Introduction to Video Streaming
One of the advantages of advancing Internet technology is the ability to have multimedia content delivered right to our homes. Click a button and you can hear music or watch videos that start playing almost immediately. The wizardry behind this delivery system is called 'streaming' and can be applied to both video and audio content.
Streaming is similar in concept to broadcasting. Radio or TV broadcasts work by sending out an audio or video signal from a central broadcast tower or cable company and anyone with the proper receiver (a TV set or a radio) can enjoy that broadcast.
Streaming works almost the same way. Streaming can be done in real time just like a broadcast, but it can also be used to transmit stored material that can be viewed at any time. Wouldn't it be great if we could flip on the TV and watch any show we wanted? Well, with video streaming that's possible.
Live video feeds (sometimes called webcasts) are a part of video streaming, but the biggest application of video streaming technology is for 'video-on-demand'. The video content is available for viewing at any time – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Streaming vs Downloading
Any type of file can be downloaded to your personal computer. The problem is that if it's a big video file it may take anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours for the download to finish before you can view it.
Streaming is different. It allows you to watch the video as it is downloading. There is usually a short delay between clicking the 'view' button and seeing the beginning of the video, but this delay is measured in seconds rather than hours.
The reason for this delay is that the media player is creating a buffer for the video. This buffer allows the video to continue uninterrupted in case there is a disruption in the download stream. Of course, if the disruption is too long, the video will start skipping or just stop playing.
Anyone with a web site can place a properly formatted video file on their HTTP server and create a simple hyperlink to allow viewers to watch the video. This is fine for any website that receives low to moderate traffic.
Web sites that have a significant number of visitors, however, may have to use a special streaming server that can keep up with the demand of many people watching the streaming video simultaneously. A streaming server is also needed if you want to do realtime webcasts.
Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) specialize in streaming servers so anyone serious about offering reliable streaming video to a large audience should use this type of service.
The advantages of using a streaming server include detecting the client's connection speed so that video files of an appropriate bit rate are delivered. This spares the end-user the necessity of choosing between various formats.
