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A Streaming Media P rimer: HOW DO I PUT MY STREAMING MEDIA ON THE WEB? What do streaming host providers have to offer? quantify what you will need from A streaming service or an ISP that hosts streaming media is a very attractive choice for the hob- a host and do your due diligence in byist or small business you get to do the creative part and leave most of the technicalities (and investigating hosting companies. capital expenditures) to experts. For industrial-strength, global implementations, there are enter- Ask for a free evaluation to test their prise-focused co-locations that maintain streaming server farms and dedicated bandwidth. Like top-notch Web hosting co-locations, they provide security, dedicated or shared servers, load balservice and talk to your friends in the ancing, edge-caching, e-commerce transaction capabilities, metrics, and reporting. Some special- industry of their experiences make ized streaming host providers also offer encoding and Web casting services. sure you have weighed the factors How do the costs compare? of service, availability, speed, Several popular consumer-focused ISPs host streaming content at very reasonable prices we ve reliability, support, and quality. seen advertisements for as low as $9.95 per month. The costs to set up a streaming server in Gene Shin house can range from $3,500 for hardware and software (really a consumer solution) up to Streaming Media.com53 $25,000 or more for an adequate corporate system, and into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for an enterprise-level, live Web-casting facility. Commercial quality hosting costs are likely to be thousands of dollars per month, but before you make the capital investment to do it in-house, remember that streaming technology is rapidly advancing. Be sure to do the math to determine the scope of your hosting needs and investigate potential providers with care. Ask direct questions about set-up fees, surcharges (apparent and hidden), length of contract, upgrade/downgrade fees, and reporting costs. And don t forget that this is an emerging industry everything is negotiable! SHOULD YOU SERVE YOUR STREAMS IN-HOUSE OR OUTSOURCE? FOR ENTHUSIASTS: FOR CORPORATE IT DEPARTMENTS: FOR CORPORATE IT DEPARTMENTS: If you are a hobbyist or have a very small You probably do not want to set up It may make sense to set up in-house business, and you want to stream a few, in-house streaming capabilities if: streaming capabilities if: short clips, the easiest option is to outsource. You lack a well-developed internal network You already have a signifi cant internal Check with your ISP in addition to offering and a high-speed (T1+) Internet network and high-speed (T1+) Internet Web hosting, they may provide streaming connection with excess bandwidth connectivity with signifi cant surplus media hosting services ,as well. There are Management wants existing IT staff to bandwidth available on Internet uplink also some, primarily consumer-targeted, focus on core competencies and/or progress Staff has experience in web hosting, video businesses offering streaming services for on mission critical tasks cannot be derailed streaming, and video conversion free or for very low monthly rates check by a new initiative and/or existing IT staff Network management ensures effective out iClips, SpotLife, StreamCode, and has signifi cant project backlog bandwidth utilization QuickStream, to name just a few. Staff has little or no experience with Organization already owns video editing If you re an intrepid stream-it-yourselfer, Web hosting, video streaming, or suite and editing/conversion tools you may want to set up your own server. video conversion Data center has adequate existing server To stream media yourself requires a combi- No network management function is resources available to provide video nation of hardware, software, and band-in place to ensure availability, performance, streaming service width here are some minimum basics: and bandwidth utilization Number of concurrent video streams is 500MHz processor for a streaming system expected to be fairly consistent 128K RAM No access to video editing suite and Bandwidth usage during peak video Video capture card editing/conversion tools demand will be significantly less than Minimum 7200rpm hard drive No existing server resources available available surplus bandwidth Minimum connection 128K DSL to provide video streaming service Preference is to incur capital expenses Video editing software Number of concurrent video streams (servers, tools, software, etc.) to avoid (e.g., Adobe Premiere) is likely to vary signifi cantly recurring charges; organization willing Encoding and server software (e.g., Bandwidth usage during peak video demand to make long-term investments for Windows Media, RealMedia, QuickTime) is likely to exceed surplus bandwidth or lower costs compete/degrade performance of mission Organization is willing to spend time and To serve a small number of streams from critical applications money to purchase equipment/software/ your home or office, you will need at least 128K DSL speeds. Cable modems will suffi ce, Monthly cost with no capital or up-front tools, and to build infrastructure although the amount of traffic on the network expenditures for equipment or software IT department has existing excess staff is unpredictable and may degrade the quality is preferred; organization willing to to implement, manage, and monitor the of