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AWS Elemental
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Elemental was an American software company based in Portland, Oregon, and active from 2006 to 2015. It was founded by three engineers formerly of the semiconductor company Pixel works: Sam Blackman (CEO), Jesse Rosenzweig (CTO), and Brian Lewis.[2] In 2015, it was acquired by Amazon.
Key Information
History
[edit]In July 2012, Elemental products supported the broadcast of the 2012 Summer Olympics on internet devices for media companies including the BBC, Euro sport, Terra Networks, and others.[3][4]
In September 2013, Elemental was named to the Silicon Forest top 25 by The Oregonian. The company ranked #24 among the region's largest technology companies.[5]
In October 2013, Elemental provided live 4K HEVC video streaming of the 2013 Osaka Marathon in a workflow designed by K-Opticom, a telecommunications operator in Japan.
In April 2017, the company changed its name from Elemental Technologies to AWS Elemental.[6]
Feared security compromise
[edit]In 2015, during security testing conducted as a prelude to a possible acquisition by Amazon, it was reported that some Elemental servers contained chips from Chinese manufacturing subcontractors that allowed backdoor access.[7] According to a U.S. government investigation, the chips were inserted by a People’s Liberation Army unit.[7] These reports were denied by all of the companies involved, no such chips were ever found, and the acquisition proceeded without further incident.[8]
Funding
[edit]Elemental received its initial investments in 2007 in the amount of $1.05 million from three angel funds: the Seattle-based Alliance of Angels, the Oregon Angel Fund, and the Bend Venture Conference.[9]
In July 2008, Elemental announced it had closed its first round of venture capital financing, receiving $7.1 million, which included investments from General Catalyst Partners of Boston, Massachusetts and Voyager Capital of Seattle, Washington.[10]
In 2009, Elemental formed a partnership with In-Q-Tel – the venture capital arm of the Central Intelligence Agency.[7] Elemental servers were subsequently used in various secure capacities, including by the United States Department of Defense, the United States Navy, NASA, the United States Congress and the Department of Homeland Security.[7]
In July 2010, Elemental raised an additional $7.5 million in Series B financing. Steamboat Ventures, a venture capital firm affiliated with The Walt Disney Company, joined existing venture funds General Catalyst and Voyager Capital in the financing round.[11]
In May 2012, Elemental closed its Series C financing for $13 million from Norwest Venture Partners.[12]
In December 2014, Elemental closed its Series D financing for $14.5 million led by Telstra and Sky.[13]
In September 2015, Elemental was acquired by Amazon Web Services, for an estimated $350 million.[14][7]
Products
[edit]AWS Media Services
[edit]In November 2017, Amazon Web Services announced AWS Media Services, a group of five services that are intended for video providers to generate video offerings in the cloud, with the ability to scale.
AWS Media Services include the following individual services:
AWS Elemental MediaConvert transcodes file-based video content.
AWS Elemental MediaLive encodes live video for televisions or connected devices.
AWS Elemental MediaPackage prepares and secures live video streams for delivery to connected devices.
AWS Elemental MediaStore delivers video from media-optimized storage.
AWS Elemental MediaTailor inserts targeted advertising into streaming video.
AWS Elemental MediaConnect transport stream based video contribution and distribution.
Elemental Live
[edit]In April 2010, Elemental introduced its enterprise product, Elemental Live, a video processing system that provides video and audio encoding for live streaming to media platforms.[15]
Elemental Live made its debut at NAB in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 12–15, 2010, with a four-screen demonstration featuring simultaneous real-time encoding of multiple video streams targeted to mobile, tablet, web and HDTV platforms.
