Streaming MultimediaProviding the Net Generation with Instant Multimedia and Looking Good While Doing It.

2

Introductions

Joe Wack – Multimedia Support ManagerCrestron ProgrammingA/V Systems DesignStreaming MediaFlash/JavascriptMedia ServicesDigital Media Lab

Me

My Video Wall

My Desktop

3

Introductions

Rhodes College– Memphis, Tennessee

4

Outcome Modeling

http://www.scad.tv/http://www.virginia.edu/uvapodcast/http://www.gettysburg.edu/podium/index.dothttp://ms.rhodes.edu/

5

What are You Doing?

Currently working on Rhodes Video Portal, considering using Delve, while creating our own with osTube

[Information from other schools goes here about such things as web portals, video on demand, etc.]

6

Multimedia Streaming Overview

Stream – strēm Noun1: a body of running water or any body of flowing fluid2 a: a steady succession b: a constantly renewed or steady supply c: a continuous moving procession 3: a ray of light

What is Streaming?• A way of transferring data• Requires a persistent connection• Transient - Data is stored in a local buffer• Bandwidth dependent• Simpler than we usually think

What is it not?• YouTube• Bandwidth efficient• Totally secure

7

Standards and Terms

• RTMP: Real-Time Messaging Protocol• RTSP: Real-Time Streaming Protocol• RTP: Real-time Transport Protocol• Multicast• Unicast• Codec• Encoder• Digitize• SQL• MPEG• [more as they occur to me]

8

Commonly Streamed File Formats

Audio:.MP3VorbisACC.RA

Video:.MP4.FLV.MOV.WMVTheora.RV

• Metadata (Usually Accurate)

• Video (Usually MPEG-4)• Audio (Usually AAC)

• Bun (Usually Sesame)• Lettuce (Usually

Fresh)• Tomato (Usually Red)• Cheese (Usually

American)• Meat (Usually Angus)

9

Discussion

Progressive DownloadStreaming vs.

SERVER

SERVER

10

Audio vs. Video, Fight!

Audio bandwidth and storage requirementsStorage: 192 kbps MP3 x 180 s = 34560 kb/8000= 4.32 MB

Bandwidth: 192 kbps x # of listeners(30 listeners) = 5760 kbps or 5.76 mbps

Video bandwidth and storage requirementsStorage: 1692 kbps MP4 x 7200 s = 12182400 kb/8000 = 1522.8 MB

Bandwidth: 1692kbps x # of watchers(30 watchers) = 5076 kbps or 50.76 mbps

11

Streaming Solutions

Five Major Streaming Solutions1. Quicktime/Darwin2. Windows Media3. Flash4. Real Media5. Open Source

12

Quicktime/Darwin Streaming

Pros: • Cheap/Free (Comes with Max OSX Server)• Easy to implement• Very good stream quality

Cons:• Not terribly interactive (just a video/audio

window)• Customization requires advanced programming

skills• Requires Quicktime installed

Here’s a link to Darwin Streaming Server

Question: How could this work with an AJAX interface?

13

Windows Media Streaming

Pros: • Cheap, comes with server• Good quality streams

Cons• Requires windows media player• Server requires Windows, no Mac/Linux version• Not terribly interactive (just a video/audio window)• Customization requires advanced programming skills

Here’s an exampleHere’s an example with Silverlight

Question: How could this work with an AJAX interface?

14

Flash Streaming

Pros:• Highly customizable• Very good quality streams• Flash player is ubiquitous

Cons:• Expensive (streaming software is ~$600)• Requires Flash programming knowledge• No Mac version of streaming server

Here’s a link to the development serverAnd a link to Flash Professional CS4 Evaluation

If you’re feeling adventurous, Flex builder is available for free to educators and students.

15

Real Media Streaming

Pros:• Cheapish• Usually a turnkey system• Easy to encode/push to server

Cons:• Lower quality• Requires bulky Realplayer• Difficult to customize• Windows/Linux/Solaris only

Here’s an example

Question: How could this work with an AJAX interface?

16

Open Source Streaming

Pros:• Free!• Very good quality

Cons:• No official support• Lots of setup overhead• Typically ugly• Requires unusual plug-ins and players

Here’s a link to Red5And a link to icecast and ShoutcastAnd a link to Rhodes Radio (also the backend)

17

Organizational Methods

How do we keep this files in line?• Disk and folder structure

How do we control access and secure content?• LDAP authentication• File permissions• Network access limitations• Physical machine limitations

How do we reference the actual data?• MySQL• XML• PHP• Javascript• Flash

18

Databases

Pros:• Free! (mySQL)• Well established• Fast• Highly customizable

Cons:• Requires mastering

some new language• Might be overly

complicated

19

Course Management Systems

Why embed within a CMS

• Solves authentication and class limitation requirements

• Provides pre-customized interface• Saves time

Why not?• Only as customizable as the CMS• Requires that professors use CMS to access

streams

20

Institutional Repositories

Question: How are institutional repositories different from course management systems?

Visit our poster sessions for additional info.

Also visit www.crossroadstofreedom.org

21

Helpful Sites

Wikipedia's Streaming Media EntryStreaming at the University of WisconsinDeveloping Media Applications Real’s Guide to Multicasting Relays and Bandwidth Management Open Source Flash - red5 UT Austin Web Video Guidelines Welcome To The International Webcasting AssociationInternet Streaming Media Alliance