the streams you provide. You defi nitely won’t pay higher monthly costs to reduce streaming media solution. be supporting a live Webcast using a cable short-term risk Organization has a clear vision of media modem, because you need a reliable, dedicated Very short timeline to implement; desire streaming strategy connection that does not fl uctuate connection is to begin streaming in days rates. By doing it yourself, you are limited to Organization is unsure of the role the backbone carrier of your ISP where your of streaming media streams may suffer from network congestion Company wishes to pilot a streaming or limited bandwidth availability due to media program, and may bring it the ISP s network. in-house after pilot is successful Adobe Dynamic Media 53 Do It Yourself vs. Outsourcing, by Gene Shin, http://www.streamingmedia.com/tutorials/view.asp?tutorial_id=51
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A Streaming Media P rimer: HOW DO I PUT MY STREAMING MEDIA ON THE WEB? If your files are MBR (multiple bit rate) encoded, use the above equation for each stream If you re delivering a lot contained in every MBR file. Add the results of your calculations for all of your streaming media files together, then don t forget to add the amount of storage you need for the of streaming content over the server software itself, and whatever incremental capacity you anticipate needing. Internet, telecommunications What about my Internet connection? bandwidth is typically the major Perhaps surprisingly, the capacity of the streaming server is not typically the limiting expense. Leasing costs for the factor for throughput the bandwidth of your Internet connection is what really counts. high-bandwidth digital lines A single Macintosh running QuickTime Streaming Server can deliver up to 1,000 simultaneous streams at 56 kilobits each, or an aggregate of over 50 megabits per second. you need can cost more per That s enough to saturate 40 T1 connections to the Internet, or to completely swamp week than your server and fi ve 10Base-T Ethernet LANs. 51 software cost annually. But the good news is that you only need enough bandwidth to accommodate the amount of streaming you plan to do To serve a small number of streams from Setting up a Streaming Server your home or office, 128K DSL is the minimum you should consider. Cable modem QuickTime Book50 can be used, but continual traffic fluctuations make the network unreliable, potentially compromising the quality of your streams. In fact, attempting a live Webcast over a cable modem connection would be unwise. A single T1 line can carry enough streaming data to serve 25 end-users simultaneously connected at 56K. Whatever your connection, be sure to check with your ISP your throughput will be limited by your ISPs backbone carrier; some ISPs are better prepared for the anticipated explosion of streaming media demand than others. So just how much bandwidth do you need? Let s use a bit more bandwidth math to fi gure it out the bandwidth required for serving content can be calculated by multiplying the data rate (in kilobits per second) of your streaming production(s) by the maximum number of simultaneous streams you expect to serve: Kbps X maximum number of simultaneous streams = Kbps of bandwidth needed Example bandwidth calculations Data rate of streams Max. audience size Bandwidth needed Example connection 20 Kbps 60 1,200 Kbps or 1.2 Mbps T1 60% 20 Kbps plus 40% 80 Kbps 80 Kbps 100 100 4,400 Kbps or 4.4 Mbps 8,000 Kbps or 8 Mbps Fractional T3 10 Mbps fractional T3 20 Kbps 2,000 40,000 Kbps or 40 Mbps T3 Adobe Dynamic Media Enough math already! I just want to make streaming media We ve got good news for you… If you don t want to mess around with servers, you don t have to. Just as there are Web hosting providers, there are hosting services that can serve your streaming media fi les for you. Should you serve your own streaming media or outsource? Defi ne your target audience: Are they dial-up or broadband customers? Is your content video, audio or both? Live or on-demand? Is your content mission critical? How much redundancy do you require? Do you require support or do you have the expertise to run the hardware and software? Do you want yourself or someone else to take the page at 3am when the service is down? Steve Stevenson Streaming Media.com52 50 QuickTime for the Web, by Steven W. Gulie, May 1, 2000, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers 51 ibid.35 52 Choosing a Hosting Provider, by Steve Stevenson, http://www.streamingmedia.com/tutorials/view.asp?tutorial_id=52
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A Streaming Media P rimer: HOW DO I PUT MY STREAMING MEDIA ON THE WEB? HOW DO I PUT MY STREAMING MEDIA ON THE WEB? A URL that begins with HTTP:// points to a Web server; a URL that begins with RTSP:// points to a streaming server. Like any other resource file you publish on the Web, you post your media file to a server that has a connection to the Internet and an accessible IP address. Like any other resource file served over the Web, your streaming media file is referenced by a URL (uniform resource locator). But there are some significant differences between publishing Web pages and downloadable files vs. publishing streaming media. PUBLISHING STREAMING MEDIA Web server vs. streaming server what s the difference? Earlier in this primer, we distinguished between a Web server and a streaming server. Publishing your streaming media files on a Web server is possible, but