Creating a Video Stream – Step Three

After the video has been encoded and saved in an appropriate streaming format it can be uploaded to a server where it will be accessible to anyone with an Internet connection. You have two choices of server – a regular HTTP server that is normally used to host web pages or a specialized streaming server that offers more features for video streaming.

The cost of a streaming server can be prohibitive for most people, so HTTP servers are most commonly used for streaming videos which have a relatively low viewership. However, streaming servers offer a few advantages and should always be used for a high traffic web site that gets many simultaneous requests for the video.

As an alternative to hosting the video on your own HTTP server, services like Google Video allow you to upload a video file to a third party server. Simply add the link to the remote server in your web pages and the video content will play locally without leaving the web site.

When the video was encoded it was most likely saved in a format designed for a specific media player. For example, Windows video files have a WMV extension and require the Windows Media Player to view the video. Similarly, Apple QuickTime videos usually have a MOV extension and need the QuickTime player.

These media players must be installed on the end-user's computer or the videos cannot be viewed. If the appropriate media player is not already installed, the user will usually see a message with a link leading to the download location.

The installation can be relatively simple and quick (like with the Flash player) or quite complicated (like the RealMedia player). The ease of installing the Flash player is one of the reasons for its popularity – approximately 85% of existing computers already have this media player installed.

Some streaming video formats (like MPEG-4) can be played by a variety of media players. Choosing a format like this can increase your audience coverage, as MPEG-4 can be played using Windows Media Player, QuickTime Player and several other third-party media players.

There are two options for viewing streaming video. The file may call the stand-alone media player which will pop up above the browser window, or the video content can be embedded within the browser window itself. Flash video does the last natively, but other formats such as Windows Media and QuickTime require you to choose this option at the time of encoding.

Another option for streaming video is the use of a JAVA streaming video playback system. This is the least intrusive method of delivering video to the end user because of the almost universal saturation of JAVA-enabled web browsers.

The video is embedded in the web page and there is no media player to install. JAVA video streaming can be used for web pages or email and does not require the use of a streaming server.

JAVA video systems require the purchase of a license, but some companies offer a free trial period. Clipstream™ Video can be used at no charge on the proviso that a flashing logo is present in the video image.