Streaming video?

[StephenSails]

I run a sporting news website, our market is just realising what is possible and I want to stay ahead. One line of thought is that I could stream vidoes I have taken. I can currently set it so people just down load them but this is going to be quite intense on the server, I think it would be better to stream the video so that I can control the bandwidth a bit more and also people on slower and faster connections have the options to view as well.

I have no idea about what is possible or how much, ideally I am looking for a free or cheap resource as I dont have much money at the moment.

Anyone got any ideas?

Cheers

Stephne

[mattglet]

We offer video playing with 2 video options - high bandwidth and low bandwidth.

Upon upload we have a 3rd party component that processes the video into 2 different copies (high and low). We then give the user the option to choose which version they want to view, and embed the media player into the web page (standard HTML stuff).

The storage costs can build with 2 copies of the video, but it's definitely a better user experience.

[StephenSails]

That sounds like the sort of system I am looking for, can you give me some details on it.

Cheers

Stephen

[mattglet]

What kind of details are you looking for?

[StephenSails]

Hi,

You suggested you had a product that did what I was looking for? If so I would like to hear more.

Stephen

[walrus]

A quick Google for "video editors" + tucows or "video converters" + "your favorite download site" will take you to a list of demos, shareware and freeware. Read carefully, the limitations sometimes are'nt always specified on the details page and may for example only convert 50% of the file but some are full versions with a 15-30 day expiry.
There are lots of pro programs old versions from a year or two back going cheap, they still do great conversion and some can be had well under 200.00. Most will export in a variety of speeds and formats.

[mattglet]

There are many things you first need to think about before you choose a video converter:

- What file formats do you want to give to your target audiences? Remember, Windows doesn't come with QuickTime, and Macs don't come with Windows Media Player.

- Do you want to offer multiple versions (high vs. low bandwidth)? Make sure your software can convert to multiple framerates.

- Do you want to do the conversion programmatically? Make sure the component has a command-line interface.

- Are you prepared to pay for storage and bandwidth?

- Are you prepared to "get what you pay for"? There are many converters out there... some free and some not. Both vary with features. The one I use costs about $500, and it's not perfect, but it works for what I need to do.

*Note: I pay for a 3rd party component, I don't have my own.