Secrets of Video Streaming

How to get your video to stream

with the fewest amount of problems.

Dear Valuable Customer,

The purpose of this information, is to clarify some of the issues with video streaming. I spent a lot of time and you invested quite a bit of money to get your video to this point. To have maximum impact on your audience, your streaming video needs to play correctly. Since streaming video is relatively new and there is a lot of mis-information and mis-understanding I wrote the following for you.

What is Video Streaming

Streaming (or web streaming) is the ability to deliver data directly from a server to your computer and to start to use that data it as it is received. In the case of streaming video, you can start to play the video without having to wait to download the complete file from the server to your computer. This results in relatively short waits of only a few seconds before the video starts playing back.

There are 4 main factors that affect the quality and ease of video streaming:

The file format.
The pipeline or connection speed your customer is using.
The amount of compression and the file size.
The server the video clip is streamed from.

The 4 Main Video File Formats for Streaming Video

The most popular streaming video file formats used on the Internet today are:

1. Microsoft's Windows Media

2. RealNetworks' RealMedia

3. Apple's QuickTime Media

4. Macromedia Shockwave (commonly referred to as Flash).

Windows Media Player continues to dominate and is the most popular of the three main formats. Yet Yet Macromedia Shockwave is the preferred format for most forms of video streaming. Here's why:

Windows Media Player, RealMedia and QuickTime all require their player to be loaded on your audience's computer before the video clip will start playing. This has been a big confusing issue with consumers. Some consumers have one or more of these formats installed. Most users do not understand the different between the formats or how to use them.

Macromedia Shockwave uses a completely different approach. Its player is invisible to the user. This turkey approach allows the viewer to simply click on the video clip and watch the streaming video. Because of this ease of use, Macromedia Shockwave is considered to be the preferred format for video streaming. Macromedia states their player are installed on 97% of computer!

This format is becoming highly popular in video streaming because it does not confuse the consumer. The video plays right from the page you are on and does not require another window to open to play.

The design of the web page determines if the video will be displayed within the page or in the appropriate media player as a separate window

The pipeline

Two main types of connection to the Internet exist: dialing up through a telephone line using a modem or connection via broadband, typically either a cable modem or DSL.

Because broadband delivers much faster connections, it is taking hold. As prices have dropped over the past year, broadband use at home has surpassed that of dial-up in the United States. 53% of residential Web users have broadband connections, according to a Nielsen/NetRatings survey in October, 2004.

Using a dial-up modem to watch video means encountering poor picture quality and tediously slow delivery. Because of this, most people are likely to give up long before the video is finished.

Amount of compression and file size

Regardless of which video file format is being used, the file can be compressed. Compressing a file makes it smaller. This takes up less space on the server, but it also lowers the quality of the video images.

Sometimes, the file size can be compressed without undermining the quality of the video for the viewer. When there isn’t much movement in the video, quality can be lower, allowing a reduction in the size of the file. A client testimonial is an example of this.

Other times, the quality of the video is more important than the file size. For instance, a video clip full of action needs more space.

Choosing a Server for Your Video Streaming

Two types of servers are used to deliver streaming video: a regular web server and a dedicated video streaming server.

Delivering video from a regular web server using http streaming is a regular file transfer process. The file is copied to the viewer’s computer at the fastest speed possible, and it starts playing as soon as a set amount of data has been buffered onto the viewer’s hard drive. If that server is experiencing heavy use or there is a lot of traffic between the server and the customer, it will slow the download.

Delivering video from a dedicated video streaming server is how most big companies stream their videos. I strongly recommend that you set up an account with a dedicated video streaming company. It assures that you've done everything so the the video streams smoothly. Your customer easily views the video and comes away satisfied. No frustration or confusion develops for your customer or for you.

· Because these companies are knowledgeable about streaming video, they are able to optimize their server to deliver the highest quality videos to the end user.

· Their servers are load-balanced across multiple data centers. This means that the data center that is closest to you (and the one that is not busy) is the one from which your video streams.

· The server is able to handle a large amount of traffic without slowing down the delivery speed of the video.

· The server reduces the traffic and lightens the load on your web page server.

· The link from your web page to the video server is invisible to your customer. The customer stays on your page as the video plays.

Recommendations for Video Streaming Companies

My research has led me to www.playstream.com. This video streaming company has been doing an excellent job of hosting my video clips and those of some of my customers for the past six months.

I've called Playstream and told them that some of my customers will also need their services. As a result they are offering you a 14-day free trial. If you decide to use their services, they will also give you 35% off the first full month of billing. (If you start in the middle of the month, they wait until the next month to give you the discount). They will bill you according to how much data (or clips) you transfer in a given month. It generally works out to be a penny per meg.

If you want to try Playstream, go to www.playstream.com. Go through the steps to sign up for the trial period. At the payment area, enter the promotional code of VEC684. If you decide to buy the service, you will receive the 35 % discount.

Once you’ve set up your account with Playstream, email me your account name and password. I will transfer your video clips.

When I receive your email, I will:

1. Post your video clips directly at the Playstream site.

2. Email the html code – about seventeen lines long – to your web master.

Here's what the code looks like from the testimonial from Jack Canfield on my home page:

Some notes about playstream:

1. Upload the file into the progressive folder.

2. Go to the progressive folder.

3. Click on that file.

4. Click on "Generate Object/Embed Tag

5. Enter 320 X 240 for height and width

6. Copy the code to your existing web site.

Now when someone clicks on that video file it will play from the playstream web site.

You then will be able to begin streaming right away.

I hope this information gives greater clarity about streaming video. If you decide to use your existing web hosting service that is fine with me. I just wanted you to make an informed decision. If you need further assistance, either email or just give me a call.

All the best,

James

James Redmond

Video Producer