In typical Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Desktop as a Service (DaaS) setups, the server handles all video processing—downloading, decoding, and rendering multimedia content before encoding and streaming the recorded display to the endpoint. This process resulted in high CPU/GPU load on the server, increased network bandwidth consumption, and user-facing issues like latency and poor-quality, choppy video playback. To address this situation, the primary DaaS & VDI service providers implemented what is known as MMR (Multimedia Redirection) to offload the decoding process from the server to the endpoint.
A leading manufacturer of DaaS & VDI endpoints required us to support the standard MMR protocols found in the industry, like HTML5 multimedia redirection, Windows Media redirection, Browser content redirection, etc. This solution must be legally compliant and highly optimized for the endpoints’ hardware capabilities to efficiently decode multimedia content, with low-latency playback and minimal hardware requirements.
Low Latency
Enabled smooth HD/4K video playback on thin clients
Server Offloading
Significantly reduced server CPU/GPU load for VDI sessions
Legal Compliance
Ensured full patent license compliance for widely used codecs
Thin Client Performance
Optimized codec performance on low-power client hardware
Low Latency
Enabled smooth HD/4K video playback on thin clients
Server Offloading
Significantly reduced server CPU/GPU load for VDI sessions
Legal Compliance
Ensured full patent license compliance for widely used codecs
Thin Client Performance
Optimized codec performance on low-power client hardware
Proposed solution
Integrating the Fluendo Codec Pack into DaaS & VDI
The implemented solution involved integrating the Fluendo Codec Pack into the operating systems of various client endpoints, including Linux, Windows, IGEL OS, and Dell Wyse ThinOS. Crucially, the Fluendo Codec Pack included hardware acceleration plugins, leveraging the client device’s GPU horsepower to substantially reduce CPU load during audio and video content processing. This move guaranteed that client devices possessed optimized and fully licensed codecs for key industry formats, such as H.264 (including patent license compliance), MPEG-4, AAC, or MP3. Leveraging Fluendo’s specialized knowledge in GStreamer and multimedia experts, the codecs were specifically tuned for low-power thin client hardware, ensuring that the local decoding and rendering process was resource-efficient and fast.
By allowing the client to download and process the raw multimedia stream locally, the solution effectively bypassed the need for the VDI server to perform intensive video processing and recoding. This architectural refinement delivered multiple benefits: a reduction of load in the server (enabling greater user density), a better quality of video/audio for the end-user (achieving fluid HD/4K playback), and full legal compliance by managing the necessary patent licensing. The integration ensured interoperability with major VDI protocol vendors, including Citrix, Omnissa, Microsoft, and others.
Proposed solution
Integrating the Fluendo Codec Pack into DaaS & VDI
The implemented solution involved integrating the Fluendo Codec Pack into the operating systems of various client endpoints, including Linux, Windows, IGEL OS, and Dell Wyse ThinOS. Crucially, the Fluendo Codec Pack included hardware acceleration plugins, leveraging the client device’s GPU horsepower to substantially reduce CPU load during audio and video content processing. This move guaranteed that client devices possessed optimized and fully licensed codecs for key industry formats, such as H.264 (including patent license compliance), MPEG-4, AAC, or MP3. Leveraging Fluendo’s specialized knowledge in GStreamer and multimedia experts, the codecs were specifically tuned for low-power thin client hardware, ensuring that the local decoding and rendering process was resource-efficient and fast.
By allowing the client to download and process the raw multimedia stream locally, the solution effectively bypassed the need for the VDI server to perform intensive video processing and recoding. This architectural refinement delivered multiple benefits: a reduction of load in the server (enabling greater user density), a better quality of video/audio for the end-user (achieving fluid HD/4K playback), and full legal compliance by managing the necessary patent licensing. The integration ensured interoperability with major VDI protocol vendors, including Citrix, Omnissa, Microsoft, and others.