Video Streaming

VIDEO STREAMING

11:43am

Sasha

from a source

• file
• live (using a camera, mobile streaming like qik.com)
• streaming commercial service like ustream.tv, blogtalk (free open source tools??)

Stream Flow

signal --> (mix commentaries, music, whatever by freejay software etc) --> send to server (like shoutcast, icecast, darwin streaming server for mac, red5 flash, VLC), Peer to peer P2P (peer cast – one person streaming to another like miro) one to one (something we do when we do video chatting like skype, ichat) or an open source sattelite --> you can choose to record or archive by VLC or screen capture.

sharing about experience about video streaming

• Risa – use of Skype, Permanent People's Tribunal 2007 witnesses testifying remotely in court
• Nate – Darwin, hacking conference in Boston puts more heads together
• Yuki – Darwin and VL server, MP4 streaming or other format using open source version.

Siraj on sattelite streaming, Sasha: geosynchronised service big fights on how these slots could be assigned, regulated by the ITU. Media activists argues that there should be a slot for community service. Maybe we can organize ourselves to win that, but so far there are two freespeechtv and ilink was able to get slots.

When we set up a stream, you have to choose a codec. Some of the streaming software does not support all formats.

Solutions for mixing

Namita: What makes a good streaming video, ex powerpoint and person on cam?

Sam: ichat creates good video streaming.

Sanjay: Freejay also does good mixing for geeks

Namita: VLC can do this as well.

Sasha: use a simple hardware - you can also get a video mixer from any store, plug in to camera, it has sliders and some effects too. (used for different cam set-ups like weddings)

VLC Video streaming demo Sanjay

1.Open VLC, go to File, pick streaming exporting wizzard

2.Gives you options like stream network or transcode/save file.

3.Choose input from a source (file, camera, etc), you can also do partial extract

4.Streaming method: UDP unicast, UDP multicast, HTTP stream for the net, etcetera but for HTTP, you have to know your IP address (series of numbers, find this at the network control panel) --> this is the address of your computer where they can find the stream.

5.Transcode to different format (VLC offers this on the fly/ real time). Choose the encapsulation format. A good format will be MPEG TS.

6.Additional streaming options would be: how many networks/ routers would you want it to jump. Over the local network, 1 would be good, over the net, choose a high value.

7.In SAP Announce, you can announce your station in other people's browser. It's a good idea to tick the local playback (plays it in your computer, u want it to know what you're feeding the stream). That's it.

The viewers must know address and which program to use. 5 people got the working stream!

Now we're going to try to stream using http website with embedded VLC plug-in.

Q How do you make this work for other players?

A Embed the plug-in for wma, quicktime, etc

Next task is to watch the stream via web page. Right now the page is being created tha will contain the stream's embed code and it will be tested on VLC and Quicktime.

There's a new software by VLC. Check it out!

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