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As the web continues to grow at an incredible rate, technology continues
to grow with it. It was over a year ago Progressive Networks introduced
"Real Audio", a method of streaming audio over the Internet. Streaming
is the ability to start processing data, before all of it has arrived. A 30
minute audio recording can take up several megs, and no one wants to
wait 20 minutes to hear an audio clip. So streaming audio was invented.
The same concepts apply to video, and a little more than one year later
streaming video arrived. Since video files (with audio) are much bigger
than audio files alone, streaming video proved to be more difficult, but at
the same time just as necessary.
Digital video files require any where from 90k to 1 meg per second,
depending on compression. The higher the quality, the larger the file
size. Full screen, full motion (30 fps - frames per second) VHS quality is
achievable, but too large to transmit over the Internet. Sending video
over the Internet and telephone lines required two things: A very high
compression rate to reduce the file size and special software to support
streaming. The high compression rate is achieved by storing the
differences between frames instead of the entire frame itself.
"Headshots" (videos of a persons upper body, like a newscaster)
compress very well and yield high frame rates (around 10 fps) because
the movement is restricted to the subject's face. On the other hand,
"action scenes" such as movie trailers do not compress well because the
difference between frames can often be 100%. Action scenes tend to
yield the minimum frame rate of 1 fps. Most users prefer even just 1 fps
over no video at all because it gives them something to look at while
listening to the audio track.
The most common regular (non-streaming) video formats are AVI for
Windows, Quicktime MOV for Mac (and Windows too), and MPEG for
all platforms, including UNIX. These formats are designed for optimal
quality, and are not suited for streaming. Currently there are two formats
that are specifically designed for streaming video over the Internet over
low bandwidth (modems): VIVOActive and VDOLive.
VDOLive seems to be the most popular, so I will mention it first.
VDOLive uses special server software that is run on the web server, and
special player software that is run on the user's computer. The server
software will adjust the stream according to the available bandwidth. A
user with a 14.4k modem will see video that is optimized for his
connection, while a user with a direct connection to the Internet would
see video with higher quality. Several large companies, including CBS
News, PBS, and CBC are using the VDOLive format. VDOLive sounds
great, but there is one major disadvantage to this format: While the
player is free the server software is extremely expensive. It is priced
according to how many "streams" (simultaneous users viewing video)
you require. The entry price is 5 streams for $1,200. This is way out of
reach for most website owners. Larger websites would require
additional streams, which range from $2,000 for 10 streams to $12,000
for 100 streams.
While VDOLive is geared for large corporations (who can afford the
high priced server), VIVOActive is more suited for the smaller website.
VIVOActive does not require any special server software. In fact, it uses
a standard MIME type, like graphic images such as GIF or JPEG. It is
up to the player to process the video stream and display it on the user's
screen. The advantage of this method is that it is compatible with all
existing websites. The only thing the webmaster needs to do is add a
MIME type, which takes just a few seconds. This makes it available to
users with web accounts through a web provider. The only disadvantage
is the server cannot adjust the video quality to the available bandwidth,
so the target bandwidth must be chosen when the video file is
compressed. Since most users connect to the Internet with a 14.4k or
28.8k modem, a 14.4k bitrate is usually chosen. This lowers the quality
for 28.8k users as well as users with a direct connection to the Internet.
To work around this it is possible to compress the video for a 28.8k
connection. The 14.4k users will see pauses during the video, but once it
has been viewed (downloaded), it can be replayed at 28.8k since it will
be on the user's machine. Some developers are even providing different
links for different users - a link for 14.4k, 28.8k, and higher. This
ensures each user gets the best quality, but requires some more work in
producing the video files. Like VDOLive, the player is free. A beta
version of the producer (needed to convert the video files into
VIVOActive format) is currently available for download from the VIVO
website. The price of the Producer will be $500.
Now that you are familiar with the two most popular methods of
streaming video you can download the players and see the video for
yourself. Both are available for Windows and Mac, with Netscape or
Explorer.
In Part 2 of this article I will discuss the
benefits of video on the web,
how you can use it to increase your business, and some of the limitations
it has.
About the Author
Michael Mattox is a Webmaster at
Advanced Web. He recently started
Advanced Web Video, a divison
of Advanced Web. He has a BS in Computer Science from Arizona State
University, with experience in C++, OOD, and all areas of web development.
You can reach him at mattox@advweb.com.
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