Encoding of audio (mp3, mp4, m4a, ogg) file for smooth streaming window media services

Question

I want to encode the audio file (mp3, mp4, m4a, ogg) for the streaming and want to play (I want to play encoded file smoothly) using the HTML5 player but I think HTML5 player. So now what I am doing, I am uplaoding a file and econding this file on windows Azure Media Services using the preset "AAC Good Quality Audio". It encode the file with .mp4 file format and then I create SAS locator to run this file, it works well but the problem is that user can download it too which I don't want to allow.

If I create the OnDemandOrigin locator of the same encoded asset, it gives me 404 erroe. It means we can not play it.

Below are the steps that I have used to upload the file on Azure Media Services:

1. Created the empty assest.
2. Upload the file into the asset.
3. Then create the new task job to encode the audio file.
4. I have successfully encoded the file but when I try to generate the origin url it generate the url but when I browse the file I get the error 404.

My queries:

1. "AAC Good Quality Audio" preset is the right for my task?
2. How can I restrict the user to download the file, if I use sas locator.
3. Is it possible to play the encoded file using origin locator.
4. Can I encode audio files for smooth streaming ? If I can then which player I should use to run the encoded file for all browsers, IOS devices and android devices.

If you want further details please feel free to ask me.

Awaiting your response.

Thanks

Answer 1

If your user is able to listen to the audio you're publishing, they will also be able to download the file. This you can not prevent. At best, you can make it difficult, but not impossible. More to the point, Media Services at its current incarnation has no way for you to do authorization of any kind, so the only tool you've got is time-bombed SAS locators.

The typical solution for this problem is to use DRM. Media Services supports PlayReady encryption, but you need to either have a PlayReady server or purchase it as a service (there is currently a service in the Azure Marketplace that provides PlayReady for a monthly price).

See following article how to protect assets with Microsoft PlayReady technology

Origin Locators are something you would use to publish a Smooth Stream or HLS asset. It is not useful for regular media files, as it is internally something equivalent to an IIS Media Services endpoint. For regular media files, you can just as well host them in Blob Storage -- and refer to them via the SAS locator.

There is currently no single format that will play across all devices and operating systems. You can get Smooth Streaming to work on most Windows and Mac computers (possibly Linux, too), either with Silverlight or with the Smooth Streaming Plugin for the Flash-based OSMF. For iOS devices you will need to encode to HLS and use the HTML5 video tag. Microsoft Media Platform will support MPEG-DASH, a recently ratified ISO/IEC standard for dynamic adaptive streaming over HTTP.More details how to use DASH preview feature can be found here

If you want smooth streaming for audio only, it looks like you will have to create a video asset with an empty video stream -- although there is a Uservoice request to add support for audio only in the future.