Guides - Deploy MainConcept XDCAM Transcoder Demo through the Linode Marketplace

The MainConcept XDCAM Transcoder from the Pro Camera Transcoders for Sony & Panasonic product line is an optimized Docker container for file-based transcoding to professional Sony camera formats such as XDCAM HD, XDCAM EX, XDCAM IMX, and DVCAM (XDCAM DV). MainConcept XDCAM Transcoder supports a wide range of input formats and is ready-to-use out of the box. It can be controlled via command line, REST API, or various container management tools.

The XDCAM Transcoder includes MainConcept’s codecs, pre-packaged as a single, optimized containerized application for fast and flexible deployment to any workflow as a service or direct Compute Instance.

This version of the XDCAM Transcoder is a free version that demonstrates how MainConcept codecs and related libraries work and perform in a cloud environment. It adds a watermark to processed video and intermittently mutes audio. If you wish to deploy the full version of the XDCAM Transcoder, please visit the MainConcept on Linode website.

Deploying a Marketplace App

The Linode Marketplace allows you to easily deploy software on a Compute Instance using the Cloud Manager. See Get Started with Marketplace Apps for complete steps.

1. Log in to the Cloud Manager and select the Marketplace link from the left navigation menu. This displays the Linode Create page with the Marketplace tab pre-selected.

2. Under the Select App section, select the app you would like to deploy.

3. Complete the form by following the steps and advice within the Creating a Compute Instance guide. Depending on the Marketplace App you selected, there may be additional configuration options available. See the Configuration Options section below for compatible distributions, recommended plans, and any additional configuration options available for this Marketplace App.

4. Click the Create Linode button. Once the Compute Instance has been provisioned and has fully powered on, wait for the software installation to complete. If the instance is powered off or restarted before this time, the software installation will likely fail.

To verify that the app has been fully installed, see Get Started with Marketplace Apps > Verify Installation. Once installed, follow the instructions within the Getting Started After Deployment section to access the application and start using it.

Configuration Options

• Supported distributions: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Debian 11
• Recommended plan: We recommend a 16GB Dedicated CPU or Shared Compute Instance for MainConcept XDCAM Transcoder.

MainConcept XDCAM Transcoder Options

• API Port : Sets the port for the HTTP REST API endpoint. Defaults to port 8080.

Limited Sudo User

You need to fill out the following fields to automatically create a limited sudo user, with a strong generated password for your new Compute Instance. This account will be assigned to the sudo group, which provides elevated permissions when running commands with the sudo prefix.

• Limited sudo user: Enter your preferred username for the limited user. No Capital Letters, Spaces, or Special Characters.

  Locating The Generated Sudo Password

  A password is generated for the limited user and stored in a .credentials file in their home directory, along with application specific passwords. This can be viewed by running: cat /home/$USERNAME/.credentials

  For best results, add an account SSH key for the Cloud Manager user that is deploying the instance, and select that user as an authorized_user in the API or by selecting that option in the Cloud Manager. Their SSH pubkey will be assigned to both root and the limited user.

• Disable root access over SSH: To block the root user from logging in over SSH, select Yes. You can still switch to the root user once logged in, and you can also log in as root through Lish.

  Accessing The Instance Without SSH

  If you disable root access for your deployment and do not provide a valid Account SSH Key assigned to the authorized_user, you will need to login as the root user via the Lish console and run cat /home/$USERNAME/.credentials to view the generated password for the limited user.

Custom Domain (Optional)

If you wish to automatically configure a custom domain, you first need to configure your domain to use Linode’s name servers. This is typically accomplished directly through your registrar. See Use Linode’s Name Servers with Your Domain. Once that is finished, you can fill out the following fields for the Marketplace App:

• Linode API Token: If you wish to use the Linode’s DNS Manager to manage DNS records for your custom domain, create a Linode API Personal Access Token on your account with Read/Write access to Domains. If this is provided along with the subdomain and domain fields (outlined below), the installation attempts to create DNS records via the Linode API. See Get an API Access Token. If you do not provide this field, you need to manually configure your DNS records through your DNS provider and point them to the IP address of the new instance.
• Subdomain: The subdomain you wish to use, such as www for www.example.com.
• Domain: The domain name you wish to use, such as example.com.

Getting Started after Deployment

Once all packages have been installed, MainConcept XDCAM Transcoder is ready to receive API requests. The REST API does not require authentication. API functions use the following syntax:

http://CONTAINER_IP_ADDRESS:PORT/rest/API_VERSION/FUNCTION/PARAMETERS

In the URL above, API_VERSION only contains the major version, and should be formatted using a leading “v”. For example, the API version for MainConcept XDCAM Transcoder v2.0 is “v1”. Additionally, if you choose to use a custom domain, replace instances of IP_ADDRESS with the domain you entered. See example functions below:

• Get service name: GET http://IP_ADDRESS:PORT/rest/v1/service

• Get transcoding jobs: GET http://IP_ADDRESS:PORT/rest/v1/jobs

• Get details on a specific job: GET http://IP_ADDRESS:PORT/rest/v1/jobs/JOB_ID

• Start transcoding job: POST http://IP_ADDRESS:PORT/rest/v1/jobs

Below is an example of a job description file body formatted in JSON:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

{ "INPUT": "ftp://10.144.41.202:2121/test.mp4", "OUTPUT": "ftp://10.144.41.202:2121/test/xdcam_hd.mxf", "PRESETNAME": "XDCAM_HD_422_1920x1080_cbr_50mbit", "KEEP_CONTENT": "TRUE", "VERBOSITY": "DEFAULT" }

Parameters for various options can be configured by editing the properties.txt file.

Next Steps

For additional usage information and formatting guidelines, please see the official documentation for MainConcept XDCAM Transcoder by navigating to MainConcept’s Transcoders page, and selecting XDCAM Transcoder. For support regarding the tool or software itself, use the information in the sidebar to contact MainConcept’s support or search the MainConcept community forum.