Streaming Media

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Streaming Media

• Jake Lubitz
• Ben Olson
• CS3121

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What Is Streaming Media?

• Streaming media is media that is used or consumed
  while it is being delivered to the user.
• The main application of streaming media is for
  distribution over a computer network.

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Video formats for Streaming Media

• Quicktime
• Macromedia Flash
• MPEG 4
• Windows Media
• RealMedia
• Generally boils down to personal preference and
  the audience

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Streaming Methods

• HTTP streaming
• Streaming
• Progressive Streaming

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HTTP Streaming

• Easiest way to provide downloadable video files
  is to use a simple hyperlink to the file.
• Another method is to put the file in a web page
  using HTML code.
• Disadvantage is that the user has to wait for the
  entire video file to be downloaded before they
  can view the file.

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HTTP streaming Example

• Any file in which the user downloads the video
  before viewing it.

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Streaming

• You can start watching the file almost as soon as
  it begins downloading.
• The file is sent to the user in a somewhat of a
  constant stream.
• The user watches it as it arrives.
• No waiting is involved.
• Requires an Internet connection with moderate
  bandwidth.
• The file remains on the media server, and no part
  is kept on the users machine.

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Example of Streaming

• YouTube videos use streaming to transport the
  video while retaining it on their webservers.

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Progressive Streaming

• Video clip is downloaded but begins playing as
  soon as a part of the file has been received.
• This simulates true streaming.
• Still requires some waiting by the end user.
• File stays on the users computer.

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Example of Progressive Streaming

• Many instances of Windows Media Player download
  the clip to the users computer as it play.

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Which method to use

• For the project, we will use streaming.
• One reason is that the end user wont have to
  wait for the entire video file to download in
  order to view.
• More user friendly. The user will be able to
  watch the video without having to save it and
  open it in a media player.
• The files will also remain on the media server
  and not be inadvertently distributed.

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Must decide on Format

• What format should we use for the video files?
• Need to consider the end user.
• Will they need to install codecs or plugins to
  view the video files?
• Quicktime
• Flash (Installed on 98 of PCs)
• Source Macromedia

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Video file attributes

• Once the format is decided, some important
  attributes must be considered.
• Frame rate
• Dimensions
• Bit rate

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Project video files formats and attributes

• Some of the raw video has been formatted in Flash
  and Quicktime.
• The converted video files have attributes like 8
  frames per second and dimensions of 320x240

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Streaming Server

• Once the format is decided and the video files
  are converted, need to decide on what streaming
  server to use.
• Darwin Streaming Server (Quicktime)

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Darwin Streaming Server

• Open source
• Requires Quicktime to be installed on end user
  PC.
• Requires video files to be converted into a
  format that can be played on Quicktime.
• The software can be downloaded from
• http//developer.apple.com/opensource/server/strea
  ming/index.html

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Demo of Darwin Streaming Server

• http//csdev23.d.umn.edu/balkenius-small2.mov

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What to use?

• Darwin Streaming Server

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Questions?