencoder. I
love the idea of being able to put the path to my video in a query parameter
and be done with it. Really great work!

One suggestion would be to make the description of how it works a little
clearer. For example, "No status handling. Prosessing & error messages will be
shown through video" could say, "While the video is being processed, a
temporary video file will be streamed - with the text "Processing" written on
it." like you said in the comments. Also, will transcoded videos be saved in
my S3, or in transcode.io's?

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amrit_b
Thanks!

I will make these updates. The transcoded file will be saved in transcode.io
's S3.

( A quick question: If I update code to heroku, will it pull the site down,
even for a few minutes? )

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t0
Wouldn't there be a huge time gap required in between the first and second
view of the video? How are you going to charge people and pay amazon (for
bandwidth)? Do you use Amazon Elastic Transcoder or ffmpeg?

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amrit_b
That is of-course dependent on the size and resolution of the source file.
But, when it is being processed, a temporary video file will be streamed -
with the text "Processing" written on it.

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davidbanham
Could you provide some more information on this? How is the temporary file
generated and what are the tradeoffs against the final, properly transcoded
file?

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amrit_b
Hello David, The temporary file is not generated and its preloaded. A default
tiny video file which will be streamed till your original video is ready.

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amrit_b
PRICING: I haven't decided anything on the pricing yet (will be roughly around
$0.030 per minute of transcoding - which includes hosting as well). Interested
ones can get free access for now Before moving forward with it, just wanted to
know if anyone is interested. The MVP is ready for testing. Please fill the
form so that I can create and send you the account IDs manually!

Read more about it here: [http://amritbera.com/journal/why-i-built-transcode-
io](http://amritbera.com/journal/why-i-built-transcode-io)

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lelandbatey
Is there any kind of time limit on this? Or could a person transcode any
length video?

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amrit_b
Any length

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nmcfarl
Quick comment - the typo in the first bullet point is glaring: 'Prosessing'
should be 'Processing'.

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amrit_b
Ahh thanks! I will correct it now.

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nicksergeant
Pricing link also goes nowhere.

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amrit_b
Hi! Haven't decided anything on the pricing yet! Roughly it will be around
$0.030 per minute of transcoding (including hosting of the transcoded files)

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shuzchen
Doesn't strike me as very secure, since everything here happens through the
url and anyone can just go in and grab the required values to spoof a
transcode request. It's mostly mitigated by the necessity of file upload
access, but even with that this can still be taken advantage of, especially if
there are rewrite rules on the file server that might expose the same file
through different urls (also if this service follows 3xx redirects that's even
more vectors of attack).

In case resolution choice is added as an option, what's to keep any random Joe
from requesting videos with various resolutions (or very huge resolutions) and
racking up the bill for me?

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twodimman
That could be easily avoided setting up an htaccess password and let the
service know about it I guess.

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shuzchen
I'm not sure how that helps any. The issue isn't access to the raw movie file
source, but access to the url, userid and eventual customization variables
necessary to start a transcode job. All of this is readily available to any
website visitor on a page that has a video utilizing this transcoding service.

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neotek
Fantastic idea, and very well executed for a three day side-project.

As others have pointed out you have a lot of challenges ahead to turn this
into a business, but you should be applauded for _doing something_ and not
just talking about it like many do.

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amrit_b
Thank you Neotek!

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amrit_b
Guys! Thanks for all your comments and reviews. I should continue working on
it. And give test user IDs to those who have signed up!

I am the only guy working on it currently. And I am open to team-up in every
possible way. Interested ones please get in touch with me!

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tomasien
If this were a seamless experience, this would be really amazing. Not going to
sign up for Alpha because I don't need it right now, but I'll be back.

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amrit_b
Yes it is a seamless experience! It has to be!

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codemonkeymike
I don't know about you guys, but the text is almost impossible to read. I am
on a Windows 7 system 1600x900

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amrit_b
Hey just now I tested with Win 7 IE 9 - looked fine to me!

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k3n
The text in the middle, on the white background, is not very prominent. I can
read it, but I have to strain.

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robbyking
Grammatical errors in a site's hero carousel make me wonder how much QA went
into the product.

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michaelmior
Sounds like the start of Cloudinary for video :)

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amrit_b
haha yeah! But I am so confused with everything atm. How to proceed, team up,
etc. Would appreciate any help :)

