Streaming Media Server
From IT Focus Group
List of Products
Flash Media Server 2
Requires Windows 2003 Server. Flash is the powerhouse of streaming video. It is widely supported, and nearly all browsers include the Flash plug-in. There must be a reason that Google Video/YouTube deliver their content with Flash instead of another format. One downside is that the server is excessively overpriced and requires some technical experience to set up and configure. However, if you want powerful control and advanced integration, this is the choice. The question is, will advanced features be used at Ferris?
Flash uses two formats: .swf for standard Flash files, and .flv which is a special Flash video format. Video can be created by using the Flash authoring program ($699) or with a conversion application such as Sorenson Squeeze or On2's Flix Pro ($249).
Flash Professional 8 features the On2VP6 video codec (which was selected to replace the Sorenson Spark codec featured in version 7) for improved compression and quality. VP6 competes with H.264 used by QuickTime.
QuickTime/Darwin Streaming Server
Requires Mac OS X Server v10.4 (or later). QuickTime Streaming Server is built into Mac OS X Server.
H.264/AVC
Microsoft Windows Media Services 9 Series
Requires Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (media server is included with server). Although Quicktime and Real Player are popular in certain areas, it cannot be denied that Microsoft Windows dominates the home computer market. Every version of Windows sold in the last 5 years had Windows Media Player pre-installed on it. Since Windows comprises nearly 97% of the global computer market, Windows Media is the logical choice to support as many people as possible, right out of the box. Apple users can also play Windows Media files - Flip4Mac has created a simple plugin for Quicktime that will allow Mac users to play Windows Media via their pre-installed Quicktime player.
RealNetworks Helix Server
Helix Server is the only multi-format, cross platform streaming server for delivering the highest quality experience to wired and wireless devices. Deliver RealAudio, RealVideo, Windows Media, QuickTime , MP3, MPEG-4, 3GPP* (H.263 and H.264) and more from one server infrastructure. Requires Windows 2003 Server.