Elemental Server
[edit]In November 2009, Elemental released the first video server appliance to utilize the graphics processing unit for video on demand (VOD) transcoding. The company claims its performance equals that of seven dual quad-core CPU servers.[16] Other potential benefits include conversion speed, reduced power usage, less physical space, and overall cost, which is reported to be less than half of a CPU server.[17] Elemental Servers reportedly sold for as much as $100,000 per machine, with a profit margin of up to 70%.[7]
Elemental Delta
[edit]Elemental Delta is a video delivery platform designed to optimize the monetization, management and distribution of multiscreen video across internal and external IP networks. Elemental Delta has been presented at IBC in September 2014 and won the IABM Design and Innovation award for Playout and Delivery Systems.[18]
Elemental Cloud
[edit]Elemental Cloud provides transcoding services in a cloud computing environment using clustered graphics processors.
Elemental Statmux
[edit]Elemental Statmux is a software-based statistical multiplexer that optimizes content delivery for pay TV operators by reallocating bits in real time between video encoders and combining the outputs from multiple encoders into a single transport stream.
Elemental Conductor
[edit]Elemental Conductor is a scalable management system of two or more Elemental video processing systems.
Badaboom
[edit]
On October 23, 2008, Elemental released Badaboom, a consumer media converter, in partnership with NVIDIA Corporation. Badaboom uses Elemental's video engine to transcode video files from several formats, including MPEG2, H.264, HDV, AVCHD, and RAW, into the H.264 format for devices such as the iPod, iPhone, and Sony PSP.
Elemental Technologies announced Badaboom 2.0 is the final version and stopped producing the product.[19] The company supported Badaboom until April, 2013, without further software updates.
Awards
[edit]- 2023 NAB Best of Show – Streaming solutions for MediaConnect Gateway[20]
- 2017 NAB Best of Show – Recognized for 4K video processing by NewBay Media[21]
- 2016 EY Entrepreneur of the Year – Sam Blackman was named the winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 award in the Pacific Northwest region in the technology category[22]
- 2015 TVB Awards – Winner in the Multiplatform Production and Delivery category[23]
- 2014 IABM Design and Innovation—Best Playout and Delivery System[24]
- 2013 Cable & Satellite International (CSI)—-Best in Digital Video Processing, Elemental Technologies[25]
- 2013 ConnectedWorld.TV Awards—Best Delivery Technology, Elemental Technologies[26]
- 2013 Portland Business Journal 100 Fastest Growing Companies—No. 6, Elemental Technologies[27]
- 2013 Oregon Technology Awards—Technology Growth Company of the Year, Elemental Technologies[28]
- 2012 Forbes America's 100 Most Promising Companies—No. 23, Elemental Technologies[29]
- 2012 Inc. (magazine) 500, America's Fastest Growing Private Companies—No. 52, Elemental Technologies[30]
- 2011 Forbes America's 100 Most Promising Companies—No. 54, Elemental Technologies[31]
- 2011 Streaming Media Editors' Pick—Elemental Live[32]
- 2010 TV Technology Mario Award—Elemental Live[33]
References
[edit]- ^ "Leadership". www.elemental.com. AWS Elemental. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
- ^ "Pixelworks Invests in Elemental Technologies Inc". Business Wire. October 16, 2006. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
- ^ Siemers, Eric (July 16, 2012). "Elemental Helps Power Olympics Coverage". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
- ^ Markowitz, Erik (July 11, 2012). "Now Playing on Your iPhone: The Olympics". Inc. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
- ^ Rogoway, Mike (September 23, 2013). "Silicon Forest 25 -- 2013 edition". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ Rogoway, Mike (April 17, 2017). "Portland's Elemental Technologies changes its name – and logo". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
- ^ a b c d e f Robertson, Jordan; Riley, Michael (October 4, 2018). "The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies". Archived from the original on October 4, 2018.
