<![CDATA[Streaming Media Forums

<![CDATA[Streaming Media Forums - Newbies]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:23:30 -0500 MyBB <![CDATA[Delivering streaming content to mobile]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10715.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:34:22 -0500 dcm2001 http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10715.html I have set-up a MMS server for Unicast streaming. Its working fine both with mms and rtsp protocols but what settings require to deliver or watch the same streaming content on mobile phone

]]> I have set-up a MMS server for Unicast streaming. Its working fine both with mms and rtsp protocols but what settings require to deliver or watch the same streaming content on mobile phone

]]> <![CDATA[RE: h264 vs vp6]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:18:24 -0500 Dave http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html
Have you taken a look at:
http://www.streaminglearningcenter.com/c...g-a-codec/

]]>
Have you taken a look at:
http://www.streaminglearningcenter.com/c...g-a-codec/

]]> <![CDATA[RE: h264 vs vp6]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:00:50 -0500 Dave http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html

]]>

]]> <![CDATA[RE: h264 vs vp6]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:25:26 -0500 cata12 http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html
Have a look at: http://support.on2.com/h264_faq.php ,it's a good article about h264 versus vp6. Basicly what is your project about? What do you want to achieve in terms of video quality? 248k is a bit low for live streaming if we think that HD starts from 1mb.

Regards,
Catalin

]]>
Have a look at: http://support.on2.com/h264_faq.php ,it's a good article about h264 versus vp6. Basicly what is your project about? What do you want to achieve in terms of video quality? 248k is a bit low for live streaming if we think that HD starts from 1mb.

Regards,
Catalin

]]> <![CDATA[RE: h264 vs vp6]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:21:03 -0500 cata12 http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html
Yes indeed you are right but I was saying about HD because he said about H264 which is the encoding standard for HD video broadcast. Here is what we use to do flash streaming: http://www.blinkotv.com/files/pdf/blinko...ive_hd.pdf You see there how to do it and what are the advantages. Of course the download speed of the viewers needs to be at least equal with the bitrate he is using to stream, if they want to view without having buffering issues. It also depends on what he needs to stream, the webcasting software.
I just found this article which is a good start in choosing a codec or another:
http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=9259

See me offline if you need additional information about streaming software or codecs.
Regards
Catalin
EyePartner Inc.

]]>
Yes indeed you are right but I was saying about HD because he said about H264 which is the encoding standard for HD video broadcast. Here is what we use to do flash streaming: http://www.blinkotv.com/files/pdf/blinko...ive_hd.pdf You see there how to do it and what are the advantages. Of course the download speed of the viewers needs to be at least equal with the bitrate he is using to stream, if they want to view without having buffering issues. It also depends on what he needs to stream, the webcasting software.
I just found this article which is a good start in choosing a codec or another:
http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=9259

See me offline if you need additional information about streaming software or codecs.
Regards
Catalin
EyePartner Inc.

]]> <![CDATA[h264 vs vp6]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:53:09 -0500 trini_tech http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html
i am streaming at 248k at 15fps.

]]>
i am streaming at 248k at 15fps.

]]> <![CDATA[RE: h264 vs vp6]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:04:27 -0500 trini_tech http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10711.html

]]>

]]> <![CDATA[RE: some advice please :)]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10710.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:45:59 -0500 Dave http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10710.html
What's your upstream broadband capacity between the encoder and the new server ? Any contention ratios or is it guaranteed ? Tested it ? Tested it again ? Testing it from now till the event ?

What bitrate(s) are you planning on encoding your stream(s) at ? 100Mbps will get used up pretty quick with 100+ connections.

There's a load test simulator for WMS which you could/should use to test the server prior to the event.

]]>
What's your upstream broadband capacity between the encoder and the new server ? Any contention ratios or is it guaranteed ? Tested it ? Tested it again ? Testing it from now till the event ?

What bitrate(s) are you planning on encoding your stream(s) at ? 100Mbps will get used up pretty quick with 100+ connections.

There's a load test simulator for WMS which you could/should use to test the server prior to the event.

