Evaluating the Impact of Cloud-Based Media Transcoding on Performance, Reliability, And Scalability in Nepal
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Background: The rapid growth of digital broadcasting, IPTV services, and online streaming platforms in Nepal has significantly increased the demand for efficient and scalable media processing infrastructures. Many Nepali broadcasters continue to rely on traditional on-premises systems, including Integrated Receiver Decoders (IRDs), Moipro devices, and locally hosted servers, which frequently experience CPU/GPU overload, unstable satellite inputs, and audio-video synchronization issues.
Objective: This study investigates the technical, operational, financial, and infrastructural challenges faced by Nepali media houses in multi-channel transcoding and evaluates the feasibility of cloud-based and hybrid transcoding solutions within Nepal's unique infrastructure constraints.
Methods: A mixed-method research design was employed, combining structured surveys and semi-structured interviews with professionals from 11 media organizations in the Kathmandu Valley, representing 18.3% of approximately 60 registered media entities. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, proportion-based hypothesis testing (significance level: 0.05), and thematic coding. The Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory provided the theoretical foundation.
Results: Survey findings revealed that 63.6% of surveyed organizations (7/11) experience frequent CPU/GPU overload, and 72.7% (8/11) face bandwidth bottlenecks. Downtime analysis showed that 54.5% experience monthly outages and 18.2% face weekly interruptions. Hypothesis testing confirmed that technical barriers (H1: Supported), organizational readiness (H3: Strongly Supported), and perceived benefits (H4: Supported) are the dominant factors influencing cloud adoption. Financial concerns (H2: Partially Supported) relate primarily to billing unpredictability rather than absolute cost.
Conclusion: Full cloud migration is currently impractical for Nepali media houses due to internet reliability and organizational constraints. A phased hybrid cloud architecture, maintaining on-premises IRDs and encoders while leveraging cloud services for backup, overflow management, and disaster recovery, represents the most viable and sustainable pathway. These findings provide empirical evidence and actionable recommendations for broadcasters, policymakers, and cloud service providers in developing country contexts.
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