it results in pseudo-streaming (aka progressive download, aka HTTP streaming, aka fast start streaming in the QuickTime architecture). For true streaming (aka hinted streaming in the QuickTime architecture), streaming media files must be posted to a streaming server. Are you absolutely, positively sure you want to do true streaming? Web server pros Web server cons Streaming server pros Streaming server cons No special server software needed; just use your Web server Media gets through no matter how slow the connection, because lost packets are retransmitted until they are received With fast connections, media plays as it downloads, so it seems like streaming to the audience End-user gets to keep a copy of the file to play and/or share No problems with fi rewalls Can t transmit live feeds Can t broadcast or multicast No flexibility for end-user e.g. end-user cannot skip chapters audience must download file in its entirety, from beginning to end Leaves a copy of the media file on the end-user s hard disk, risking unauthorized alteration and/or redistribution Only way to transmit live feeds Broadcasts and multicasts (one stream to many viewers) VOD (video on-demand) files can provide fl exible access for end-users Doesn t leave a copy of the movie on the viewer s hard disk Does not use up space on end- user s hard disk Bandwidth usage can adjust to conditions Requires a streaming server Playback may be disrupted or delayed if data rate exceeds connection speed or available bandwidth Media typically loses some data in transmission, and lost packets are gone for good Firewalls may not allow streaming files to pass Adobe Dynamic Media What kind of streaming media server(s) do I need? If you do not plan to stream too many files to very many people, and you can be sure that your entire audience will be happy to use the same, single architecture, then you probably need only one server. And it is possible to run your streaming server software on the same computer which is functioning as your Web server. But if your audience is large and you want to offer the opportunity for the end-user to choose which player to use, remember that you need a different streaming server for each architecture you plan to support. To serve streams that are compatible with the three dominant architectures, you ll need server software from Microsoft for Windows Media (.asf) files, from Real for RealMedia (.rm) fi les, and from Apple for hinted QuickTime (.mov) files. What this means in terms of machines, is that you ll need a Windows or Unix operating system to run all three servers, since Windows Media and RealMedia servers do not run on MacOS. In terms of hardware, the amount of storage you need can be calculated using the bandwidth math basics you ve already learned in this primer multiply the bit rate of your streaming media (in kilobits per second) by the length of the media (in seconds) and divide by 8, to arrive at the amount of disk space (in kilobytes) you need for your streaming media files: (Kbps X seconds) = KB 8
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A Streaming Media Primer: HOW DO I MAKE (GOOD) STREAMING MEDIA? and Windows providing fewer options. Because streaming is an emerging technol […after applying our basic settings…] Then we start tinkering… Usually, there are some parts of the movie that don t compress well in each [bandwidth] version. We make a clip of the part that looks the worst, including about 5-10 seconds before and 5-10 seconds after the problem area, taking the clip from the uncompressed version. We recompress this section as many times as necessary, adjusting the settings each time until we get it right. Sometimes we have to go to a higher data rate. When the clip of the worst part looks right, we recompress the whole movie with those settings… We use half a dozen computers at a time for tinkering, each one with slightly different settings. That saves a lot of time… We keep our default settings on one machine, so they don t get overwritten, and drag them onto the others for tinkering… Secrets of the Apple Compressionist QuickTime Book49 Save for Web in Adobe Premiere features a special edition of Terran Interactive s Media Cleaner EZ, making it easy to encode your productions for streaming in QuickTime, RealMedia, and/or Windows Media formats. How do I encode mymedia productions? While all of the choices make encoding sound complicated, it can be very, very easy to output your productions for streaming. The one-step Web output Save for Web feature in Adobe Premiere, and wizards available in other post production tools, deliver simple-to-use solutions. And, like most film and video techniques, advanced tools are available which can, when combined with experience and expertise, dramatically improve the quality of the final production. You can also look to a growing number of specialists to outsource encoding. Your decision to encode your own video projects for streaming or to call upon the services of a specialized outsource depends on your objectives, your ambitions and, of course, your budget. 