Streaming
technology allows you to transmit audio, video
and other multimedia over the Internet.
Streaming media services such as Video Desk deliver audio and video without
making the viewer wait tediously to download
files. As your computer plays the media
file, it continues to download and buffer
additional content from the streaming server.
Playing and downloading happen at the same time.
This process is almost invisible to the viewer
except for a short period of initial buffering.
The Need For Streaming Media
The
Internet is basically a "packet-pusher".
When you send an e-mail or open a web page, a
server receives your "packet" (request for
information), pushes that information you asked
for out of the door as fast as it can, completes
the transaction, disconnects, and goes on to
requests by other users. Your web browser
takes the information it receives, displays it
on the screen, and then waits for your next
request (for instance, clicking on a link).
This kind
of packet-pushing functionality works very well
for transferring graphics and text but
transmitting video and sound this way is
problematic. With the packet-pushing
approach, a web user would need to download the
entire video clip before it can be viewed.
With a large file size, the wait can become
unbearable.
The goal
of streaming media is to work around the
bandwidth limitations of the Internet.
Using almost proprietary technologies, data is
fed to the user continuously while the media is
being played. This technology uses a
continuous connection, like the one required for
watching TV or listening to the radio.
Your computer receives the video or audio just
before you see or hear it. You do not need
to completely download your media before being
able to view it.
An
Edge Over Conventional Media
Streaming Media provides six distinct advantages over conventional media files:
View In Real Time
Faster Views over the
Internet
Protection against media
piracy
See who's watching your
videos
Control over user's
viewing experience
Easy to monetize your
media content
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| View In Real Time: |
Streaming
Media allows users to view media almost in REAL
TIME. There is only an initial, negligible
waiting period as the file is buffered.
This is much better than viewing audio/visual
content in the conventional manner, where all
the media must be downloaded by the viewer
completely before viewing it. Visitors do
not need to wait for files to download before
viewing them. This is very important since
most video and multimedia files are large and
require a long time to download. This
problem is completely eliminated with Streaming
Media as streamed files are not downloaded to
the user's computer.
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Faster Views over the Internet:
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The most
obvious advantage that a streamed video file
enjoys over conventional video is speed.
Streaming Media takes the wait out of hearing
audio or viewing video and animation over the
Internet. A streaming video does not need
to be downloaded before it can be viewed.
The file begins playing on the viewer's computer
almost instantly, as soon as the viewer clicks
on a link and requests it. Non-streaming
formats such as WAV, AVI and MPG have to be
downloaded completely to the client computer
before they can be played. You can convert
most audio and video files to streaming format
by using tools such as Video Caster.
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| Protection against media piracy: |
| Media
piracy is a global epidemic! Conventional
media is very vulnerable to unauthorized
duplication and editing because it is easily
downloadable. Viewers can easily download
an AVI, MPG or WMA file, and duplicate it, edit
it, or redistribute it without your permission
or knowledge. Streaming media provides a
much higher level of security for your content
and can help protect content owners' rights.
Streamed files play over the Internet without
being downloaded to viewers' computers.
This makes them less susceptible to unauthorized
duplication or tampering. |
| |
| Track your audiences: |
| Video Desk is a video and audio streaming service.
Video Desk's "Media Reports" give you
detailed information about who is viewing
your files, the number of times a file is
requested, the average duration for which
the viewers are playing the file, the total
duration of each clip and the total amount
of data transferred per clip. This
helps you determine whether your media is
reaching the intended target audience or
not. It also helps you judge your
audience's tastes and create media that
appeals to them. |
| |
| Control over user's viewing experience: |
| Streaming media gives you better control
over the your viewers' experience. For
example, Video Desk's playlist feature links
multiple video files in sequence. Your
viewers click a single link to play all the
files in the order you chose. This
lets you showcase multiple videos without
actually combining them into a single, large
file.
