Streaming wav audio files

How to, and is there any benefit?

[geekay]

I have a couple of WAV files on a site. I'm instructing visitors to first download the file, and only then listen. I haven't bothered to stream the files or make them progressively downloadable. As far as I know my host's server is not configured to handle streaming.

But once a visitor informed me that he could listen (with WMP) without first downloading the entire WAV file. I can't do that myself (2MB DSL, WMP). Could somebody please explain. Or maybe there's no time benefit for the visitor anyway, only simplier.

[bill]

If you don't have some sort of streaming server in place then opening the file and downloading it are the same thing.

[geekay]

What is needed to make an Apache server and a wav file streaming, and is it worth the trouble?

[geekay]

Maybe the above question was too unchallenging for the gurus here.

But I would imagine some of the less experienced forum readers would appreciate to have an idea of what the streaming issue involves.

[moltar]

But once a visitor informed me that he could listen (with WMP) without first downloading the entire WAV file.

This depends on a client. Some users have Internet Explorer set to embed Media Player into the folding out tab (on the left side). If user clicks a music file Media Player will start playing it instead of downloading.

Users can also force that effect by copying the link and pasting it into the application (if the app supports that). Media Player and WinAmp are two that I know of.

In Media Player: File -> Open URL
In WinAmp: Play -> URL

Regarding actual streaming. Apache cannot be used as a full blown streaming server (but can imitate one). You need a separate server application. There are different kinds of streaming servers for different kinds of media files. I know R$%l Networks have the app server, Windows Media also should have an app server that supports WMA / WMV files. For MP3 files you can use Shoutcast streaming server.

To imitate simple streaming with Apache, you can just create a text file with .m3u (or .pls) extension and paste the full URL to the WAV file. Upload m3u file to the server and try to open it. It should stream the file right away.