49 votes

How Nebula works

18 comments

  1. [7]
    Weldawadyathink
    Link
    This is a really cool breakdown of how Nebula streaming service works. It gets into some fairly low level details, such as bandwidth and storage costs. Those costs are often cited as the reason...

    This is a really cool breakdown of how Nebula streaming service works. It gets into some fairly low level details, such as bandwidth and storage costs. Those costs are often cited as the reason YouTube has no competitors, so it was interesting to hear that their storage costs were so low.

    24 votes
    1. [6]
      ra314
      Link Parent
      I haven't watched the video yet, but a key difference is that YouTube has to store a lot more than a curated list of videos. So a direct competitor to YouTube would have to overcome those costs...

      I haven't watched the video yet, but a key difference is that YouTube has to store a lot more than a curated list of videos. So a direct competitor to YouTube would have to overcome those costs somehow.

      14 votes
      1. [6]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. [4]
          whbboyd
          Link Parent
          I don't think they mean that Youtube stores a lot of stuff which is not video (they definitely do not), but that Youtube stores a lot of video which is not "curated". A solid portion of Youtube's...

          I don't think they mean that Youtube stores a lot of stuff which is not video (they definitely do not), but that Youtube stores a lot of video which is not "curated". A solid portion of Youtube's content will never be watched, but their value proposition requires that they store that video nevertheless.

          31 votes
          1. [3]
            ra314
            Link Parent
            Yup, that is what I meant. I should've placed emphasis on the word curated.

            Yup, that is what I meant. I should've placed emphasis on the word curated.

            3 votes
            1. [3]
              Comment deleted by author
              Link Parent
              1. Akir
                Link Parent
                The creators are curated; they are free to publish what they wish. Nebula is owned in part by the creators who publish on it.

                The creators are curated; they are free to publish what they wish.

                Nebula is owned in part by the creators who publish on it.

                14 votes
              2. ra314
                Link Parent
                I only used the word "curated" as kind of a joke, since that's the word the creators use when pitching Nebula in YouTube videos. I think Nebula will accept anything from their partner creators...

                I only used the word "curated" as kind of a joke, since that's the word the creators use when pitching Nebula in YouTube videos. I think Nebula will accept anything from their partner creators onto the platform.

                It's exactly what you said about any person bring able to upload to YouTube. Nebula on the other hand has a very small and profitable group of uploaders.

                4 votes
        2. tanglisha
          Link Parent
          All I can come up with: Description Comments Subtitles Scrub frames Main image Whatever they use to scan for copyright None of that is going to come close to the size of the video. The scrub...

          All I can come up with:

          • Description
          • Comments
          • Subtitles
          • Scrub frames
          • Main image
          • Whatever they use to scan for copyright

          None of that is going to come close to the size of the video. The scrub frames are probably the biggest thing, I bet they don't even save the copyright stuff once the scan is done.

  2. [5]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [4]
      turmacar
      Link Parent
      As someone who bought the yearly bundle awhile a go, what's going on? I'm able to login/view both CS and Nebula. Is Nebula not getting the subscription money somehow?

      As someone who bought the yearly bundle awhile a go, what's going on? I'm able to login/view both CS and Nebula. Is Nebula not getting the subscription money somehow?

      5 votes
      1. [3]
        AugustusFerdinand
        Link Parent
        Nebula sent an email not too long ago that the Nebula/CS deal is no longer active. Your current subscription will still work, but once it comes renewal time they are no longer bundled.

        Nebula sent an email not too long ago that the Nebula/CS deal is no longer active. Your current subscription will still work, but once it comes renewal time they are no longer bundled.

        4 votes
        1. [3]
          Comment deleted by author
          Link Parent
          1. GOTO10
            Link Parent
            same story here. Took me a while to have a look at "that fake youtube thing".

            I tried CS as I was Curious, and treated Nebula as a side thing. But I found I used Nebula more and more, and when the time came I dropped CS and subscribed to Nebula directly

            same story here. Took me a while to have a look at "that fake youtube thing".

            3 votes
          2. sparksbet
            Link Parent
            I'm really glad I saw this, as I have a CS subscription only for Nebula and had missed the info that the bundle was ending. Switched to direct just now!

            I'm really glad I saw this, as I have a CS subscription only for Nebula and had missed the info that the bundle was ending. Switched to direct just now!

            3 votes
  3. [4]
    Rudism
    Link
    Hearing that the entire Nebula catalog with every video encoded multiple times at different bitrates and resolutions is only 30TB was surprising. I would have guessed much larger--it's only a...

    Hearing that the entire Nebula catalog with every video encoded multiple times at different bitrates and resolutions is only 30TB was surprising. I would have guessed much larger--it's only a little bigger than my personal Jellyfin library of ripped Blurays and DVDs.

    9 votes
    1. [3]
      Akir
      Link Parent
      I don't think that's too terribly surprising. Do keep in mind that when you halve the horizontal or vertical resolution, you're actually reducing the number of pixels by 1/4, so low-res videos...

      I don't think that's too terribly surprising. Do keep in mind that when you halve the horizontal or vertical resolution, you're actually reducing the number of pixels by 1/4, so low-res videos don't take up that much space. Plus Nebula is still pretty small and new, and the narrower focus on a handful of creators means there's drammatically lower volume than "open" streaming sites would need.

      7 votes
      1. [2]
        timo
        Link Parent
        Don’t you mean you reduce it by 3/4, keeping only 1/4 pixels?

        when you halve the horizontal or vertical resolution, you're actually reducing the number of pixels by 1/4

        Don’t you mean you reduce it by 3/4, keeping only 1/4 pixels?

        1. Akir
          Link Parent
          Yes. Sorry for the poor wording.

          Yes. Sorry for the poor wording.

          2 votes
  4. [2]
    Pepetto
    Link
    I got the Curiosity stream + nebula bundle on black friday, and I really like the nebula content... (I use greyjay, so my youtube, twitch and nebula are interwoven in my suggestion feed, and I...

    I got the Curiosity stream + nebula bundle on black friday, and I really like the nebula content... (I use greyjay, so my youtube, twitch and nebula are interwoven in my suggestion feed, and I find myself allways clicking the nebula suggestion over the others.)

    But if they trully get big, does any one know how they plan letting smaller creator build up? Currently, youtube lets anyone upload, and the best stuff grows then gets picked up by nebulla. I'm sure there are solution, just don't know which would be good.

    3 votes
    1. bl4kers
      Link Parent
      That partnership has ended. Also: Source: copy-pasted from emails I received

      That partnership has ended.

      Beginning on January 1, 2024, access to Nebula will no longer be provided by Curiosity Stream. We will continue to provide complimentary Nebula access for the remainder of your current subscription period, but any bundle subscription renewals after 2023 will not include renewed access to Nebula. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

      Also:

      We hope you’re enjoying everything Curiosity Stream has to offer. We wanted to let you know about an upcoming price change... your Standard Annual subscription is set to renew at $39.99 per year (plus applicable tax).

      Source: copy-pasted from emails I received

      1 vote
  5. sneakyRedPanda
    Link
    Been a subscriber for more than 2 years now, absolutely zero plan to unsubscribe anytime soon.

    Been a subscriber for more than 2 years now, absolutely zero plan to unsubscribe anytime soon.

    2 votes