If you have a file that won’t stream on your device or you do not have the correct platform or player, you are experiencing what most people have… what do you do?
Believe-it-or-not Flash has been gaining momentum in everyday streaming (96% of the market). In the scope of streaming we are still not seeing any real real standards to speak of yet, but Adaptive Streaming is taking hold now to allow streaming on all platforms that can take advantage of http or website type serving of data.
Serving of data via the CDN is not considered streaming by any definition. In Adaptive Streaming on is pulling raw video in a organized way, but not Streaming in the true sense, hence, Adaptive Streaming. What is Microsoft doing about the platforms and streaming? Well they are coming out with their own Adaptive or Smoothstream systems, which appears to be on the right track with their Silverlight player. The Silverlight player is not required for Smooth Streaming Digital Rapids, a leader in Live Streaming is releasing a codec for and specifically for our needs the, TouchStream system is releasing the codec in the next 60 days. My 2 cents…. Microsoft moves with the wind and Windows media streaming is becoming such a small part of streaming, I predict it will be dropped by CDN’s in the next 12 months and embrace SmoothStreaming. This will be a a large ramp-up and challenge for all involved.
Move Networks (Utah – former Novell executives for the most part) I believe introduced adaptive streaming with great fanfare. The problem is it only ran on when the viewer downloaded Move’s client software. ABC one of their largest clients used it and dropped it like a bomb later. That is what Adobe is doing by downloading Flash for your browser or device. On the other hand all the big sites are using it so if any user who wanted to see video on their favorite sites (like YouTube), the users did it.
Everyone that does streaming in one sense or another will be hit with the challenge to now have to stream multiple streams at once, Flash, Adaptive, and whatever they may one to stream. How do you do that when your standard desktop or Mac will only will send out one live encoded stream at a time? Even if you come up with software upgrades that will accommodate the multiple stream issue, the desktop video card was just not designed to multitask the multiple streams very efficiently. Remember, I did not say they won’t be able to stream, they just will not do it well on many levels.
So, what is the answer? Currently, there are streaming systems/units in the market that will handle multiple codec streams at a time or many pushes and pulls at a time. For an undeniable 360 experience, the hardware and software need to be designed, built and integrated, from the ground up, in order to handle these complex tasks. YourHost.com has put a lot of research time for it’s customers, looking at the right company that will produce the best combination of software, codec, ease-of-use, at a modest price all can enjoy. YourHost.com found system and Company called Digital Rapids, which offers the TouchStream System, which YourHost.com has wholly embraced, and is selling, supporting, and consulting streaming users. Looking for a solid company that can help you wade through the mine fields of streaming and hosting is not an easy task and we feel we are one company that can, learn more here.
FYI from a reliable source – Flash estimated Market share at 96% – whatever the real percentage is it is dominant by a long shot.
Adobe’s own statistics on Flash’s market penetration claim 99 percent penetration as of last month. That’s because, according to their survey methodology, they’re only counting “PCs” — which ignores the entire sort of devices which have brought about this debate.
Adobe is arguing that Flash is installed on 99 percent of all web browsers that support Flash, not 99 percent of all web browsers.
I am comfortable with a conservative 80%. That still makes Flash the “Big Dawg”
that’s it for now, more later.
Sources -
YourHost.com – Eric Kirkhuff
D4Media.com – Gary Ivaska
Mobile Devices, Streaming, Touch-Stream
adaptive stream, smoothstream, Windows Media Fading
