Streaming is the delivery of media, such as moves and live presentations, over a network in real time. A computer (a streaming server) sends the media to another computer (a client computer), which plays the media as it is delivered. With streaming, no files are downloaded to the viewer's hard disk. You can stream media at various rates, from modem to broadband. The QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) allows you to deliver:
- Broadcasts of live events in real time using Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP)
- Video on demand
- Playlists of prerecorded content
Live vs. On-Demand
Live events, such as concerts, speeches, and lectures, are commonly streamed over the Internet as they happen, using broadcasting software such as QuickTime Broadcaster. Broadcasting software encodes a live source, such as video from a camera, in real time and delivers the resulting stream to the server. With on-demand delivery, such as a movie or an archived lecture, each customer initiates the stream from the beginning, so no one comes in “late” to the stream. No broadcasting software is required for on-demand delivery.
Progressive Download (HTTP) Delivery vs. Streaming (RTSP) Delivery
Progressive download (sometimes called “Fast Start”) is a method of delivering a movie over the Internet so that it can start playing before its file is fully downloaded. Unlike streaming, where you can watch movies without downloading any files, Fast Start movies are actually downloaded to the viewer’s computer. You can watch progressive download movies in a web browser using the QuickTime plug-in or using QuickTime Player. You can create progressive download movies for viewers with various connection speeds (called “reference movies”) and a streaming movie for viewers with the fastest connections.
Setting Up QuickTime Streaming Server
Live Broadcasting Requirements
You need the following equipment to stream live audio or video:
- Source equipment for audio, video, or both, such as a VCR, video camera, and microphone.
- A computer with QuickTime Broadcaster or other
broadcast software (G4 computer recommended for MPEG-4
broadcasting) and a video or audio capture card.
Note: QuickTime Broadcaster supports video capture from most FireWire-equipped sources, including digital video (DV) cameras, some webcams, and DV converter boxes for a fast and easy broadcasting process with professional-quality results. - 128 MB of RAM (256 MB recommended for professional broadcasting).
- QuickTime 6 or later.
Setting Up the Server
To set up your streaming server:
- Open Server Admin.
- In the Computers & Services list, select the computer you want to set up as a QuickTime Streaming Server and make sure you can see all of its services (click the triangle next to the computer if you can’t see the services).
- In the Computers & Services list, click QuickTime Streaming.
- Click Start Service.
Testing Your Setup
Sample QuickTime movies are included with QTSS in the default movie folder so you
can test the server setup.
To test your server setup by viewing a sample movie:
- On another computer, open QuickTime Player.
- Choose File > Open URL in New Player.
- Enter the following URL:
rtsp://hostname/sample_300kbit.mov
where hostname is the host name or IP address of the QuickTime streaming server. - Click OK.
QuickTime Player connects with the server and plays the movie in a new window.
If you see a “File not found” message
First make sure the URL was typed correctly, including uppercase and lowercase restrictions.
Accessing Media Streamed from Your Server
To view streamed media:
- Open QuickTime Player.
- Choose File > Open URL.
- Enter the URL for the media file. For example:
rtsp://myserver.com/mymedia
where myserver.com is the name of the QTSS computer and mymedia is the name of the hinted movie or media file.
QuickTime Streaming Server Panes
- Overview: Provides a snapshot of current server activity.
- Logs: Displays error logs for troubleshooting purposes and access logs, which show such information as the number of times a media file has been accessed and when.
- Connections: Provides information about connected users and active relays.
- Graphs: Displays a graph of the average number of connected users or throughput over time, from hours to days.
- Settings: Where you specify server settings, bind QTSS to specific IP addresses (if the server computer is multihomed), enable relays, and change log settings.
Using Server Admin to Manage QTSS
Starting or Stopping Streaming Service
To start or stop streaming service:
- Open Server Admin.
- In the Computers & Services list, click QuickTime Streaming for the server.
- At the top of the window, click Start Service or Stop Service.
Changing the Streaming Media Directory
- QuickTime Streaming Server has one main media directory (/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Movies/).
- If you have a reason to specify another directory for your streaming media (for example, you might want to switch the directory to another hard disk), you can do so.
- You must ensure that the owner of the new directory is the system user “qtss”.
- The owner can be changed from Workgroup Manager, the Finder, or the command line.
To specify another media directory
- In Server Admin, click QuickTime Streaming under the server in the Computers & Services list.
- Click Settings.
- Enter a pathname in the Media Directory text field or click the button next to the field to choose a folder.
- Click Save.
Preparing media to be streamed online:
- In QuickTime Pro, open the movie that you want to
stream online.
Note: You must have QuickTime Pro in order save media in the proper format to be streamed online. - Select File and click Export.
- Under Export Options select "Movie to Hinted Movie."
- Choose a different filename to save your movie so that you know it is the hinted movie that is coded and compressed for online streaming.
- Choose a location to save your hard drive to save the file and click Save.
- After the movie has finished saving, you are now ready to place the movie onto the server to be streamed.
- On the Server that will be streaming the movie, put the movie inside the web server movies folder that you have designated as the location for your streamed media. Move the movie file to this location.
Accessing media on-campus (using RTSP) and off-campus (using HTTP)
Because of the firewall and security settings set up for the Ball State University webserver, streamed media can only be accessed on-campus. Media can still be accessed off-campus but must be done using an HTTP protocol and is automatically downloaded to the user's computer.
Access media on-campus (RTSP):
- In QuickTime select File and click Open URL.
- In the Movie URL field type the full URL to your
movie using the RTSP protocol and click OK. For
example:
rtsp://www.mysite.com/filename.mov - Your movie should now be loaded and play via a continuous stream from the server.
To view an example of streamed media follow the above instructions entering this URL: rtsp://gemini.bsu.edu/guest-speaker2.mov or click here to open the file automatically.
Note: You must be on-campus for this media to be streamed to your computer. You may also use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) client to access streamed media from an off-campus location. Ball State students can download a free Cisco VPN client.
Access media off-campus (HTTP):
- Open any web browser with the ability to play
QuickTime files and type the full URL of the movie
using the HTTP protocol. For example:
http://www.mysite.com/filename.mov - Your movie will now be downloaded and played.
To view an example of a movie downloading and playing on your computer, follow the above instructions entering this URL: http://gemini.bsu.edu/alena-edtec-120.mov or click here to open the movie in your web browser.
Information contained on this page can be found on the official Apple QuickTime Player website