How to control bitrate in AWS Kinesis?

Question

Hi all,
I am trying to use kvsWebrtcclientmaster and stream.

We had applied patch to the source code so that, instead of reading from Files we  are taking encoded buffers from our Embedded development SDK, and this buffer is actually encoded using H.264 encoder, now we could able to stream this in Kinesis, but problem is,  we could able to see streaming in distortion at 5 Mbps, but simultaneously it streams fine in RTSP, so we don't doubt on the encoder we use.

But when we change the bitrate to 500KBytes instead of 5MBytes, we could able to see streaming without any issues.

So I doubt that AWS has issue in processing bitrate and GOP, can we know how to solve this issue by controlling bitrate in AWS side

Regards,
Tony

Kidd Ip · Answer

Please try to locate your issue and fix on below:

1.	Verify Kinesis WebRTC Settings:
* Check KVS WebRTC-specific configurations. Ensure that the maxBitrate and minBitrate parameters are set appropriately in your signaling channel or the KVStream. These can influence how the bitrate is managed during transmission.

2.	Adjust Encoder Settings:
* Although you're confident in the H.264 encoder, confirm that parameters such as keyframe interval (GOP size), target bitrate, and profile level are tuned for Kinesis streaming. Some streaming services are less tolerant of large GOP sizes.

3.	Implement Adaptive Bitrate Streaming:
* AWS Kinesis WebRTC supports adaptive bitrate streaming. By enabling or configuring adaptive bitrate settings, the client can automatically adjust the bitrate based on network conditions.

4.	Networking Bandwidth:
* Verify that your internet/network bandwidth can consistently support higher bitrate streams on AWS. Simultaneous RTSP streams might perform better under different conditions.

5.	Check Buffering and Fragment Size:
* AWS Kinesis Video Streams processes streaming in fragments. Large buffers or mismatched fragment sizes (e.g., caused by high bitrates or unoptimized GOP structures) may result in streaming distortions. Try reducing fragment sizes for smoother processing.

6.	Patch and AWS SDK Updates:
* Ensure the patches you applied to the kvsWebrtcclientmaster source code align with the latest AWS Kinesis Video Streams SDK. Outdated or custom-modified code may introduce compatibility issues at higher bitrates.

7.	Monitor with AWS Metrics:
* Use AWS CloudWatch to monitor metrics such as FragmentLatency, InputBytes, and PutMediaRequests. These will help identify where bottlenecks or inefficiencies occur in handling 5 Mbps streams.

8.	Test on Different Endpoints:
* It’s worth checking if the distortion appears across different devices or endpoints consuming the stream. Some players may handle high bitrates or large GOP structures better than others.

How to control bitrate in AWS Kinesis?

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