- ^ Naughton, John (13 October 2018). "The tech giants, the US and the Chinese spy chips that never were… or were they?". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ Brinckman, Jonathan (July 18, 2008). "Portland startup success is on (electronic) display)". Oregonlive.com. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
- ^ Rogoway, Mike (July 17, 2008). "Elemental Technologies lands first venture investment". Oregonlive.com. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ^ Rogoway, Mike (July 27, 2010). "Elemental Technologies wins backing from Steamboat Ventures, Disney's VC arm". Oregonlive.com. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ^ Rogoway, Mike (May 7, 2012). "Elemental Technologies raises $13 million venture round, prepares global marketing push". Oregonlive.com. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ^ Rogoway, Mike (December 22, 2014). "Elemental Technologies adds $14.5 million investment, led by global broadcasters Telstra and Sky". Oregonlive.com. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
- ^ "Elemental Technologies, Portland's biggest young tech company, sells to Amazon Web Services". The Oregonian. September 3, 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
- ^ "Elemental Live Shakes Up The Economics of Video Streaming". GigaOM. April 6, 2010. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
- ^ "Elemental Takes Transcoding to the GPU". Contentinople. May 20, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-05-23. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
- ^ "NewTeeVee's Next Big Thing List 2009". GigaOM. May 19, 2009. Archived from the original on 2012-01-22. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ "IABM Design and Innovation Awards 2014". IABM. September 13, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-26.
- ^ "Badaboom End-of-Life Announcement". Elemental Technologies. April 18, 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
- ^ "NAB Best of Show awards", NAB, 2023, retrieved 2023-06-05
- ^ "NewBay Media Best of Show awards", NewBay Media, 2017, retrieved 2017-05-04
- ^ "EY Entrepreneur of the Year", EY, 2016, archived from the original on 2016-08-11, retrieved 2016-06-20
- ^ "TVB Awards", TVB, 2014, retrieved 2015-10-23[permanent dead link]
- ^ "IABM Design and Innovation awards", IABM, 2014, retrieved 2014-09-26
- ^ "CSI 2013 Award Winners", Cable & Satellite International, 2013, retrieved 2013-11-01
- ^ "ConnectedWorld.TV 2013 Award Winners", Connected World, 2013, archived from the original on 2013-09-30, retrieved 2013-09-16
- ^ "PBJ100: See where the fastest-growing companies rank", Portland Business Journal, June 20, 2013, retrieved 2013-01-22
- ^ "The Technology Association of Oregon Names 2013 Oregon Technology Award Winners", Technology Association of Oregon, 2013, retrieved 2013-04-26
- ^ "America's Most Promising Companies", Forbes, 2012, retrieved 2013-11-01
- ^ "The 2012 Inc. 5000 List", Inc., 2012, retrieved 2012-08-29
- ^ "America's Most Promising Companies", Forbes, 2011, retrieved 2012-07-30
- ^ Schumacher-Rasmussen, Eric (2011), "2011 Editors' Picks for the Best in Streaming Video", Streaming Media Magazine, retrieved 2012-07-30
- ^ "TV Technology Announces STAR, Mario Awards for the 2010 NAB Show", TV Technology, 2010, archived from the original on 2012-10-03, retrieved 2012-07-30
External links
[edit]AWS Elemental
View on GrokipediaHistory
Founding and Early Years
Elemental Technologies was founded in 2006 in Portland, Oregon, by three engineers formerly employed at Pixelworks Inc.: Sam Blackman, who served as CEO; Jesse Rosenzweig, as CTO; and Brian Lewis.[5][8] The company emerged in response to the increasing need for efficient video processing amid the proliferation of online streaming and multiscreen content delivery, where traditional hardware encoders proved expensive and insufficiently scalable. Elemental pioneered software-defined solutions utilizing graphics processing units (GPUs) for massively parallel video compression, enabling higher performance on commodity hardware.[5][9] During its initial phase, Elemental concentrated on developing GPU-accelerated encoding technology to outperform CPU-based alternatives in speed and quality. In July 2008, the company secured its first venture capital funding from investors including Voyager Capital, Intel Capital, and NVIDIA's venture arm, providing resources to commercialize its innovations. Later that year, Elemental released Badaboom Media Converter in partnership with NVIDIA, a consumer software tool that leveraged CUDA-enabled GPUs to rapidly transcode media files for playback on devices such as iPods, iPhones, and Xbox consoles.