Streaming with Windows Media
© Nanda Ganesan, Ph.D.
Windows Media Technologies
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Windows Media Audio 9 Series
Windows Media Video 9 Series
Windows Media Encoder 9 Series
Windows Media Services 9 Series
Windows Media Player 9 Series
Windows Media Rights Manager 9 Series
Windows Media 9 Series SDK
Windows Media Link
• http://www.microsoft.com/windows/w
indowsmedia/
Windows Media Technologies
(WMT)
• Windows Media Audio CODEC provides
excellent quality at low bit rates
• Integration with other Microsoft products
(Windows NT Server, Microsoft Site Server,
Microsoft BackOffice)
• Digital rights management
• Advanced Compression Technology
Broadcasting
Audio Comparison
Video Comparison
WMT Advantages
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Multiple Bit Rate and Multiple Language Support
Variable speed playback
Highly compressed audio and video
Audio CODEC is optimized for dial-up rates
Digital 5.1 surround sound CODEC
Lossless audio compression
Good scalability to larger audience
Live digital rights management
Support for Plug-in (C++ etc.)
(For further info: )
Multiple Bit Rate and Multiple
Language Support
• With a single click of one file, the Windows
Media Player 9 Series can automatically pick
the best video size and audio quality to
stream, based on the current connection
speed – and it dynamically adapts during
streaming.
• The player can automatically choose the
preferred audio language, or the user can
select or change languages on-the-fly during
playback.
• (source: Microsoft)
WINDOWS MEDIA SERVICES
• Free with Windows 2000 Server
• Relatively new
• Proprietary ASF codec, MPEG4, SMIL
• Intelligent Streaming
• Microsoft Media Server (MMS), HTTP
protocol
WINDOWS MEDIA
TECHNOLOGIES
• Internet broadband-ready platform for
the creation, distribution, and playback
of digital media files.
• Newest version of the industry's
leading digital media platform
COMPONENTS
• Windows Media Player
• Windows Media Services
• Windows Media Encoder
• Windows Media Format
• Windows Media SDK
• Windows Media Rights Manager
WINDOWS MEDIA SERVICES
• Used to host media files to be streamed
over the internet/intranet
• A digital media platform that offers
employees, partners, and customers
exceptional scalability, reliability, and
quality
WINDOWS MEDIA SERVICES
FEATURES
• Most Scalable
– Uses Windows NT Server multithreading
and processor support to allow for
maximum scalability. Pentium II system can
support over 2000 28.8 Kbps connections
– Provides freely available tools for
independent organizations to document
concurrent streams delivered on one
machine
Continued….
WINDOWS MEDIA SERVICES
FEATURES
• Most Reliable
– Tight integration between Windows Media
Services and Windows 2000 creates the
most reliable streaming platform
– ZD Labs reported that Windows Media
Services delivered 26 billion packets of data
with 99.9999999% accuracy over more
than 12 days of continuous streaming of
over 2,400 broadband streams.
Continued….
WINDOWS MEDIA SERVICES
FEATURES
• Highest Quality Output
– Windows Media Services supports the
industry-leading Windows Media format
– Only video codec that offers near-DVD
quality video at as low as 750 Kbps
– The Windows Media audio format, which
offers CD-quality audio at 96 Kbps
– The revolutionary Windows Media Screen
codec, which offers exceptional
reproductions of computer screen
movement at resolutions as high as 800 ×
600 and data rates as low as 22 Kbps.
Continued….
WINDOWS MEDIA SERVICES
FEATURES
• Highest Return On Investment
– Windows Media Services are built directly
into Windows 2000 Server, offering
complete integration with corporate
infrastructure
– No additional per-stream or per-seat
licensing is required for Windows Media,
thus minimizing deployment costs
STREAMING CONTENT SETUP
• Basic steps for creating and hosting
streaming content using Windows
Media Technologies:
1. Encoding Windows Media Files
2. Hosting Encoded Content
WINDOWS MEDIA FILES
• Format created by Microsoft for authoring,
storing, editing, distributing, streaming, and
playing multimedia content
• Designed specifically to stream the content
over networks, like the Internet
• Highly flexible format that can be used for
streaming audio, video, slide shows, and
synchronized events
• Windows Media Format enables content to be
delivered to end users as a continuous flow of
data
ENCODING WINDOWS MEDIA
FILES
• Windows Media file may be created
from a .wav, .avi, or .mp3 file
• Windows Media file can also contain
JPEG or .bmp image
• Source Files may be PowerPoint
Presentation slides
ENCODING TOOLS
• Media On-Demand Producer (Microsoft)
• Windows Media Encoder
• Windows Media Author
• Free with Windows 2000 Server
• SMIL creation
• Convert .wav, .avi, or .mp3 to Windows
Media file format (.asf, .wma, .wmv)
CONTENT HOSTING
• Two Choices of hosting:
– On a Web Server
– On to Windows Media Server
WEB SERVER HOSTING
• Creating and hosting Windows Media
metafiles - a metafile is needed for each
Windows Media file.
