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| - 5 MB Disk Space |
| - 100 MB Data Transfer |
| - Free Support |
| - Immediate Activation |
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Benefits of using a Streaming Server
for your media files |
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There are two ways to deliver media
content over the web-using a web
server or using a streaming server.
While web servers work well for
media like ext and images, they
can't server up large video and
audio files on-demand. |
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(before streaming became popular),
your viewers would have to first
download the file and then run it.
A 30-second video clip could take
thirty minutes to download on a
56-Kbps connection. This means
that it could take much longer to
download the file than to actually
view it. |
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if you were to stream the
same 30-second video clip to your
viewers, there would probably be
only a 5 or 10-second lag between
clicking "Play" and the video
starting! This is the power of
streaming technology-making audio
and video available almost
instantaneously!
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Placing media files on a Web Server
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You can put media files directly
on your website, storing them on
a web server. We will
refer to this as the
"Download-and-Play" model. |
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The
Download-and-Play model is far from
perfect. The primary problem
with the Download-and-Play model is
that it requires your viewers to
download the media files. This
introduces what can be long delays
before the file starts playing.
Many viewers will hesitate to
download media content.
Finally, you lose some control over
your media-once a file is
downloaded, it can easily be
uploaded to another site or shared
using peer-to-peer (P2P) technology.
With these inherent problems, the
Download-and-Play model is not
recommended. |
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Using a Streaming Media Server
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When you use a Streaming Media
Server to distribute audio and video
content, the initial step is
similar. You create a media
file and
save it in a streaming
format. However, instead
of hosting it on a web server along
with all your your HTML or other web
site files, the streaming media file
is hosted on a streaming server
such as
Video Desk and a web
page containing a reference
to the media file is stored on the
web server. |
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Streaming
servers handle communication with
the player very differently from web
servers. Streaming Servers are
designed to deliver an uninterrupted
high-quality media experience to
online viewers, on demand. The
file is actively and intelligently
streamed to the client. The
amount of data sent each second is
tailored to a bit rate
that is set when the file was
created. The server and the
client computer stay in constant
communication during the streaming
process, and the server can respond
to any feedback from the client. |
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Streaming
Servers use protocols like User
Datagram Protocol (UDP) to provide a
better streaming experience.
UDP has less overhead of connection
maintenance and retransmission than
the Transmission Control Protocol
(TCP). Its lower demands on
both the network and on the
streaming server make UDP an ideal
protocol for transmitting audio and
video on-demand. Another
advantage is that UDP traffic gets
higher priority than TCP traffic on
the Internet. |
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The advantages of using a
streaming server like Video
Desk: |
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More efficient use
of the available
bandwidth:
TCP-based transmission
consumes bandwidth by
retransmitting dropped
packets and
re-estimating the
throughput that can be
supported by the network
connection after a
packet loss.
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Better Media
Quality for the viewer:
Since the streaming
server and the client
constantly communicate
during the streaming
process, the server can
dynamically respond to
any change in the
network environment.
For example if network
congestion suddenly
allows the viewer only
22 Kbps instead of 28.8
Kbps, the server can
decide to retain the
audio quality but
slightly reduce the
frame-rate of the video
to keep the total under
the 22-Kbps limit.
A non-streaming web
server can't change the
frame rate during a
download, so there would
be pauses during
playback (if the file is
played before the
download completes).
Also the fact that UDP
is given higher priority
over HTTP traffic
increases the likelihood
of uninterrupted
viewing.
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Cost-effective
transmission to a large
number of viewers:
Receiving many
simultaneous requests
degrades the performance
of a web server.
It improves
the performance of a
streaming server!
An intelligent streaming
server like
Video Desk
improves performance by
optimizing how media
files are read from the
disk, buffered in main
memory, and streamed
onto the network.
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Protection of
Content: With
Video Desk viewers can
play
streamed media.
They cannot easily make
a copy of your file.
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Media Reports:
All streaming servers
provide log files
containing real-time
information about who is
viewing your media, how
much data is
transferred, which clips
have been played and the
average length of time
for which people are
viewing your clip (s).
Video Desk
compiles this
information into an
easy-to-understand Media
Report. The report
lets you determine the
preferences of your
audience, and helps you
create media that get
your message across
effectively.
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Summing Up: |
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With all these
advantages, it's
clear that a
streaming server is
the right answer for
your audio and video
distribution needs. |
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