[10] This product highlighted the practical advantages of GPU acceleration, achieving encoding speeds up to 4x faster than contemporary software while maintaining high video quality.[10] Elemental also introduced RapiHD Accelerator for Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, an add-on that integrated its encoding engine into professional nonlinear editing workflows, further demonstrating the technology's versatility. By 2010, building on early traction, the company raised $7.5 million in Series B financing led by Steamboat Ventures, with participation from prior investors, to scale operations and target broadcast and online video providers requiring live and on-demand encoding capabilities.[11] These developments positioned Elemental as an innovator in video infrastructure, setting the stage for broader adoption in media workflows.[11]Pre-Acquisition Growth
Elemental Technologies achieved rapid expansion following its early development, positioning itself as a leader in hardware-accelerated video encoding and transcoding solutions. By 2014, the company generated $49 million in annual revenue, marking a 133 percent increase from 2012 levels amid rising demand for multi-device video delivery.[12] This growth accelerated further, with revenues expanding at roughly 50 percent per year in the preceding period, fueled by broadcasters' shift toward efficient processing for online and mobile streaming.[13] Funding supported this trajectory, with Elemental securing over $42 million across multiple venture rounds by 2015, culminating in a Series D investment in December 2014.[14] Key backers included Norwest Venture Partners, which led a $13 million round in May 2012, alongside prior investors like General Catalyst Partners, enabling product scaling and market penetration.[9][15] Employee headcount swelled to 209 by mid-2015, reflecting operational demands in Portland, Oregon, where the firm emerged as one of the region's fastest-growing technology companies.[12][16] Technological advancements underscored this phase, as Elemental pioneered GPU-accelerated appliances for high-volume live and on-demand video workflows, differentiating from CPU-based competitors through superior efficiency.[5] A milestone came in 2014 with the launch of Elemental Delta, a compact, high-density appliance supporting up to 120 simultaneous encoding channels for cost-optimized transcoding in broadcast environments.[5] The company's client roster expanded to include major entities like HBO, ESPN, CNN, and NASA, validating its reliability for mission-critical media applications.[15][17] Elemental integrated Amazon Web Services infrastructure for its cloud operations starting around 2011, which enhanced scalability and previewed synergies ahead of acquisition discussions.[18] This pre-acquisition momentum established Elemental as a specialized provider in the burgeoning video processing market, serving over 300 customers globally by 2015.[19]Acquisition by Amazon
On September 3, 2015, Amazon Web Services announced an agreement to acquire Elemental Technologies, a Portland, Oregon-based company specializing in software-defined video processing solutions.[20] The acquisition aimed to enhance AWS's capabilities in delivering video services to media and entertainment customers, building on prior collaborations and integrating Elemental's technology for multiscreen content adaptation across devices, formats, and bitrates.[20] Elemental's platform enabled efficient video transcoding and streaming using standard servers, supporting applications like live events, 4K delivery, and on-demand content.[20] The deal was expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2015, subject to customary conditions.[21] It ultimately completed on October 19, 2015, for total consideration of approximately $296 million, as disclosed in Amazon's SEC filing—lower than initial media reports estimating $500 million.[4] This transaction positioned AWS to offer comprehensive cloud-based video workflows, combining Elemental's encoding expertise with AWS infrastructure for scalable, hybrid on-premises and cloud deployments.[20][4]Integration and Rebranding