]]> <![CDATA[RE: some advice please :)]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10710.html Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:46:08 -0500 Dave http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10710.html
As for the load test - take a look at:
"Checking Server Performance with Windows Media Load Simulator"
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows...adsim.aspx

If you are using WMS, then either an embedded Windows Media Player, or a Silverlight player application is the usual approach.

Silverlight can give you a better cross platform/cross browser experience 'out of the box', whereas embedding WMP for every platform/browser version can be quite a challange as you need to start using some browser detection logic (and if the user has JavaScript disabled on their browser then that code will fail).

Embedding for Firefox and Gecko
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/...S.85).aspx
http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=8584

You can find fully functional Silverlight media players included with Expression Encoder, or you can use the likes of the JW WMV Player.
http://www.longtailvideo.com/players/jw-wmv-player/

If using Silverlight, you need to make sure that HTTP streaming is enabled on WMS (it's not by default).

If you don't need any fancy controls and just want some video in the web page, you can do this in Expression Blend without the need for code behind. Just drag a media element onto the canvas, set the source parameter to the WMS URL and that's all there is to it. Even adding some basic controls requires minimal effort:
http://www.silverlight.net/learn/videos/...-playback/
(it's even easier in the later versions of Blend as it takes care of the button event handlers)

If you embed a WMP, then it's usually a good idea to also include a hyperlink below the embedded player which points to a asx or wsx metafile that allows the user to launch a standalone media player to access the stream in case of embed problems.

I'm not aware of a Flash application being able to access a stream from a WMS server, so if you want to go down that route then you would need to consider changing the back-end server.

]]>
As for the load test - take a look at:
"Checking Server Performance with Windows Media Load Simulator"
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows...adsim.aspx

If you are using WMS, then either an embedded Windows Media Player, or a Silverlight player application is the usual approach.

Silverlight can give you a better cross platform/cross browser experience 'out of the box', whereas embedding WMP for every platform/browser version can be quite a challange as you need to start using some browser detection logic (and if the user has JavaScript disabled on their browser then that code will fail).

Embedding for Firefox and Gecko
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/...S.85).aspx
http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=8584

You can find fully functional Silverlight media players included with Expression Encoder, or you can use the likes of the JW WMV Player.
http://www.longtailvideo.com/players/jw-wmv-player/

If using Silverlight, you need to make sure that HTTP streaming is enabled on WMS (it's not by default).

If you don't need any fancy controls and just want some video in the web page, you can do this in Expression Blend without the need for code behind. Just drag a media element onto the canvas, set the source parameter to the WMS URL and that's all there is to it. Even adding some basic controls requires minimal effort:
http://www.silverlight.net/learn/videos/...-playback/
(it's even easier in the later versions of Blend as it takes care of the button event handlers)

If you embed a WMP, then it's usually a good idea to also include a hyperlink below the embedded player which points to a asx or wsx metafile that allows the user to launch a standalone media player to access the stream in case of embed problems.

I'm not aware of a Flash application being able to access a stream from a WMS server, so if you want to go down that route then you would need to consider changing the back-end server.

]]> <![CDATA[some advice please :)]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10710.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:03:53 -0500 vade http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10710.html
this weekend i will be live streaming a live event to a possible audience of hundreds could be more.

i would like some advice on if my setup can handle this.

i have just been given access to a new dedicated server with this hardware:

network 100MB up and down
Quad Core Xeon
2.4 GHz / 1066MHz
4GB dual channel Ram

we have another server where the website itself is hosted my line of thought is that if i have the website on the existing server and stream and broadcast using the new one that will help with any load problems.

my stream setup is:

camera--> high spec PC with windows media encoder --> broadband --> new server with windows media services running --> the world!

if i put the webpage on the old server and then embed a publishing point from the new server then the stream thro the publishing point will only relie on the the new server. correct?

i know this all sounds like i am out of my depth or w/e but theres a lot riding on this and i want to make sure i get this right.

thanks in advance for any help

vade

]]>
this weekend i will be live streaming a live event to a possible audience of hundreds could be more.

i would like some advice on if my setup can handle this.