49 QuickTime for the Web, by Steven W. Gulie, May 1, 2000, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Adobe Dynamic Media ogy, codecs are continually being improved. It is important to keep up with the latest developments, so check the Web sites for the dominant architectures, as well as trade publications and other resources on a regular basis. Multiple bit rateencoding When media is encoded as individual files for multiple bandwidths, end-users must select which file they wanted to stream, often from among nine or more choices if you encode for all three of the dominant architectures. Multiple bit rate (MBR) encoding solutions alleviate such confusion for the end-user, and can also make the process of encoding easier. There are, however, some trade-offs. With the MBR approach, several different streams are encoded at different bit rates and combined into a single file. This is called SureStream in the RealMedia architecture and Intelligent Streaming in Windows Media. In the QuickTime architecture, the strategy is slightly different separate files called alternate data rate movies are stored in the same folder or directory. When the client calls for the media file, a negotiation between client and server determines the available bandwidth, the appropriate bit rate stream is automatically transmitted and, if the network becomes congested, the transmission will automatically switch to a lower bit rate stream. Critics of this adaptive streaming approach say that servers are sometimes oversensitive to network congestion, often streaming a lower bandwidth and, therefore, poorer quality file than necessary. Multiple bit rate (MBR) encoding vs. individual streaming files Issue MBR Encoding Individual Encoding Deployment Requires the appropriate streaming media server software Files can be hosted on either a streaming server or Web server Network congestion Server software monitors each connection, automatically switching to a lower bandwidth stream to prevent media player from pausing to re-buffer. May cause temporary disruptions to playback Storage MBR files often require more space than the sum of the individual files Files require less storage space Web page integration Only one Play button graphic or link needed on Web page Multiple Play button graphics or links are required Frame size Video frame size must be the same for all bandwidth streams so, while quality can be better, size can t be larger to take advantage of higher bandwidth capacity Individual files can be optimized to take full advantage of higher bandwidths, e.g. larger frame sizes Audio Audio settings must be the same for all bandwidth streams to avoid disruptions to the soundtrack as the stream is adapted to conditions Individual files can be optimized to take full advantage of higher bandwidths, e.g. higher quality audio
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A Streaming Media Primer: HOW DO I MAKE (GOOD) STREAMING MEDIA? Adobe Dynamic Media bloated streaming media has a tendency to alienate your site visitors. Your clip may look good off your LAN on your fast CPU. But if it looks like junk to your user, you have just told them that you do not need their business… Do the bandwidth math. Test on a slower CPU. Take as many people along for the ride as you possibly can. Tim Kennedy Streaming Media World47 A codec (set of mathematical algorithms) is used by an encoder (component of an architecture that produces final streaming files) to compress (reduce the data rate of) digital video and/or audio.The player (client component of an architecture that plays back media files) must use the same codec to decompress the file that was used to compress it. the best way to learn to take advantage of these [different codecs] is to play around with them. Take the same source clip, run it through different codecs, data rates, and frame rates, and carefully explore the results. This is still more of an art than a science. Ben Waggoner DV Web Video48 But even reducing both the frame size and the frame rate does not reduce the bit rate of video files enough for efficient streaming. So additional methods for compressing the amount of data that needs to be transmitted are used. We haven t space here to go into too detailed a discussion, but the following general descriptions will give you a general understanding of compression methods. Intra-frame compression: Derived from still formats, intra-frame compression, also known as spatial compression, treats each frame individually. Some spatial compression schemes work by discarding much of the color information in the picture. As long as this type of compression is not too severe, it is generally unnoticeable. In fact, in even the highest quality uncompressed video used by broadcasters, some of the original color information has been discarded. Avoiding hot colors and harsh contrast when shooting helps ensure the best results from this type for compression. Spatial compression works best on continuous-tone images without sharp edges, such as photography and videography (as opposed to animated graphics). The softer and smoother the imagery, the better results you ll achieve with systems that use spatial compression. Inter-frame compression: Inter-frame compression, also known as temporal compression, takes advantage of the fact that any given frame of video is probably very similar to the frames around it. So, instead of storing all the information for each and every frame, temporal compression schemes store keyframes in their entirety, while delta frames (comprising the majority of frames in Web video) contain only the information that is different from the keyframes that come before and/or after. You can usually specify how frequently keyframes occur less frequent (and, therefore fewer) keyframes mean smaller files, but will also result in lower quality, since more frames will need to be inferred, or predicted, from keyframe