[Hidden-tech] QuickTime and streaming video question

[Adam Connor]

Technically, the circumstances you describe would be called "progressive 
download" which many times is lumped together under the moniker "streaming"

Traditionally, streaming media works something like this:

    * Your browser/media player requests a media file
    * The server sends a "piece" of the file
    * Your browser/media player plays the piece it receives (if it came
      through OK)
    * The server sends the next piece of the file
    * Your browser/media player "forgets" about the piece it already
      played, and plays the next piece.


This is a generalization, there are other components to streaming, such 
as the fact that if a "piece" is not received correctly by the player it 
is skipped all together and not re-sent and, a user cannot smoothly 
"scrub" a streamed piece of media, and streaming media typically 
requires a specialized server.

The situation you describe, "progressive download" is much simpler, and 
goes a little something like this:

    * Your browser/media player requests a media file
    * The server begins sending the file
    * After your browser has received a certain amount, anything from 1%
      to 100% of the file, it begins playing the file back


In this situation your local computer retains the entire file, so you 
can jump to any point that has been downloaded while the media is 
playing. Also, no special type of media server is needed. Popular sites 
like YouTube use progressive download.

I hope this answers your question, if not, let me know, I'd be happy to 
clarify further.

adam connor
little green toaster
413.244.4457
adam at littlegreentoaster.com
www.littlegreentoaster.com



Frieda Reichsman wrote:
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> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Hi,
>
> Can anyone clarify for me what "streaming video" per se does beyond 
> the immediate playing of a movie that is downloading?
>
> Here's my confusion: If I create a QuickTime movie (.mov) say using 
> QuickTime Pro, or SnapzProX, for example, and then upload it to my 
> website along with a web page that links to it, when I click that 
> link, the movie opens on its own page and starts playing immediately. 
> The start of the movie is playing while the rest of it is downloading 
> in the background. This sounds like streaming video to me, but I have 
> not done anything special, like use a streaming video server, or 
> hosting service.
>
> Thanks,
> Frieda
>
>
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> Frieda Reichsman, PhD
> Molecules in Motion
> Interactive Molecular Structures
> http://www.moleculesinmotion.com
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