[Hidden-tech] QuickTime and streaming video question

Frieda Reichsman frieda at moleculesinmotion.com
Sat Jan 19 06:54:34 EST 2008


Thanks, Adam - that is really helpful information. What are the main  
reasons to use "true" streaming as opposed to progressive download?  
Is it mainly to protect the media, so the user does not have the  
media on their own computer? In other words, it seems clear that some  
decide to go to additional expense (streaming server) to avoid  
progressive download. Why?

Thanks,
Frieda


On Jan 18, 2008, at 5:25 PM, Adam Connor wrote:

> 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
>>
>>
>> //////////////////////////////////////
>>
>> Frieda Reichsman, PhD
>> Molecules in Motion
>> Interactive Molecular Structures
>> http://www.moleculesinmotion.com
>> 413-253-2405
>>
>> //////////////////////////////////////
>>
>>
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