What file type should you use to stream in? This is a regular question I get asked by PlanetStream clients, and an important consideration that can be best answered by looking at your individual requirements and the goals you’re looking to achieve from video streaming. Choosing the file type is important as you want to ensure your audience has everything in place to view the stream as easily as possible:
Windows Media Format - .wmv
The Windows Media Video format was developed by the Microsoft Corporation, and until a couple years ago this was the standard video format for use online. With the vast majority of web users browsing on a Windows Based PC, any videos being streamed in wmv will launch Windows Media Player automatically and play the stream – this is why wmv. Is still a very popular format and offers excellent compatibility rates with your potential audience.
You can choose to wither embed the Windows Media Player into your webpage (see blog entry from May 01, 2008), or have it launch a stand-alone player.
Flash Video - .flv
With the fact that a Flash player is installed in nearly every web browser currently available, and the popularity of sites such as YouTube, Google Video, Reuters.com, and Yahoo! Video, streaming in Flash Video is a very attractive proposition in terms of reaching as many potential viewers as possible – in fact, it is now almost dominant in On-Demand streaming.
Flash Player is a multimedia and application player originally developed by Macromedia and acquired by Adobe Systems. Because the Flash Player runs as a browser plug-in, it is possible to embed Flash Video in web pages and view the video within a web browser.
Quicktime - .mov
Quicktime is the video file format used by Apple. It’s not as common as Windows Media or Flash are for video streaming, and PC based users will need to have either the QuickTime player installed or a plug-in for their current video player to be able to view videos streamed in .mov format.
Real Video - .ram or .rm
RealVideo is supported on many platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, and several mobile phones. It is less commonly used than the file formats above for video streaming, but has continued popularity when used for streaming audio, particularly online radio stations, as it is adept and handling low bandwidths and bitrates.
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