information. Whatis a codec? Compression and decompression are accomplished by a set of mathematical algorithms called a codec short for compressor/decompressor. Codecs compress data as it is encoded, and decompress it for playback. In order to be played, a file compressed with a certain codec must be decompressed by the same codec. While the codec itself is comprised of software code, a codec may be a part of either a hardware or a software solution. For example, an onboard codec may be found in a video capture card, or in a specialized encoding workstation used for capture and encoding of real-time (live-live) streaming video. Encoding software, such as that included in the three major streaming architectures, provides codecs, as well. Different codecs for different tasks Video codecs and audio codecs work differently. You ll need to choose a video codec to compress your imagery, and an audio codec to compress your sound. And some codecs are more appropriate for certain kinds of work than others, since different codecs use different compression strategies. The Adobe Premiere Technical Guides, which can be found in the Support area of the Adobe Web site at www.adobe.com, offer some more detailed descriptions of different types of compression and codecs. Which streaming media codecs are available to you depends on which architecture(s) you choose. You ll find some of the same codecs (MPEG-4, for example, for video; MP3, for example, for audio) in different architectures. But remember, since encoding not only compresses the file but also formats it for a specific architecture, even if the same codec is used, streaming files are likely to play back only on the player that is part of the encoding architecture. Currently, the three dominant architectures offer just a few options for streaming video codecs. While QuickTime provides some variety, RealNetworks and Windows Media deliver little choice in codecs for streaming video. In terms of audio codecs, Real offers a wide variety of choices, with QuickTime 32 47 Don t Be Scared of Bandwidth Math, by Tim Kennedy, Streaming Media World, May 26, 2000, http://smw.internet.com/symm/tutor/bandmath/index.html 48 Choosing a Streaming Video Technology, by Ben Waggoner, DV Web Video, May 2000
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A Streaming Media Primer: HOW DO I MAKE (GOOD) STREAMING MEDIA? HOW MUCH COMPRESSION IS ENOUGH? UNDERSTANDING BANDWIDTH MATH45 In order to be sure your streaming media plays smoothly, you ll need to determine how much data you can send to your audience, without clogging up the system. The good news is that there are tools you can use so you don t really need to do any math, but it s a good idea for you to understand the underlying principles. THE FUNDAMENTALS File sizes are measured in K or KB short for kilobytes (1,024 bytes; usually rounded to 1,000 bytes). Since a byte is 8 bits, a kilobyte is (approximately) 8,000 bits. Transmission rates are also measured in K , but the K here is short for Kbps kilobits per second not kilobytes, but kilobits. Note that there are exactly 1,000 bits in a kilobit. Don t mistake kilobytes for kilobits. A 56K (i.e., Kbps, or kilobit per second) modem won t download a 56K (i.e., KB, or kilobyte) file in one second. And it gets more confusing THE LIMITATIONS A 56Kbps modem is rated to move 56 kilobits of data per second. That s 56,000 bits. Divide by 8 (the number of bits in a byte) and you get 7KB (kilobytes) per second a more familiar, and therefore more meaningful measure of file size for most of us. THE VARIATIONS According to the quick calculation we ve just done, a 56 KB image file would need at least 8 seconds to stream over a 56K modem… Why did we say at least? Well, for all you math whizzes, a 56K modem won t download a 56K file in 8 seconds, because, as you ll recall, a modem K is exactly 1,000 bits, while a file K is actually 1,024 bytes and,with start bits, stop bits, and modem compression, a byte can use more or less than eight bits of bandwidth. Furthermore, 56K modems do not consistently provide 56 kilobits of throughput 56K is the upper limit. The actual bandwidth fluctuates continually, frequently dropping well below 56 kilobits per second. Connection THE RECOMMENDATIONS Check with the provider of your streaming architecture to ascertain what bandwidth is recommended. For example, Real recommends using 34Kbps for 56K modems, while Apple (QuickTime) recommends using 53Kbps. THE MATH Now let s suppose you ve got 50KB of video to stream to a 56K modem. To determine how much time the sequence needs to stream: 1. Convert the storage measurement (kilobytes) to the shipment measurement (kilobits) by multiplying by a factor of 8, since there are 8 bits to a byte. 50KB (kilobytes) X 8 = 400Kb (kilobits) 2. Divide your shipment by the bandwidth recommended for the targeted connection. We ll use Real s recommendation of 34Kbps for a 56K modem. 400Kb 34 Kbps = 12 (11.76) seconds 3. Divide your shipment by the bandwidth recommended for the targeted connection. We ll use Real s recommendation of 34Kbps for a 56K modem. 