Mediarnstreaming offers a means of enhancing Web material with eye-catchingrnmultimedia broadcasts incorporating audio, video, and animation, andrncan make corporate events and training more engaging and lively.rnrnStreamingrntechnology can enable the real-time transmission of recorded events,rncommonly known as “webcasting,” and can make it possible tornconveniently distribute pre-recorded and pre-edited media on demand. Inrnother words, media that is stored and published on the Web in streamingrnformats can be made available for access at any time.rnrnStreamingrnmedia is normally transmitted by a media server application, and isrnprocessed and played back by a client player application, as it isrnreceived. A client application, known as player, can start playing backrnstreaming media as soon as enough data has been received without havingrnto wait for the entire file to arrive. As data is transferred, it isrntemporarily stored in a buffer until enough data has accumulated to bernproperly assembled into the next sequence of the media stream.rnrnWhenrnstreaming technology was first available, the ability to begin playbackrnbefore the entire file had been transferred was a distinct advantage.rnNow, however, pseudo-streaming techniques, such as progressiverndownload, allow some other formats to begin to play before filerndownload is completed. So, while the ability to begin playback prior torncompleting file transfer is a characteristic of streaming, it is not,rnin and of itself, a differentiating factor.rnrnOnce arnstreamed file is received, processed, and played simultaneously andrnimmediately, it leaves behind no residual copy of the content on thernreceiving device. An important advantage of streaming media (unlikerneither traditional or progressive download) technology is the copyrightrnprotection it provides. No copy of the content is left on the receivingrndevice. Therefore, the recipient can neither alter nor redistribute therncontent in an unauthorized manner.rnrnBecausernstreaming media has the capacity to offer protected visual and audiorncontent, the service is technically demanding. By hosting streamingrncontent with a service provider, businesses both large and small canrngreatly reduce multimedia investment costs such as hardware, software,rnand technical expertise. Since streaming is quite a demandingrnapplication, it requires substantial network connectivity. Using arnhosting provider makes its much more affordable to push live orrnrecorded content to recipients, since a company can leverage multiplernnetwork connections for a fraction of the cost of obtaining redundantrnconnectivity in-house.rnrnWithrnthe wide proliferation of consumer electronics such as digital videorncameras and “webcams,” both large and small businesses can easilyrncreate and digitize multimedia content for the Web.rnrnMultiple formats exist for the encoding and transmission of streamed content, including the Real Media (real.com) format and Microsoft’s (microsoft.com) Windows Media format.rnrnSmallerrncompanies can record their own content, encode it into one of thesernformats using specialized software, and upload that content to arnstreaming server.rnrnThe majority of larger hosting companies, such as Interland (interland.com), offer streaming services along with their advanced shared hosting packages. Some hosting companies, such as BigPond (bigpond.com),rnoffer additional packages that offer media streaming capacity. Thesernservices enable firms with smaller streaming requirement to uploadrnsmall video clips or short-format audio programming. These servicesrnusually cost between $50 and $150 per month.rnrnMid-sizedrnfirms with more demanding media streaming requirements can opt torndeploy streaming media servers on unmanaged dedicated Web hostingrnsystems. Real Media, Microsoft and Nullsoft (nullsoft.com)rnall offer server software that can be used on dedicated servers.rnUnmanaged dedicated servers are now priced between $49 and $250 perrnmonth. Commercial streaming software can start at $2,000.rnrnLargerrnfirms, in contrast, can afford to own and deploy their own equipment orrnutilize managed media streaming services. QuickTime Streaming Serverrnand QuickTime Broadcaster are preinstalled on Apple’s (apple.com)rnXserve server appliance. The appliance provides a complete, integratedrnsolution for broadcasting and streaming multimedia over the Internet. Arnbase Xserve installation would start at $3,000, not includingrnconnection and bandwidth fees for network deployment.rnrnMostrnlarge firms, however, select a managed streaming solution, so that theyrndo not have to worry about the technical issues associated with runningrna media server, like maintenance and bandwidth. Larger firms can choosernfrom a wide array of managed providers, including those certified byrnMicrosoft through third-party evaluation.rnrnHostingrnproviders certified by Microsoft include Globix, Mirror Image Internet,rnSmartVideo, Speedera Networks, SyncCast, LLC, and T-Systems Media &rnBroadcast. These hosts have quality Windows Media Sever deploymentsrnrunning on the Windows platforms. Often the use of managed streamingrnsolutions can cost thousands of dollars per month.rn

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