SureStreaming

We encoded for a single bandwidth of 56K. What if you could encode a single file that would switch between different bandwidths as the Internet changed? You might start off watching 56K video, however when your connection slows it switches to 28.8 video. This is what SureStream does and it greatly reduces how often you'll need to wait for video to rebuffer.

SureStream files are created in a manner similar to single bandwidth encoding. However, with SureStream you select several bandwidths instead of just one. RealProducer is limited to two bandwidths and you'll need to upgrade to RealProducer Plus to encode multiple bandwidths. Both bandwidths are encoded into one file that can then be uploaded to a G2 Server. This technology does not work on older Real servers. If a user with an older version of the real Player receives the broadcast they will default to the 28.8 broadcast, which is actually at 20kbps.

Live Broadcasts

Live broadcasting of audio and video content is the closest that most people are likely to get to owning their own TV station in the near future. The setup process has gotten much easier with the release of RealProducer G2. The setup is very similar to encoding from a file. You still need to set the video types and audio types, however, at the end you need to point to a Real Server.

Streaming in real time requires a serious encoding machine. Doing encoding in real time will max out even the latest computers and better encoding means better quality. If you are trying to encode SureStream video I wouldn't go with anything less than a decked out Pentium II system at 400MHz with 64 MB of RAM.

Encoding to RealVideo
RealVideo - Waiting on Broadband
Embedding Video in SMIL