• A Windows Media metafile is a small text file
that contains the URL of a Windows Media
file.
• Adding links to the metafiles from a Web
page - each link points to the metafile for a
Windows Media file instead of directly to the
file.
WEB SERVER HOSTING
• Windows Metafile Example:
<ASX version="3">
<Entry>
<ref HREF="Path/File.asf" />
</Entry>
</ASX>
WEB SERVER HOSTING
PROBLEMS
• Web Server not designed for streaming
media files.
• Playback can be interrupted by periods
of buffering.
• Cannot stream files that have been
encoded with multiple bit rates.
WINDOWS MEDIA SERVER
HOSTING
• If you require higher quality and better
server resource utilization, it makes
sense to host your content on a
dedicated Windows Media server.
• Copy the Windows Media files to the
ASFroot directory, and copy the
metafiles to the Web server
WINDOWS MEDIA SERVER
HOSTING
• Windows Media Services can stream
two types of content:
– Broadcast and
– On-demand.
• Delivered to clients with a unicast
connection
• Broadcast content can also be delivered
with a multicast connection
CONTENT VIEWING
• Windows Media Player can play back audio
and video content the same whether a file is
on a Windows Media server, a Web server, a
network server, or a local hard disk
• A Windows Media server is designed to
handle busy, congested networks and lowbandwidth connections to client computers
running Windows Media Player.
WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER
ADVANTAGES
• Stream through most firewalls
• Indexing - provides end users with a means of
fast-forwarding and rewinding through a file
that is being streamed
• Stream content with Digital Rights
Management - Windows Media Rights
Manager - distribute licensed digital media
over the Internet with superior audio quality.
• Windows Media security - Security features
can be used to limit access to media on a
Windows Media server
ADVANTAGES
• Live Streaming - Playback of a broadcast
stream is controlled at the point where the
stream originates and includes live streaming
• Intelligent streaming - interaction between a
Windows Media server and Windows Media
Player to optimize the stream for the current
available bandwidth
• Administering and logging - control how a
Windows Media server manages live content
and files and monitor overall system activity
in real time, log files
ADVANTAGES
• Best-of-breed Multicast and Server
Administration - easy-to-use server administration with
extensive wizards that guide the user through procedures, such
as setting up a multicast, monitoring a server, or switching
between multiple live sources.
• Support for Advanced Applications and PayPer-View (PPV) - Includes pre-built and documented
interfaces to Site Server Ad Server, Site Server Commerce
Server, and Site Server Membership server. This functionality is
the core of pay-per-view and dynamic ad-insertion applications
of streaming media on the Internet.
THE FUTURE
• High bandwidth connections will make
streaming more popular.
• Guaranteed Quality of Service over IP
will improve streaming quality.
• The streaming model will be used more
widely to provide multimedia content.
CONCLUSION
• Streaming media is the future of online
entertainment.
• Low cost way to deliver interactive
multimedia.
• Windows Media Services: a
comprehensive suite for streaming.
RESOURCES
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de
fault.asp?url=/library/enus/dnwmt/html/contcreation.asp?fra
me=true
• http://www.publicsource.apple.com/p
rojects/streaming/
• http://www.cultivateint.org/issue4/video/
RESOURCES
• http://www.microsoft.com/windows/
windowsmedia/en/overview/default.
asp
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de
fault.asp?url=/library/enus/dnwmt/html/webserver.asp
• http://www.zdnet.com/sp/stories/iss
ue/0,4537,2471928-4,00.html
RESOURCES
• http://www.nwfusion.com/research/s
treaming.html
• http://www.microsoft.com/windows/
windowsmedia/en/support/faq_strm.
asp
• http://www.broadcastengineering.com
/html/2000/august/features/streamM
edia_0800.htm
RESOURCES
• http://www.savetz.com/mbone/
• http://www.cis.ohiostate.edu/~jain/cis78897/ip_multicast/
• http://www.real.com
• http://www.opensource.apple.com/pr
ojects/streaming
LOG ON
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In the Linux Lab