You also have a choice of various
"skins", which you can apply to your
viewers' media players. A skin is an coordinated set of graphics and
buttons that give a specific appearance
to the web player. You can use a
colorful "Festive" skin when streaming
the video of your child's birthday
party, and opt for a more formal
"Corporate" skin to stream a business
presentation. You can also
customize the quality of your media
depending upon the Internet connection
your viewers have. |
| |
| Monetize
your content: |
| Unlike
conventional downloaded media, which is
vulnerable to copying and manipulation,
streaming media never gets saved as a file on
the viewer's computer. Streaming
technology pre-empts much piracy, misuse,
unauthorized access, etc. |
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| Requirements For Playing Streaming Media |
| To play
streaming media, your browser must have a player
like Windows Media Player (that comes
pre-installed on all Windows PCs). Newer
versions of the Widows Media Player can also be
downloaded for free. If the streaming
media contains sound (audio) then your computer
should also have a sound card and speakers.
A faster Internet connection will allow the
playing higher-quality audio and video streams. |
|
| Quality vs. Quickness |
| People
often criticize the quality of streaming media.
They compare the video quality of a streamed
file to that of a television program. But
streaming media is not primarily about quality,
it's about access. Imagine being
able to simply click a link in your email
program to see a 30-minute video clip of your
grandchild who lives on the other side of the
planet. When you click that link and see
the video instantly, you feel the power of
streaming technology. |
| |
| The
quality of streaming media is editable. If
your viewers have a high-bandwidth connection to
the Internet, you may encode your video and
audio for a higher quality. If your
viewers have a slow connection to the net,
then you will need to encode your media files at
a slower speed so that they play smoothly. |
| |
Cable
modems and DSL lines provide a high speed
connection to the net. This makes
high-quality streaming media a very real option.
Advances in compression technology, which allow
higher-quality video and audio to be sent using
the same bandwidth, have also contributed to
improvements in media quality.
Encoding Media Files
The
process of converting the format of a normal
media file into a streaming format is called encoding. Encoding gets a
media file ready to be streamed by a streaming
server such as Video Desk. The encoder is a program that you use to take a
file and processes it to streaming media format.
Every clip, or every stream in a clip, is
encoded for a specific bit-rate. The
higher the resolution, the more information a
stream has, and higher the bandwidth needed to
get all the information through to you at a
useable speed.
The bandwidth available from your
internet connection (modem / LAN) has a
maximum set limit. Streaming Media
content providers need to encode their media
to handle a variety of bandwidths so as to
be able to reach a wider cross-section of
viewers. A high-quality encoding
application such as Video Caster allows you to
encode the same media file for many
different internet connection speeds.
A higher bandwidth allows more information
to be displayed and gives the viewers a
better media experience, just like a
large-format negative yields a larger,
sharper photograph. Most streaming
media players use buffering to overcome
minor slowdowns on the Internet.
Uses of Streaming Media |
| Live Web-casts: |
| |
More and
more events are being web-cast live.
Everything from the deliberations of the United
States Congress (via cspan.org) to live concerts
to beauty pageants. |
| Digital Music: |
| |
More and
more music companies are promoting their albums
and artistes by streaming secure,
non-downloadable and non-copyable music clips.
Streaming technology is also used for secure and
legal distribution of high-quality music through
"pay-per-download" and "pay-per-stream"
capabilities. |
| E-Learning Solutions: |
| |
Many of
the world's training specialists are using
streaming technology in a big way to replace
conventional training methods with highly
cost-effective and secure, on-demand,
just-in-time distance learning that incorporates
more than static text and images. |
| Multimedia Product Catalog / Online Sales
Brochure: |
| |
Vibrant,
colorful and exciting video clips, pulsating
music and eloquent narrations are being used to
liven up otherwise static product catalogs and
sales brochures and are being streamed to
potential clients who visit the site. |
| Advertising: |
| |
Brilliantly designed and executed streaming
media advertising has dramatically increased
customer interaction rates and brand
recognition by delivering an enthralling
viewing experience to potential clients. |
| Cost-effective Information Distribution: |
| |
Organization no longer need to create video
tapes and DVDs and ship copies to each
branch office, or send technical trainers
half-way around the world. Now they
can communicate with the entire company
simply by creating and streaming digital
video.
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