If you ask if you have access to overport media, I believe that the answer is sure. But what is the problem of streaming media may not be so clear. The so-called streaming media is to use the Internet to deliver and can be downloaded by the user to download the moving media information. Stream media technology generally has three aspects of performance, namely encoder (encoding technology), player (playback support) and flow server, and three are unable. Only one to two elements are not called streaming media technology.
There are three mainstream streaming technologies on the market, namely RealNetworks's RealMedia, Microsoft's Windows Media and Apple's QuickTime. These three technologies have their own patented algorithms, patent documents, and even the three key elements of the patent transmission control protocol.
Apple's QuickTime is a very old brand media integration, which is a real industry standard in digital media. The reason why the meaning of integration is because QuickTime is actually an open architecture that includes a variety of streaming or non-flow media technologies. QuickTime is the earliest video industry standard, and the QuickTime version 4.0 released in 1999 began to support real stream playback. Since QuickTime itself also has a platform convenience (Mac OS), there is a lot of users. QuickTime uses Sorenson Video technology on video compression, with QDesign Music technology. The maximum feature of QuickTime is that the inclusiveness itself makes it a complete multimedia platform, so it can use a variety of media techniques to create media content based on QuickTime. At the same time, it is the best in terms of interactivity. For example, in a QuickTime file, you can simultaneously include files in the format of MIDI, animations GIF, Flash, and SMIL, with QuickTime's Wired Sprites interactive format and, you can design a variety of interactive interfaces and animations.
In the mid-1990s, RealNetworks first launched streaming technology and gradually developed with the rapid development of the Internet, in the market, and has the most user number. The main technique currently in coding is RealMedia Codec 8. Since RealMedia has time, there are many advanced design, for example, Scalable Video Technology scalable video technology can automatically adjust the media's playback quality according to user computer speed and connection quality. Two-pass encoding two coding techniques can be prejected by the media content, and then encodes the results according to the results of the scan. In particular, SURESTREAM adaptive streaming technology can provide flow playback of different bandwidth users via a coded stream. The RealMedia audio portion uses Real Audio, which is very prominent in the low bandwidth environment. RealMedia achieves certain interaction capabilities and media control capabilities based on SMIL and combined with its own REALPIX and RealText technology, but there is still a distance compared to QuickTime.
Microsoft is the last entered this market in three, but the convenience of using its operating system has achieved a certain market share. The current version of the Windows Media coding scheme is also known as 8.0, and of course the version number has now become a means of commodity promotion. Video MEDIA VIDEO 8 is MPEG-4 video compression technology, which uses Microsoft's own development of Windows Media Audio technology. The key core of Windows Media is MMS protocol and ASF data format, MMS for network transmission control, ASF is used for media content and encoding scheme packages. Currently, Windows Media is the weakest in interaction, and its own ASX format interaction has not strong, in addition to the other interaction capabilities outside SMIL. Below is a comparison list of some main performances of three technologies:
coding
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QuickTime 5 Windows Media 8 RealMedia 8 Operating System Windows Series and Macos Windows Series Windows Series, MacOS, Solaris, Linux Nominal Halft-Categories (320 × 240, 24 Frames / Second) 300 Kbps 250Kbps 300 Kbps The code rate required for nominal CD sound quality is not mentioned that 64kbps 64kbps human-machine interaction ability is very good. Generally, the cost of coding tool is expensive, and multiple aspects work. Encoder full free basic encoder free, advanced features need to be purchased.
server
Comparison item QuickTime 5 Windows Media 8 RealMedia 8 Operating System Windows Series, Macos, Solaris, Linux, FreeBSD Windows Series Windows Series, Macos, Solaris, Linux Nominal Support Concurrent User Number 2000 2000 3000 Advertising Support Support Support Assignable User Band Width Support support support Multi-Point Broadcast Support Support SMIL Support Browser Support for RTSP Protocol Support (it uses its own MMS protocol) Support DRM digital copyright management by third-party providing direct support Server cost QuickTime streaming server free bundle The more in the Windows server, the more expenses.
From the above contrast, we can see that from a general point of view, the difference between these three technologies is not large. In general, if you use a Windows server platform, Windows Media's cost is the least. QuickTime has an advantage over performance prices, while RealMedia has an advantage over the number of users. However, the development of the Internet proves that the market is not always the leader of the first. Microsoft is quickly expanding their forces rapidly with the convenience of the platform. Although the functionality of Windows Media is not the best, the user is not the most, but with the strong investment of Microsoft on Windows Media, Windows Media will become the best streaming medium technology.
Even if the streaming media has its own characteristics, the mutual combination of technology and content can be used to use dependencies, or, the more the content provided by a certain stream technology, the more vital. However, in the approach of Netscape, the other two companies in order to avoid positive confrontation with Microsoft, they have not discharged their own hands to new fields that have not been involved in Microsoft. For example, RealNetworks's recent initiative includes software technology to provide software technology to TV video equipment, developing technology and music on mobile phones, etc. And work with traditional content providers in the market to control media content. Apple is committed to strengthening the multimedia characteristics of the MAC computer to strengthen the QuickTime function. The techniques other than the streaming media are used, such as QuickTime VR, etc., and increase the secondary development permit to third-party technology developers such as ON2. Your influence. As for Microsoft, it has been improved to improve Windows Media. The new features (Instant ON, Always ON, etc.) that will be launched "Corona" will have brought huge response in the industry. In the user's opinion, there are a number of choices to promote competition and avoid monopoly. However, the incompatibility between technology also causing users to cause trouble. And because these three technologies have exclusive, users will continue to endure this inconvenience within a period of time. It is worth mentioning that the opening of the source code is not idle in the field of streaming media technology. OGG Project has been operated as an open source of the multimedia overall solution that has begun to operate, and the streaming media audio technology Ogg Vorbis is increasingly mature, and the corresponding ICAST stream server has also started commercial applications. Just the video format OGG Tarkin still has day. When the stream technology of open source is mature, the streaming media market will become a quarter of the world is also an unknown number.