400Kb 34 Kbps = 12 (11.76) seconds So it will take a little less than 12 seconds to stream the 50KB. If your video is comprised of three different images, each about the same size, and your transitions are equally spaced at 4-second intervals, it should stream quite nicely. But what if your images are different sizes? For example: 17KB, then 25KB, then 8KB… If we do the math, everything will be fine for the first four seconds. But, for the next image, we may start to get into some trouble: 25KB X 8 = 200Kb 200Kb 34Kbps = 6 (5.88) seconds Trying to push 6 seconds worth of material through the pipe in 4 seconds could clog up the pipe and/or choke the streaming player… HELPFUL TOOLS You could use a calculator and graphing software to carefully plot out kilobits vs. time… But, fortunately, clip analysis tools in software such as Adobe Premiere and Terran Interactive s Media Cleaner will graph the data rate of your movie for you. Using these tools, you can check portions of your program as you develop it, to be sure you stay within the required bandwidth limitations. HELPFUL HINTS Don t forget to include the audio in your bandwidth calculations. Keep up with the latest documentation for the streaming format you are using different formats handle bandwidth in different ways. Buy some time put lightweight graphics and text that consume little bandwidth up front, to buy loading time for heavier-weight material that comes later. Your audience will be distracted while content is being loaded and buffered in the background. Don t disregard CPU capacity. Like most video or graphics professionals, you probably work on a relatively fast, powerful computer. Everyone in your audience may not. Even if you are careful to spread out the data rate, complex transitions or effects can bog down the client computer especially if the user has other applications running in the background. Test the limits. Don t throw away or donate those old dial-up modems or slow machines. Keep them on hand for testing the limits. How low can you go without completely compromising your content? RULES OF THUMB Even if you were to calculate and graph precisely how much bandwidth a file requires, the result would be only an approximation of the actual data rate as it streams over the Internet. The bottom line is that you need to use rules of thumb and leave some slop. See the chart below for Safe bets using Apple QuickTime.46 Rated Typical throughput Safe bets 28.8 modem 28.8 Kbps 2.4 KB/second 2 KB/second 56K modem 53 Kbps 4.8 KB/second 4 KB/second Dual ISDN 128 Kbps 12 KB/second 10 KB/second DSL 384 Kbps 35 KB/second 30 KB/second T1 1.54 Mbps 150 KB/second 50 KB/second Cable modem 6 Mbps 300 KB/second 50 KB/second Intranet/LAN 10 Mbps 350 KB/second 35 KB/second 100base-T LAN 100 Mbps 500 KB/second 50 KB/second Kbps = kilobits per second Mbps = megabits per second KB/second = kilobytes per second Adobe Dynamic Media 31 45 The term Bandwidth Math and examples cited in this section derived from Don t Be Scared of Bandwidth Math, by Tim Kennedy, Streaming Media World, May 26, 2000, http://smw.internet.com/symm/tutor/bandmath/index.html 46 QuickTime for the Web, by Steven W. Gulie, May 1, 2000, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers
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A Streaming Media P rimer: HOW DO I MAKE (GOOD) STREAMING MEDIA? Adding interactivity to your video production Streaming allows you to take advantage of the interactivity made possible by the Web. Chapterization allows viewers to jump to the beginning of a sequence, or chapter, that is specified in your production with timeline markers. Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects also offer the ability to set Timeline markers that include links to HTML pages. Using these markers, you can develop streaming videos that automatically launch Web pages at precise points during playback. These URL flips may provide different backgrounds for your video presentation, even titles, or offer additional information that is relevant to the video content being viewed. In this example, a URL flip provides relevant information about the bald eagle, that auto-Web Marker matically pops up in the right-hand column of the Web page, at the moment the bird is seen in the video. A single frame of uncompressed video takes about 1 megabyte (MB) of space to store. You can calculate this by multiplying the horizontal resolution (720 pixels) by the vertical resolution (486 pixels), and then multiplying by 3 bytes for the RGB color information. At the standard video rate of 29.97 frames per second, this would result in around 30 MB of storage required for each and every second of uncompressed video! It would take over 1.5 gigabyte (GB) to hold a minute of uncompressed video! Adobe Digital Video Primer OUTPUTTING STREAMING MEDIA Encoding compresses and formats media for streaming You ve finished editing and assembling your movie. Now it s time to produce the final file or files for streaming distribution via the Internet or your intranet. Outputting or exporting your production for streaming requires encoding. Encoding accomplishes two main objectives: 1) it reduces the size of your video and audio files, by means of compression, making Internet delivery feasible, and 2) it saves your files in a format that can be read and played back on the desktops of your targeted audience. Some encoding solutions may also be configured to provide additional processing functions, such as digital watermarking, for example. What is compression? The goal of compression is to reduce the data rate while still keeping the image quality high. Video for the Web might need to be compressed at a ratio of 50:1 or even more. Lossless compression, whereby, no essential data is lost (used for the transmission of financial data, for example) can compress no more than 30 percent. Fortunately, because human perception is based not