Audio Streaming - How to Succeed - Part 3

HTTP Live Streaming

This is a system based on HTTP and streaming media and incorporates a communication protocol. It was first implemented by Apple Corporation when they established their QuickTime X and iPhone software systems.

The way in which the system of live streaming works is to convert the data stream into a series of small files based on HTTP. Each file is downloaded, which in turn loads a small segment of the data stream. As soon as the flow is reproduced, the customer has the option to select a particular stream from a variety of alternate streams containing the same data, but which have been encoded at different data transfer rates. In this way, the streaming session is able to adapt to the prevailing rate of data transmission. When the streaming session starts, the system downloads a list that contains data from several sub-streams that are available.

Since data requests requires only ordinary HTTP, then HTTP Live Streaming is able to traverse any firewalls or proxy servers that allow standard HTTP traffic to travel through.

Terms

HTTP - Also known as Hypertext Transfer Protocol, is an application-level protocol. There are two main versions, viz. HTTP/1.0 that uses a separate connection for each document, and HTTP/1.1 that is able to reuse the connection in order to download, for example, images of the previous page. As a result, HTTP/1.1 may be faster of the two versions given that the time needed to initiate such connections.

HTTP is a request / response standard used in client-server computing. The client is an application, such as a web browser on your computer that is used by an end user. On the other hand, the application server is running on the computer that hosts the site. The client sends HTTP requests.

Protocol - With reference to the processing, the protocol refers to a set of rules that are applied to computers so that they are able to communicate with each other when it is transmitted through a network. It is, in fact, a standard which maintains or involves, first the connection, then the communication and finally the transfer of data between computers. Protocols may apply to hardware or software, or even a combination of both. In a sense, a protocol specifies how to run a hardware connection.

Streaming Media - refers to multimedia that is continuously received by, well presented, the user data. At the same time, the user is delivered by a provider of streaming data. The media streaming term refers to the method of delivery of the vehicle rather than the nature of the medium itself. That suggests that the distribution is on a telecommunications network since almost all other delivery systems are specifically streaming, such as radio and television, or are characterized as non-streaming, such as books, video cassettes and audio CDs. Internet television is an excellent example of what can be designated as common streaming media.

Multimedia - Refers to the nature of the media used and content needed to use a combination of different forms of content. Media, in its broadest sense, uses only established forms of material that can be printed or produced by hand. On the other hand, Multimedia uses a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, and interactivity content forms.

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