Publish Media Services content using .NET

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Warning

Update your Azure Media Services REST API and SDKs to v3 by 29 February 2024. Version 3 of Azure Media Services REST API and client SDKs for .NET and Java offers more capabilities than version 2. We’re retiring version 2 of the Azure Media Services REST API and client SDKs for .NET and Java.

Action Required: To minimize disruption to your workloads, review the migration guide to transition your code from the version 2 API and SDKs to version 3 API and SDK before February 29th, 2024. After February 29th, 2024, Azure Media Services will no longer accept traffic on the version 2 REST API, the ARM account management API version 2015-10-01, or from the version 2 .NET client SDKs. This includes any 3rd party open-source client SDKS that may call the version 2 API. Learn about the latest version, starting with the Media Services v3 Overview.

Overview

You can stream an adaptive bitrate MP4 set by creating an OnDemand streaming locator and building a streaming URL. The encoding an asset topic shows how to encode into an adaptive bitrate MP4 set.

Note

If your content is encrypted, configure asset delivery policy (as described in this topic) before creating a locator.

You can also use an OnDemand streaming locator to build URLs that point to MP4 files that can be progressively downloaded.

This topic shows how to create an OnDemand streaming locator to publish your asset and build a Smooth, MPEG DASH, and HLS streaming URLs. It also shows hot to build progressive download URLs.

Create an OnDemand streaming locator

To create the OnDemand streaming locator and get URLs, you need to do the following things:

  1. If the content is encrypted, define an access policy.

  2. Create an OnDemand streaming locator.

  3. If you plan to stream, get the streaming manifest file (.ism) in the asset.

    If you plan to progressively download, get the names of MP4 files in the asset.

  4. Build URLs to the manifest file or MP4 files.

Note

There is a limit of 1,000,000 policies for different AMS policies (for example, for Locator policy or ContentKeyAuthorizationPolicy). Use the same policy ID if you are always using the same days / access permissions. For example, policies for locators that are intended to remain in place for a long time (non-upload policies). For more information, see this topic.

Use Media Services .NET SDK

Build Streaming URLs

    private static void BuildStreamingURLs(IAsset asset)
    {

        // Create a 30-day readonly access policy.
          // You cannot create a streaming locator using an AccessPolicy that includes write or delete permissions.
        IAccessPolicy policy = _context.AccessPolicies.Create("Streaming policy",
            TimeSpan.FromDays(30),
            AccessPermissions.Read);

        // Create a locator to the streaming content on an origin.
        ILocator originLocator = _context.Locators.CreateLocator(LocatorType.OnDemandOrigin, asset,
            policy,
            DateTime.UtcNow.AddMinutes(-5));

        // Display some useful values based on the locator.
        Console.WriteLine("Streaming asset base path on origin: ");
        Console.WriteLine(originLocator.Path);
        Console.WriteLine();

        // Get a reference to the streaming manifest file from the
        // collection of files in the asset.
        var manifestFile = asset.AssetFiles.ToList().Where(f => f.Name.ToLower().
                                    EndsWith(".ism")).
                                    FirstOrDefault();

        // Create a full URL to the manifest file. Use this for playback
        // in streaming media clients.
        string urlForClientStreaming = originLocator.Path + manifestFile.Name + "/manifest";
        Console.WriteLine("URL to manifest for client streaming using Smooth Streaming protocol: ");
        Console.WriteLine(urlForClientStreaming);
        Console.WriteLine("URL to manifest for client streaming using HLS protocol: ");
        Console.WriteLine(urlForClientStreaming + "(format=m3u8-aapl)");
        Console.WriteLine("URL to manifest for client streaming using MPEG DASH protocol: ");
        Console.WriteLine(urlForClientStreaming + "(format=mpd-time-csf)");
        Console.WriteLine();
    }

The outputs:

  • URL to manifest for client streaming using Smooth Streaming protocol:
    http://amstest1.streaming.mediaservices.windows.net/3c5fe676-199c-4620-9b03-ba014900f214/BigBuckBunny.ism/manifest
  • URL to manifest for client streaming using HLS protocol:
    http://amstest1.streaming.mediaservices.windows.net/3c5fe676-199c-4620-9b03-ba014900f214/BigBuckBunny.ism/manifest(format=m3u8-aapl)
  • URL to manifest for client streaming using MPEG DASH protocol:
    http://amstest1.streaming.mediaservices.windows.net/3c5fe676-199c-4620-9b03-ba014900f214/BigBuckBunny.ism/manifest(format=mpd-time-csf)

Note

You can also stream your content over a TLS connection. To do this approach, make sure your streaming URLs start with HTTPS. Currently, AMS doesn’t support TLS with custom domains.

Build progressive download URLs

    private static void BuildProgressiveDownloadURLs(IAsset asset)
    {
        // Create a 30-day readonly access policy.
        IAccessPolicy policy = _context.AccessPolicies.Create("Streaming policy",
            TimeSpan.FromDays(30),
            AccessPermissions.Read);

        // Create an OnDemandOrigin locator to the asset.
        ILocator originLocator = _context.Locators.CreateLocator(LocatorType.OnDemandOrigin, asset,
            policy,
            DateTime.UtcNow.AddMinutes(-5));

        // Display some useful values based on the locator.
        Console.WriteLine("Streaming asset base path on origin: ");
        Console.WriteLine(originLocator.Path);
        Console.WriteLine();

        // Get MP4 files.
        IEnumerable<IAssetFile> mp4AssetFiles = asset
            .AssetFiles
            .ToList()
            .Where(af => af.Name.EndsWith(".mp4", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase));

        // Create a full URL to the MP4 files. Use this to progressively download files.
        foreach (var pd in mp4AssetFiles)
            Console.WriteLine(originLocator.Path + pd.Name);
    }

The outputs:

  • http://amstest1.streaming.mediaservices.windows.net/3c5fe676-199c-4620-9b03-ba014900f214/BigBuckBunny_H264_650kbps_AAC_und_ch2_96kbps.mp4

  • http://amstest1.streaming.mediaservices.windows.net/3c5fe676-199c-4620-9b03-ba014900f214/BigBuckBunny_H264_400kbps_AAC_und_ch2_96kbps.mp4

  • http://amstest1.streaming.mediaservices.windows.net/3c5fe676-199c-4620-9b03-ba014900f214/BigBuckBunny_H264_3400kbps_AAC_und_ch2_96kbps.mp4

  • http://amstest1.streaming.mediaservices.windows.net/3c5fe676-199c-4620-9b03-ba014900f214/BigBuckBunny_H264_2250kbps_AAC_und_ch2_96kbps.mp4

    . . .

Use Media Services .NET SDK Extensions

The following code calls .NET SDK extensions methods that create a locator and generate the Smooth Streaming, HLS, and MPEG-DASH URLs for adaptive streaming.

    // Create a loctor.
    _context.Locators.Create(
        LocatorType.OnDemandOrigin,
        inputAsset,
        AccessPermissions.Read,
        TimeSpan.FromDays(30));

    // Get the streaming URLs.
    Uri smoothStreamingUri = inputAsset.GetSmoothStreamingUri();
    Uri hlsUri = inputAsset.GetHlsUri();
    Uri mpegDashUri = inputAsset.GetMpegDashUri();

    Console.WriteLine(smoothStreamingUri);
    Console.WriteLine(hlsUri);
    Console.WriteLine(mpegDashUri);