only on what we actually see and hear, but also on what we infer, video and audio can withstand lossy compression and still maintain enough quality to be acceptable. Lossy compression can compress to any level, but the more compression is applied, the more quality is sacrificed. There are many different methods of compressing video. One way is to simply reduce the size of each video frame. A 320×240 image has only one-fourth the number of pixels as a 640×480 image. Or we could reduce the frame rate of the video. A 15 frame-per-second (fps) video has only half the data of a 30 frame-per-second video. Both of these methods are used to compress video for the Web. For narrowband connections, a very small frame size usually 240×180 is standard. While larger image sizes are often transmitted via broadband connections, the recommended frame rate for streaming video is still 15 fps. Adobe Dynamic Media 30 43 Creating Audio for the Web, by Steve Cunningham, Streaming Media.com, http://www.streamingmedia.com/tutorials/view.asp?tutorial_id=38 44 Streaming Basics: Editing Video for Streaming, by Tim Kennedy, Streaming Media World, March 8, 2001, http://smw.internet.com/video/tutor/streambasics2/index.html
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A Streaming Media Primer: HOW DO I MAKE (GOOD) STREAMING MEDIA? A FEW TIPS FOR EDITING STREAMING MEDIA Skip the fancy stuff Complex transitions add background to achieve the same end conservation motion. Try to stick with straight cuts as much as of motion for more efficient encoding. possible. Focus on content, not on effects. Make titles larger and simpler, and Use slow motion or even still shots If you ve got let them linger longer Remember that Web some shaky, handheld video you want to stream, try viewers are looking at your titles in a potentially slowing it down, or even using still images. Slow motion blurry, possibly as small as 160×120 pixel window. footage does not change as quickly, and that makes it Choose large font sizes, simple bold typefaces, and easier to encode; still images are, of course even that add a little space between characters. Keep back- much easier. grounds simple behind your type, and be sure there s a significant difference in brightness between the type Try matte techniques If you didn t shoot blue- and the background. By keeping your titles onscreen screen or greenscreen, but you have suitable footage longer, the encoding software can recognize them as to mask your subject, you can composite in a still unchanging content and will better maintain details. background to achieve the same end conservation of motion for more efficient encoding. Try titling outside of the video frame Use event markers within your streaming video to launch titles in Try matte techniques If you didn t shoot blue- the form of still or animated GIFs, as part of the Web screen or greenscreen, but you have suitable footage page surrounding the video window. to mask your subject, you can composite in a still Adobe Dynamic Media Processing and mixing audio for streaming with video You ve just finished recording your latest audio masterpiece for the Web. But on playback the audio track sounds like an AM radio with dying batteries, and you realize it will sound even worse after encoding. What can you do? Steve Cunningham answers his own question in his Streaming Media.com Tutorial Creating Audio for the Web.43 Check it out for descriptions of many of the different techniques you can use in post-production to improve a recording that isn t all you had hoped for. You ll find all the tools you need for processing and mixing your audio including a full range of audio effects (aka filters) in Adobe Premiere software. Adobe Premiere 6.0 Streaming media, in its present provides a professional-level audio mixing tool the Audio Mixer, so there s no need form, is not about being subtle. to purchase a separate software package to handle your audio. The Adobe Premiere In an audio mix of narration Audio Mixer resembles a sound-studio-style, multichannel mixer featuring gain and pan and background, always remem- adjustments for up to 99 audio tracks, a VU meter on each track that lights up to indicate clipping, and automation features you can use to streamline your workflow. ber what pays the bills. That The Audio Mixer lets you make adjustments in real time, playing the audio while music is nice for establishing watching the synchronized video. You can also make adjustments in the Timeline, using mood but it is the voice-over that convenient rubberband controls for volume, panning, or balancing audio. Adobe After sells, informs, or educates. Effects offers a full range of audio processing tools, as well, and allows you to generate compressed audio and MP3 s for use in your streaming media productions. I am a big believer in clear mono The audio you ve mixed may sound great on your computer s sound system, but by the sound. Stereo may be nice, but time it gets encoded and streamed to an end-user listening with a 28.8 Kbps connection and a dinky little built-in computer speaker, it may have turned to mush. How will you I don t think it currently adds know? Expert Tim Kennedy recommends that you follow an old recording studio trick. much to the viewing experience Go out and get a small worthless speaker and plug it into your system. Then turn off for most streaming users. I would those stereo speakers or put down your headphones and listen closely to what that little rather provide my viewers with mono speaker is putting out. Grab a co-worker (who doesn’t know the material) and get a second opinion. more data resources dedicated to streaming the video than When it comes to audio for streaming with video, experts agree on the following: Avoid mixing multiple channels opt for clarity. providing a stereo soundtrack. Make sure the message gets through Sacrifice or subdue background music Tim Kennedy in favor of clear narration that informs, educates, or sells. Streaming Media World44 Stick to mono If you re streaming your audio with video, don t waste the bandwidth on stereo. 44 Streaming Basics: Editing Video for Streaming, by Tim Kennedy, Streaming Media World, March 8, 2001, http://smw.internet.com/video/tutor/streambasics2/index.html
