Streaming files is a way to deal with large content of files in pieces so that playback can begin more quickly. Cloud computing and its ever-growing technology has a heavy impact on streaming. Streaming is performed where there is broadcasting of current events, viewing TV series or movies on user's computer or cell-phones, listening to radio jockey (RJ) or Internet radio and various other applications.
Defining Media Streaming
It is a method of delivering multimedia elements usually video or audio from a data-streaming service provider to the users. The protocols it uses includes:
- HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
- TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol)
- HTML Protocols
Streaming media is either video or audio content sent in compressed form over internet, rather than saved to hard-disk. Because of media streaming, users does not have to download a file to play and view it. Users can fast-forward, rewind, pause, stop that streaming video what they can with a downloaded file.
Advantages of Streaming in Cloud
Cloud technology has a number of advantages that aid content providers to deliver systems. A large storage facility is available for cloud computing providers for maintaining libraries along with a high computation power for streaming servers. It also provides an engine for encoding, decoding and transcoding content. Audio streaming was the first to gain widespread fame as a media application on Internet. The streamed audio gets expanded its field using cloud computing to make radio. VoIP is a form of audio streaming based on specialized protocol.
Some of the advantages of streaming media are:
- It makes possible for cloud users to view interactive applications like video, searching them and personalized playlist.
- It provides the content makers with more control over his intellectual property as the video file isn't stored on the viewer's computer.
- It provides an efficient use of bandwidth. This is because the transferred file is the only part that is being watched.
- It allows content delivers for monitoring what visitors are watching.
Encoding.com offers a great example of how the cloud can be leveraged for providing service on demand. This site advertises itself as the world's most popular encoding/transcoding service. Encoding.com also provides static picture file conversion, audio, and video file conversion. Most of the cloud business focuses on streaming file formats used for audio and video work. There is the most popular conversion provided by that site. These are:
- AVI to WMV
- Any video to 3GP
- MP4 to WMV
- FLV to MPG
- 3GP to WMV
- WMV to MPEG
- AVI to MPEG-4
- VP6 to MPEG
- 264 to MPEG
- VP6 to AVI
- 264 to AVI
- FLV to MOV
- MP4 to 3GP etc….
Working with VoIP Applications
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a set of protocols for communicating and delivering voice over the internet. Some of these services migrated to the cloud that requires a large number of servers. Other than audio streaming, VoIP uses additional protocols and standards, which are most commonly used and are listed below:
- 323
- Session Description Protocol (SDP)
- Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP)
- Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP)
- IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)
- Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
Skype is an example of the VoIP application, and its protocol is a proprietary protocol which uses the Global Index P2P protocol. Skype communication is encrypted using standard encryption methods: RSA key & Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithms. Skype accounts do not require that the name of the caller be identified during a call, only his username.
Skype supports the following features:
- Video Conferencing
- Instant Messaging (IM)
- Voice Telephony
- File Transfer
- Message Logging
- Group Chat
Google Cloud Services
Google has two streaming services that is governed by VoIP protocols. These are:
- Google Talk (http://www.google.com/talk/)
- Google Voice
Google talk is a windows only VoIP service that uses XMPP/Jabber Protocol for Google chat IM client. Various smartphones and tabs provide inbuilt application of Google Talk.
The more interesting is the Google voice, Google Voice was acquired when Google purchased the Company Grand Central in 2005, and it appeared for release in March 2009. It is a telephony service that provides voice-mail and call-forwarding services as well as international call termination service for Google account customers.
Some of The Cloud's Video Streaming Sites
- TV (http://blip.tv/)
- com (http://www.break.com/)
- Dailymotion (http://www.dailymotion.com/)
- Flickr (http://www flickr.com/)
- Hulu (http://www hulu.com)
- RuTube (http://rutube ru/)
- tv (http://www.ustream.tv/)
- Yahoo Video (http://video.yahoo.com/)
- YouTube (http://www.youtube.com)
- YuMe (http://www.yume.com)