The Technology of Video and Audio Streaming

Book excerpt: * Learn the end-to-end process, starting with capture from a video or audio source through to the consumer's media player * A quick-start quide to streaming media technologies * How to monetize content and protect revenue with digital rights management For broadcasters, web developers, project managers implementing streaming media systems, David Austerberry shows how to deploy the technology on your site, from video and audio capture through to the consumer's media player. The book first deals with Internet basics and gives a thorough coverage of telecommunications networks and the last mile to the home. Video and audio formats are covered, as well as compression standards including Windows Media and MPEG-4. The book then guides you through the streaming process, showing in-depth how to encode audio and video. The deployment of media servers, live webcasting and how the stream is displayed by the consumer's media player are also covered. A final section on associated technologies illustrates how you can protect your revenue sources with digital rights management, looks at content delivery networks and provides examples of successful streaming applications. The supporting website, www.davidausterberry.com/streaming.html, offers updated links to sources of information, manufacturers and suppliers. David Austerberry is co-owner of the new media communications consultancy, Informed Sauce. He has worked with streaming media since the late nineties. Before that, he has been product manager for a number of broadcast equipment manufacturers, and formerly had many years with a leading broadcaster.