Integrated Cloud Economics on AWS

Why it Matters for Media & Entertainment – A Real-World Cost Comparison

In today’s cloud-driven media pipelines, the technical choices we make can have massive ripple effects—not just on performance and quality, but on bottom-line economics. As streaming demands surge and content workflows increasingly span ground-to-cloud-to-ground, integrated cloud economics becomes not just a concept, but a strategic necessity.

Let’s break that down with a real-world scenario: a 30-minute 4K video podcast delivered to 1,000 viewers per month.

We evaluated two encoding formats with very different profiles:

    •    JPEG-XS (TR07) @ 150 Mbps

    •    SRT (HEVC) @ 25 Mbps

Both are streamed/downloaded from AWS (S3 or EC2), from US East (N. Virginia) to the public internet. For simplicity, we ignored the 1 GB/month of free egress.

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Scenario A: JPEG-XS (150 Mbps)

High-fidelity, ultra-low latency—but at a cost.

File size per viewer: ~32.91 GB

Monthly data egress: ~32.91 TB for 1,000 viewers

Egress Costs:

    S3:

    •    First 10 TB @ $0.09 = $921.60

    •    Next 22.91 TB @ $0.085 = $1,926.95

    •    Total = $2,848.55

OR VIA

    CloudFront (optimized):

    •    First 10 TB @ $0.085 = $870.40

    •    Next 22.91 TB @ $0.080 = $1,813.60

    •    Total = $2,684.00

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Scenario B: SRT (HEVC, 25 Mbps)

Compression-focused, cost-efficient, latency-tolerant.

File size per viewer: ~5.49 GB

Monthly data egress: ~5.49 TB for 1,000 viewers

Egress Costs:

     S3: $494.10

OR VIA

    CloudFront: $466.65

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So, Why Does This Matter?

This is more than just a pricing breakdown. It showcases a framework for decision-making.

This is where Integrated Cloud Economics comes in.

By integrating financial visibility directly into architecture decisions—bandwidth, codec choice, delivery path (S3 vs. CloudFront vs. MediaConnect)—teams can align cost with creative and operational goals, not just after the fact, but at design time.

JPEG-XS might be preferred for live sports, virtual production, or contribution workflows, where ultra-low latency and lossless quality are critical. But that comes with a 5x higher egress cost than SRT, which shines in OTT, VOD, and cost-optimized delivery scenarios.

Use Case Comparison Table:

The Takeaway

Media & Entertainment leaders who pair technical architecture with financial telemetry will outpace the rest. Whether you’re pushing immersive content to the edge or simply optimizing long-tail VOD catalogs, cloud cost awareness is creative empowerment.

#AWS #MediaAndEntertainment #CloudEconomics #JPEGXS #SRT #CloudCostOptimization #Streaming #4KVideo

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