Streaming servers are todays topic of conversation, especially now as we understand how HTTP streaming works and have touched on adaptive video. Streaming servers like Wowza or Plex to name a few are the future of all video content.
Streaming servers have a number of complex functions that allow us endless amounts of media enjoyment. They encode large media files into many files all with various bitrates to suit a number of devices ensuring maximum compatibility (THG Hosting, 2019). All this video data gets to you using our favourite protocol… HTTP which deals with hypertext, basically everything you surf the internet looking at. Remember it is all about transferring data in real time hence the RTP protocol.
What choices do we have when it comes to streaming then? Well an On-Demand service like a live boardcast require special equipment at the source to encode and transmit to the user in real time via satellite and then we have unicast services such as Netflix where each person watching gets their own stream to pause, fast-forward and rewind as they see fit (HowStuffWorks, 2018).
References
THG Hosting. (2019). THG Hosting. [online] Available at: https://www.thghosting.com/uk/solutions/media-and-streaming/ [Accessed 29 Oct. 2019].
HowStuffWorks. (2018). How Streaming Video and Audio Work. [online] Available at: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/streaming-video-and-audio3.htm [Accessed 29 Oct. 2019].
Video Streaming & Display Technology Blog 