Hosting Services for Streaming Media - Page 13
March 26, 2001
A quick search of The List of ISPs
comes up with over 700 companies that claim to offer streaming as
part of their hosting packages. But random visits to a few of
their sites show streaming mentioned only as one of an endless
list of available features, or not at all. Many smaller ISPs may
be checking streaming off on a list while their actual expertise
with the medium is limited. Site owners for whom high-quality
streaming media is a requirement will naturally look for a host
with experience setting up complex streaming environments. Those
for whom streaming is the centerpiece, such as radio stations,
may prefer a host that specializes in streaming.
Of course, it's also feasible to use one company to host
streaming media and another to host the surrounding Web site. In
some situations this may be the most cost-effective way to add
streaming to an existing site, or to provide reserve bandwidth on
an as-needed basis. At least one company,
0db MediaLink, specializes in
this, offering "dedicated auxiliary streaming server video and
music capabilities to already existing remote or local Web sites."
How to find streaming-savvy ISPs? A good place to start would be
the list of access providers on iBEAM's
Web site. An ISP's partnership with iBEAM would seem to indicate
that streaming is a major part of their business, and that the
expertise is there to support it. Most of the big-name US hosting
services are on the list.
AudioVideo Web
is one hosting service that specializes in A/V. In addition to
Internet hosting, they offer live Webcasting, encoding and other
streaming-related services. They also create SMIL-based
multimedia presentations that can be updated by the site owner.
Other Streaming Media-oriented Hosting Services:
Most of these companies offer other streaming-related services
(encoding, editing, live Webcast production) in addition to
hosting.
How to Choose a Streaming Media Host
It goes without saying that any ISP should provide a powerful
network, with plenty of bandwidth, plenty of server redundancy,
plenty of disk space and close adherence to standard security
procedures. Due to the demands of A/V content, a Streaming Media
Service Provider should have even more of all these goodies.
Naturally they all claim to offer impeccable capacity and
reliability, but you'll have to use your own judgment as to which
ones really have the stuff. Insist on knowing the details of
their hardware, connectivity and staffing.
Considerations specific to SMSPs include:
Multiple Format Support - Most SMSPs can deliver both Real
Media and Windows Media concurrently from the same account. The
best ones can handle QuickTime too, as well as MP3 streaming and
some of the more obscure formats such as Shoutcast. Many sites
offer users a choice of quality levels for different connection
speeds, and a good SMSP should be able to handle this smoothly.
Live and On Demand Service - A good SMSP allows you to
offer media on a continuous basis, an on-demand basis, or a one-
time "live event" basis.
Production and Encoding Services - Any computer-literate
person can "rip" an audio track from a CD and convert it to a
RealAudio file, but creating real quality streaming audio and
video requires media production skills that most hosting services
do not have. If you choose to outsource production tasks,
consider using a dedicated audio or video shop, unless your SMSP
can show you that they have A/V geeks (not computer geeks) on
staff, and professional studio equipment.
Streaming Media Network (SMN) Affiliation - As discussed
earlier, using a SMN to detour around Internet congestion may
boost performance more than any amount of upgrading at the server
end. If quality and reliability are priorities, choose a service
provider that is affiliated with one or more SMNs (iBEAM, Akamai,
Servecast, Ituner).
Specific Expertise - It makes sense to partner with a
company that has experience in your particular industry, and a
corporate culture similar to your own. There are many niches
within the SMSP trade. Many SMSPs cater specifically to radio
stations, others address the needs of corporations
(teleconferencing, online training, etc.), while a few target
specialized markets such as real estate agencies. Try to find one
with existing customers in your line of business.
Next Month in the Next Wave
This month we looked at companies that provide "back-end"
services for broadcasters, such as hosting and network services.
In next month's column, we'll turn our attention to the "front
end," and see what sort of tools are available for broadcasters
to develop user interfaces for online audio and video.
MBONE - Page 12
Next Wave of the Web
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