i have just been given access to a new dedicated server with this hardware:

network 100MB up and down
Quad Core Xeon
2.4 GHz / 1066MHz
4GB dual channel Ram

we have another server where the website itself is hosted my line of thought is that if i have the website on the existing server and stream and broadcast using the new one that will help with any load problems.

my stream setup is:

camera--> high spec PC with windows media encoder --> broadband --> new server with windows media services running --> the world!

if i put the webpage on the old server and then embed a publishing point from the new server then the stream thro the publishing point will only relie on the the new server. correct?

i know this all sounds like i am out of my depth or w/e but theres a lot riding on this and i want to make sure i get this right.

thanks in advance for any help

vade

]]> <![CDATA[RE: some advice please :)]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10710.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:50:00 -0500 vade http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10710.html
i like the ideal of doing a load test on the WMS server could you possibly provide a link Smile

thanks for coming back to me

btw is using windows media player as the embeded player the standard way togo or is there a better player (flash or something) which can be embedded?

]]>
i like the ideal of doing a load test on the WMS server could you possibly provide a link Smile

thanks for coming back to me

btw is using windows media player as the embeded player the standard way togo or is there a better player (flash or something) which can be embedded?

]]> <![CDATA[RE: Need Some Advice]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10709.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:52:08 -0400 Dave http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10709.html
Choice of equipment will depend on the design of your set - have you done any ground work there ?

Basically you are going to need to consider lighting, audio capture and video capture and balance you budget between them.

Depending on what sort material your artists are going to be demonstrating and how this will be done, will affect the kit you are going to initially want to invest in.

A good starting point might be VASST's 'Video for the Web - what you need to know' DVD as it takes you through a range of equipment you might want to consider and highlights some of the pitfalls of web video.

Also check out some of Jan Ozer's videos from past StreamingMedia conferences on StreamingMedia.com and also his website at: http://www.streaminglearningcenter.com/c...roduction/

Dan Rayburn published a series of "Hands On" guides covering various aspects of streaming Media which are well worth reading.

Steve Mack's Streaming Media bible is well worth a read as it has a good introduction to production, even though it's a bit dated now.

CMP's DV Expert series is good for more in depth detail on specific aspects e.g. Jay Rose's Great Sound for Digital Audio. (he also has his own website)

BBC Training have some free online tutorials on production tips as well http://www.bbctraining.com/onlineCourses.asp

Dave

]]>
Choice of equipment will depend on the design of your set - have you done any ground work there ?

Basically you are going to need to consider lighting, audio capture and video capture and balance you budget between them.

Depending on what sort material your artists are going to be demonstrating and how this will be done, will affect the kit you are going to initially want to invest in.

A good starting point might be VASST's 'Video for the Web - what you need to know' DVD as it takes you through a range of equipment you might want to consider and highlights some of the pitfalls of web video.

Also check out some of Jan Ozer's videos from past StreamingMedia conferences on StreamingMedia.com and also his website at: http://www.streaminglearningcenter.com/c...roduction/

Dan Rayburn published a series of "Hands On" guides covering various aspects of streaming Media which are well worth reading.

Steve Mack's Streaming Media bible is well worth a read as it has a good introduction to production, even though it's a bit dated now.

CMP's DV Expert series is good for more in depth detail on specific aspects e.g. Jay Rose's Great Sound for Digital Audio. (he also has his own website)

BBC Training have some free online tutorials on production tips as well http://www.bbctraining.com/onlineCourses.asp

Dave

]]> <![CDATA[RE: Need Some Advice]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10709.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:21:50 -0500 Dave http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10709.html
Cheaper cameras often produce a lot of noise as they have to amplify the signal levels coming from the imager device. The more available light to start with, then the less amplification required, and the less noise.

Attention to lighting can also produce a better quality encodes/lower bit rates, by controlling contrast and shadows.

This can reduce the amount of work that the encoder has to do, once again allowing you to keep the costs down, and push quality up.

]]>
Cheaper cameras often produce a lot of noise as they have to amplify the signal levels coming from the imager device. The more available light to start with, then the less amplification required, and the less noise.

Attention to lighting can also produce a better quality encodes/lower bit rates, by controlling contrast and shadows.

This can reduce the amount of work that the encoder has to do, once again allowing you to keep the costs down, and push quality up.

