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SECTION I: WEB SITE ENVIRONMENT AND TOOLS
C. Multimedia server environment
STANDARD:
Quicktime (.MOV) and Windows Media Video files (.WMV) for streaming are uploaded and housed on a server provided by UW System in Madison. Creation of and uploading WMV and MOV files occurs through the campus Web Development Office. Windows Media player is available for download at no charge to users of most platforms. Real Player (.RM) and other media files are not supported at the time of this publication. MPEG and AVI formats are not approved formats for web viewing due to their large file size.
Explanation:
Stream vs. download, what is the difference? It is difficult to tell if a file is originating from a streaming server or if the entire file is being downloaded while the media software is attempting to play it back. Simulcasts of UWRF 88.7 FM are streamed from a server provided by UW System.
Streaming Multimedia
- Streaming Files can be standard MP3, Windows Media Files (WMV), and Quick Time Movies (QT). QT files require a "hint track." Explore QT movie resources for more information.
- Streaming files are stored on a streaming media server. UW System provides this resource to UWRF
- Streaming files are delivered in small packets of digital information that do not remain on the recipients hard drive.
- Streaming media plays back at the time of request.
- When a streaming file is requested, a portion of the stream is buffered before it automatically plays. This provides for seamless playback as the stream may vary in speed while it is delivered.
- Recipients may advance or replay various parts of a streaming media presentation, at will, with little delay.
- Streaming is useful for large audio and video files and is the primary way to deliver live online radio broadcasts.
- Streaming prevents the creation of another copy of the content unlike downloading a Multimedia file. A small single kilobyte file is all that is cached in the recipient’s browser.
- Recipients with dial-up connections can choose slow streams if the provider has compressed the multimedia files. However, content quality suffers.
Downloading Multimedia
- Multimedia files such as MP3, WMV (Windows) and QT (Quick Time) can be served from a standard server that delivers common Web documents.
- Multimedia files served from a standard server download in their entirety as a copy that resides on the recipient's hard drive.
- Some recipients will be prompted to request where they would like the file to reside on their computer. However, most files are delivered to the browser’s “temporary internet files” folder.
- Many recipients' computers will automatically activate the appropriate software and attempt to playback the multimedia file before it has downloaded in its entirety.
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