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A Streaming Media Primer: HOW DO I MAKE (GOOD) STREAMING MEDIA? Pre-processing tasks may be performed at different points in the workflow: As you mourn the loss of your effects, remember what streaming your content is all about. Your goal is to communicate a message. Effects cause unnecessary change in your streaming video. They force the video stream to put more resources into something other than what the true subject is of your video. Your subject is what communicates that message. Lose the effects. Focus on the goal. Is there hope for the editor/artist who thinks special effects actually add to their message? Maybe. Increasingly, streaming players are beginning to incorporate built-in effects. Rather than rendering the effect into video pixels and encoding the digital mash for streaming, a player might take two streaming clips and render the effect directly on the viewer s machine. The result is a smooth dissolve or motion wipe. The catch is the As part of the capture process For live Webcasting, you ll need to set up automatic pre-processing functions between capture and encoding. Some sophisticated capture cards provide built-in features for handling and auto- mating pre-processing tasks, whether for live Webcasting or for preparing captured video for editing. As part of the editing process If you are capturing media specifically for use in a VOD (video-on-demand) project that you are going to edit, you ll probably do most, if not all, of your pre-processing at the beginning of or during the editing process. As part of the encoding process If you are putting together a single production for multiple uses, you are likely to do your Web-specific pre-processing after editing, but before encoding your media for streaming. Similarly, if you are going to repurpose a previously edited project for streaming delivery, you may need to do some pre-processing before encoding, to make the production more suitable for Web delivery. But even if you do pre-process a multi-purpose production prior to encoding, it may still not stream well. Beware of trying to stream productions with too much action, lots of detail that will disappear within a small image, fancy transitions, motion-laden effects, or complex audio tracks. You are likely to have much better results if you capture and pre-process suitable raw footage and re-cut a short version of your production, specifically designed for Web delivery. Adobe Premiere 6.0 provides a variety of flexible tools for pre-processing your video and your audio that can be conveniently used at whichever point in your workflow you choose. Additionally, Adobe Premiere includes a special, built-in version of Media Cleaner EZ 5, Terran Interactive s popular software for pre-processing and encoding media for the Web. Typical pre-processing tasks fall into three broad categories: 1) getting the proper image parameters, 2) adjusting color and brightness, and 3) audio pre-processing. The box below provides some details. Editing video for streaming Editing activities include cutting and pasting clips together to tell your story, inserting transitions between clips, incorporating visual effects, mixing and synchronizing audio with your video, and adding titles. The Adobe Digital Video Primer42 provides a general introduction to the editing process. Adobe Dynamic Media viewer s machine might not be up to the task of figuring out all that effects math. As connection and computer speeds grow faster, you will see more and more options to use effects. Until then, stick to cuts. Tim Kennedy Streaming Media World43 Non-linear editing (NLE) makes editing and assembling your production as easy and as flexible as word processing. Adobe Digital Video Primer Assembling a video production for streaming is, essentially, the same process as for any other medium. Adobe Premiere software, with its robust DV in, Web out features, is an excellent choice for editing your video for streaming or for any medium. Adobe After Effects software adds the industry-standard compositing toolset to your capabilities. And these two powerful, professional products deliver tight integration that streamlines your workflow. But, bear in mind as you edit and develop your production, as you did when shooting for streaming, that you need to be cognizant of the limitations of the Web, avoiding unnecessary motion or change that will bog down streaming files. 28 42 Adobe Digital Video Primer, PDF available for download at http://www.adobe.com/motion/main.html 43 Streaming Basics: Editing Video for Streaming, by Tim Kennedy, Streaming Media World, March 8, 2001, http://smw.internet.com/video/tutor/streambasics2/index.html
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