]]> <![CDATA[RE: Need Some Advice]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10709.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:20:03 -0500 cata12 http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10709.html
As Dave said, think about a good capture card (I recommend you IntensityPro from BlackMagicDesign), then a good video camera (I use Canon Vixia HF10). HDMI connexion is the best here especially
if you want to stream HD quality. Also make sure you make an rough estimation about the audience's size because this reflects the bandwidth spent. If you have a big audience get a package with more GB included.
Have a look on http://www.blinkotv.com also. It may help you decide the live streaming software to go with. Another question is: will your viewers pay in order to access your stream or this is a free service (free broadcasting software)?

Best regards
Catalin

]]>
As Dave said, think about a good capture card (I recommend you IntensityPro from BlackMagicDesign), then a good video camera (I use Canon Vixia HF10). HDMI connexion is the best here especially
if you want to stream HD quality. Also make sure you make an rough estimation about the audience's size because this reflects the bandwidth spent. If you have a big audience get a package with more GB included.
Have a look on http://www.blinkotv.com also. It may help you decide the live streaming software to go with. Another question is: will your viewers pay in order to access your stream or this is a free service (free broadcasting software)?

Best regards
Catalin

]]> <![CDATA[Need Some Advice]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10709.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:53:14 -0400 samcar http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10709.html
I am looking for a little advice here. I am new to streaming media and I consider myself to be somewhat tech savy (I pick it up descently). I am looking into setting up a channel on livestream. I am going to be producing a show where local/regional artists can show thier work, discuss it, and give a demo of their technique. So, my question is what kind of equipment should I be getting? - My budget isn't that much so beginer/used/inexpensive is the route I would like to take.

Thanks,
Samuel

]]>
I am looking for a little advice here. I am new to streaming media and I consider myself to be somewhat tech savy (I pick it up descently). I am looking into setting up a channel on livestream. I am going to be producing a show where local/regional artists can show thier work, discuss it, and give a demo of their technique. So, my question is what kind of equipment should I be getting? - My budget isn't that much so beginer/used/inexpensive is the route I would like to take.

Thanks,
Samuel

]]> <![CDATA[RE: Need Some Advice]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10709.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:34:36 -0500 samcar http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10709.html
Luckily, lighting should already be taken care of - we are an arts center with artist studios and will be using one of them for our set. We have various spot lights (halogen) available that are for gallery use, but can be reallocated for this use.

As for your budget question: It is mostly a matter of "Here boss, this our cheapest option"

Thanks again, especially for those links.

]]>
Luckily, lighting should already be taken care of - we are an arts center with artist studios and will be using one of them for our set. We have various spot lights (halogen) available that are for gallery use, but can be reallocated for this use.

As for your budget question: It is mostly a matter of "Here boss, this our cheapest option"

Thanks again, especially for those links.

]]> <![CDATA[Packet loss for video streaming]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10703.html Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:30:34 -0400 amigo007 http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10703.html
I made an experiment about streaming HD video using Darwin Streaming Server. The streaming works as a charm inside the LAN, but when streaming over the net the quality turned out tobe so bad and there is sometimes up to 80% packet losses.

Any advice/hints will be highly appreciated. Please help.

Cheers!

]]>
I made an experiment about streaming HD video using Darwin Streaming Server. The streaming works as a charm inside the LAN, but when streaming over the net the quality turned out tobe so bad and there is sometimes up to 80% packet losses.

Any advice/hints will be highly appreciated. Please help.

Cheers!

]]> <![CDATA[RE: PPV streaming]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10702.html Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:05:10 -0400 cata12 http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10702.html
The video broadcast project you want to start is very interesting. Here is what I use to stream VOD's on a pay per view basis. Check http://www.tikilive.org then http://www.tikilive.org/pdf/TikiLIVE_PPV.pdf for information about how the pay per view feature works. Basicly you will be able to set prices and sell tickets for the shows. You can also do live video broadcasting. This feature is already installed so you don't need additional integrations.

See me offline if you have questions.

Best regards
Catalin
EyePartner Inc.

