This is my report for Soundworks on the range of online distribution methods.
There are three main types of online distribution;
- Downloading
- Progressive Streaming
- Streaming (also known as True Streaming)
I have thoroughly researched into each of the above online distribution methods, and my findings are as follows;
Downloads
To download means to receive data to a local system from a remote system, usually from a web server.
There are many websites which offer downloadable content; such as Amazon and iTunes.
You can download videos onto your phone/tablet/computer/etc.
Once you have downloaded something, it is saved to your hard drive, and can be used offline at any time, and transferred onto different computers, etc.
However this option is not always the most popular one; particularly with short videos; as it obviously involves waiting for the download to be completed, and takes up space on your harddrive/phone/etc.
I believe this would not be the best option for Soundworks to distribute their content online; as it would be better for viewers to be able to access it immediately, without having to download it to watch it; as then people are more likely to watch it as it is quick and easy to access.
True Streaming
True Streaming can also be called Live Streaming; and is simply when a video/audio clip, is broadcast live; and these are mostly sports. Examples of this are live football matches, live coverage of the olympics, wrestling matches, or radio shows, etc.
The technicalities of True Streaming are essentially the same as Progressive Streaming. But obviously videos distributed via True Streaming cannot be edited beforehand; as the footage is fed straight from the camera onto the internet. One option when creating a production to be distributed via True Streaming is to include VT's; you can pre-set a VT (A pre-recorded piece of video) to be shown at set times during the live transmission.
I do not believe that this would be the best option for Soundworks; as I am assuming the footage from Soundworks would be recorded and then edited; and this is obviously not an option when using Live Streaming as your online distribution platform.
Progressive Streaming
The user selects the file that they would like to watch.Usually a plug-in such as Adobe Flash is used to successfully stream the video. A copy of the video never actually exists on the user's computer/phone/tablet/etc. Only fragments of data are shown as they arrive, and are immediately deleted as streaming files.
A streaming server and real-time protocols are used for streaming. The web server sends the file to watch to the streaming server, which then sends the file directly to you, usually by using a real-time protocol (an RTP), Which is an internet protocol standard which manages the real-time transmission of multimedia data over multicast network services. ("Multicast is communication between a single sender and multiple receivers on a network"); This would be used for websites such as Netflix, LoveFilm and YouTube, etc.
Your video player, such as Windows Media Player, decodes and displays the data as it arrives, and gets rid of all unnecessary data.
Streaming online is quickly becoming the most popular method of watching films and videos, and I believe this would be the best method for Soundworks to dsitribute their content online; as Soundworks content is not something that people would download and want to keep saved and rewatch; and the content is not being filmed live; and so I believe streaming is the best option; as people can quickly and easily access the video; they can just click on the video and watch it quickly, without having to wait for it to download, and many platforms can be used to stream videos; and I believe the best option for Soundworks to stream their content would be via a YouTube channel, or their own website, and this could then be shared as a link via Social Networking, in order to reach as wide an audience as possible.
References Used
http://www.globaldots.com/how-live-video-streaming-works/
http://www.searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/Real-Time-Transport-Protocol/
http://www.searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/multicast/
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