Following the acquisition announced on September 3, 2015, Elemental Technologies' video processing technologies were integrated into Amazon Web Services (AWS) to expand cloud-based media capabilities, enabling scalable solutions for on-premises, hybrid, and fully cloud environments.[20] This integration built on prior partnerships in the media and entertainment sector, focusing on processing and delivering customized video streams across devices and formats to support internet-based video pipelines.[20] In 2017, AWS launched purpose-built Elemental Media Services, including MediaConvert for file-based transcoding, MediaLive for live video processing, MediaPackage for origin and packaging, MediaStore for low-latency storage, and MediaTailor for server-side ad insertion, marking a shift toward cloud-native workflows.[5] The rebranding to AWS Elemental occurred in April 2017, approximately 18 months after the acquisition's completion, to align the company more closely with the AWS ecosystem and reflect its role in Amazon's broader cloud strategy.[7] CEO Sam Blackman emphasized that the new branding underscored commitments to enhancing media experiences through innovative delivery methods, cost reductions, and agile production workflows in the media and entertainment industry.[7] This change followed initial retention of the Elemental Technologies brand post-acquisition, during which the focus was on technology assimilation rather than immediate renaming.[19] Subsequent expansions in 2018 included the introduction of MediaConnect for secure video transport, further embedding Elemental's expertise into AWS's interconnected services for dynamic scaling and hybrid deployments.[5] These developments facilitated migrations to direct-to-consumer streaming platforms, leveraging cloud elasticity for live events and on-demand content without compromising on-premises options.[5]Recent Developments
In 2024, AWS Elemental introduced MediaLive Anywhere, enabling customers to manage live video encoding from the cloud using existing hardware encoders for greater flexibility in remote production workflows.[5] Later that year, enhancements to AWS Elemental Live hardware were announced, supporting advanced video processing capabilities for broadcast and streaming applications.[22] On April 4, 2025, AWS launched a revised pricing model for Elemental MediaTailor, introducing a VOD ad insertion usage tier priced at a 50% discount compared to live streaming to better align costs with content monetization strategies for streaming providers.[23] In August 2025, new features in MediaTailor were released to optimize server-side ad insertion (SSAI) workflows, reducing operational costs while preserving ad visibility and performance metrics for media organizations.[24] September 3, 2025, marked the 10-year anniversary of AWS's acquisition of Elemental Technologies, with AWS highlighting the division's evolution in cloud-based video encoding, transcoding, and delivery services that now power global streaming platforms and live events.[5] [25] At IBC 2025, AWS demonstrated integrations of generative AI and agentic AI with Elemental services for automated content personalization and news production, alongside a collaboration with Reuters to showcase cloud-native fast-turnaround news distribution using Elemental MediaLive and MediaConnect.[26] [27] [28]Funding and Business Operations
Venture Capital Funding
Elemental Technologies, the predecessor to AWS Elemental, raised approximately $44 million in venture capital across four primary funding rounds between 2010 and 2014 to fuel development of its hardware-accelerated video processing appliances and software for media workflows.[29] These investments came from prominent firms targeting enterprise software and media technology, enabling the company to scale operations, expand internationally, and serve clients including major broadcasters and content providers.[30] The Series B round, closed on July 27, 2010, brought in $7.5 million led by Steamboat Ventures, with participation from existing backers such as General Catalyst Partners and Voyager Capital.[31] This funding supported enhancements to Elemental's core encoding platform, which leveraged field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) for efficient transcoding of high-definition video.[32] In May 2012, Elemental secured $13 million in Series C financing led by Norwest Venture Partners, alongside General Catalyst, Voyager Capital, and Steamboat Ventures, bringing the cumulative total raised at that point to roughly $30 million.[30][32] The capital was earmarked for global market expansion and hiring to address growing demand for multi-screen video delivery solutions.[30] The final pre-acquisition round, a Series D, raised $14.5 million on December 22, 2014, led by Telstra and Sky, with contributions from Founders Circle Capital, General Catalyst, Norwest Venture Partners, and Titanium Ventures.[33] This infusion targeted further product innovation and infrastructure scaling ahead of broader cloud integration efforts.[34]| Funding Round | Date | Amount | Lead Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series B | July 27, 2010 | $7.5M | Steamboat Ventures[31] |
| Series C | May 8, 2012 | $13M | Norwest Venture Partners[32] |
| Series D | Dec 22, 2014 | $14.5M | Telstra, Sky[33] |