]]>
The video broadcast project you want to start is very interesting. Here is what I use to stream VOD's on a pay per view basis. Check http://www.tikilive.org then http://www.tikilive.org/pdf/TikiLIVE_PPV.pdf for information about how the pay per view feature works. Basicly you will be able to set prices and sell tickets for the shows. You can also do live video broadcasting. This feature is already installed so you don't need additional integrations.

See me offline if you have questions.

Best regards
Catalin
EyePartner Inc.

]]> <![CDATA[PPV streaming]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10702.html Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:43:32 -0400 Doug Nelson http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10702.html
Can anyone recommend to me an integrated PPV/streaming solution, or lacking that any sort of solution for this?

I own my own server and am not averse to buying more, or for using hosted services.

Thanks in advance.

]]>
Can anyone recommend to me an integrated PPV/streaming solution, or lacking that any sort of solution for this?

I own my own server and am not averse to buying more, or for using hosted services.

Thanks in advance.

]]> <![CDATA[RE: Streaming Vs Hard Copy DVD's]]> http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10701.html Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:41:06 -0400 Dave http://forums.streamingmedia.com/thread-10701.html
You also appear to be confusing streaming and download technologies. If you stream it then you don't download it. You would typically have to log-on to the remote server each time you wanted to view it. If you download it, you log-on once, download it, and then acess it locally.

One thing to think about would be the amount and quality of the content. A single DVD disc can hold more data (approx 5-18GB) than a number of people would be prepared to download, which means you can typically include more content or higher quality content on the DVD. You can stream high quality content, however not everyone has sufficient bandwidth to receive it. A DVD in that respect will typically give your customers a more consistant experience.

It also depends on the price. Some people, if spending a lot of money, prefer to receive something that they can physically hold, as opposed to a one-time viewing or some large files on their hard drive, which they now need to back-up some-how.

On-line content has the advantage that in most cases it is immediately accessible. If it's 9pm and your customer is browsing the web for how-to information and come across your product, then typically they can access it there and then, without having to wait until the following morning for their order to be processed, packaged, and then put into the post and finally wait for it to be delivered. Instead they may just continue browsing the web to find the information elsewhere.

On-line content is easier to update though. If there is a problem with your DVD, then potentially you have to recall and replace. With on-line, you can update and and send an e-mail out stating that it has been updated.

Compatibility issues still remain with streaming media though. Not all customers can access on-line media. Firewalls may block certain ports required for streaming, or they may not have sufficient rights to install the player application on their machine. On the other hand, most people these days however will have some means of playing back a video DVD.

You could however use both technologies and see how it goes. If one proves to be more successful than the other, then roll with it, and drop the other.

]]>
You also appear to be confusing streaming and download technologies. If you stream it then you don't download it. You would typically have to log-on to the remote server each time you wanted to view it. If you download it, you log-on once, download it, and then acess it locally.

One thing to think about would be the amount and quality of the content. A single DVD disc can hold more data (approx 5-18GB) than a number of people would be prepared to download, which means you can typically include more content or higher quality content on the DVD. You can stream high quality content, however not everyone has sufficient bandwidth to receive it. A DVD in that respect will typically give your customers a more consistant experience.

It also depends on the price. Some people, if spending a lot of money, prefer to receive something that they can physically hold, as opposed to a one-time viewing or some large files on their hard drive, which they now need to back-up some-how.

On-line content has the advantage that in most cases it is immediately accessible. If it's 9pm and your customer is browsing the web for how-to information and come across your product, then typically they can access it there and then, without having to wait until the following morning for their order to be processed, packaged, and then put into the post and finally wait for it to be delivered. Instead they may just continue browsing the web to find the information elsewhere.

On-line content is easier to update though. If there is a problem with your DVD, then potentially you have to recall and replace. With on-line, you can update and and send an e-mail out stating that it has been updated.

Compatibility issues still remain with streaming media though. Not all customers can access on-line media. Firewalls may block certain ports required for streaming, or they may not have sufficient rights to install the player application on their machine. On the other hand, most people these days however will have some means of playing back a video DVD.

You could however use both technologies and see how it goes. If one proves to be more successful than the other, then roll with it, and drop the other.

]]>