Security and Surveillance Transcoding: Maximizing Cost Efficiency
Modern security and surveillance systems—whether for retail, smart cities, or traffic monitoring—face immense demands. Managing thousands of input streams from cameras operating 24/7 requires a video streaming platform that balances reliability, cost-efficiency, and performance. In a recent webinar, entitled Maximizing Transcoding Flexibility and Cost Efficiency with Wowza, Barry Owen from Wowza addressed these challenges, emphasizing that in large-scale workflows, cost per stream becomes the defining factor.
“In a case like this,” Owen explained, “you might have a thousand cameras streaming 24/7, and the cost per stream becomes absolutely critical.” With that volume of input sources, choosing the right security and surveillance transcoding hardware can make a significant difference in overall expenses. As Owen explained in the webinar, while CPU-based configurations are widely used, they scale poorly when managing thousands of streams. In contrast, GPUs and FPGAs offer higher density per server and dramatically reduce costs.
For example, as the table shows, transcoding 1000 1080p streams with a 3-rung ABR ladder highlights the difference. A CPU-based setup requires 250 units, costing nearly $1.5 million annually. By contrast, GPU solutions bring that number down to just over $327,000, while FPGA configurations deliver the most cost-effective outcome at $300,955.20 per year.
| Configuration | Ingest | Transcode | Number of Units Required | Cost per hour | Weekly Cost (7×24) | Yearly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 4 hrs | 12 hrs | 250 | $0.68 | $28,560.00 | $1,485,120.00 |
| GPU | 20 hrs | 60 hrs | 50 | $0.752 | $6,300.00 | $327,800.00 |
| FPGA | 16 hrs | 48 hrs | 63 | $0.65 | $5,787.60 | $3000,955.20 |
Table 1. Cost Comparison for 1000 Streams
Though the cost estimates assumed cloud-based AWS instances, as Owen pointed out, “This is really the best use case for having your own hardware, stuffed with FPGA or GPU cards, to really drive those costs down.”
Why Wowza Stands Out for Surveillance
Beyond offering exceptional transcoding flexibility, Wowza’s platform is uniquely suited for mission-critical surveillance workflows. Its real-time streaming capabilities ensure low-latency, 24/7 video delivery, providing timely visual data essential for monitoring and public safety. Combined with FPGA or GPU hardware, Wowza enables organizations to achieve cost-effective security and surveillance transcoding while maintaining the performance needed to handle thousands of concurrent streams.
Security is also a critical concern in surveillance deployments. With SOC 2 Type 2 certification, Wowza ensures that your data is protected, addressing threats such as DDoS attacks and unauthorized access. For environments like retail security, traffic monitoring, and smart city infrastructure, this level of reliability is essential for safeguarding both infrastructure and sensitive data.
As Owen also explained in the webinar, Wowza offers excellent deployment flexibility, which can be all cloud as an SaaS, all on-premises, or hybrid. Self-managed, on-premises deployments are often the best approach for surveillance use cases, where the number of input streams is fixed and predictable. This allows organizations to plan infrastructure efficiently while retaining complete control over system costs, performance, and security. The ability to customize deployments makes Wowza ideal for handling closed-circuit systems, connected smart ecosystems, and real-time video feeds from hundreds or thousands of sources.
Beyond foundational streaming capabilities, Wowza supports integrations with AI and machine learning tools, enabling smarter surveillance systems. These tools bring advanced features like object detection, automation, and pattern recognition, transforming surveillance feeds into actionable insights.
For large-scale deployments, the combination of Wowza’s platform with high-density, self-managed hardware strikes the perfect balance of cost-efficiency, performance, and security. As Owen concluded, “The combination of self-managed hardware and Wowza’s platform creates the optimal balance of performance, cost, and security for surveillance workflows.” Whether monitoring traffic systems, enhancing retail security, or managing smart city infrastructure, Wowza delivers the reliable, scalable, and cost-effective solutions needed to meet the growing demands of modern surveillance.
Join Barry Owen and Jan Ozer as they discuss how Wowza’s transcoding options and flexible deployment models help you optimize cost, quality, and throughput for your streaming applications.