TABLE OF CONTENTS You've successfully encoded your first media file, and you're excited to learn more about streaming media technology and production. As with all new information and skills, you need to start with the basics. This chapter discusses the fundamental concepts behind streaming media and introduces you to streaming's four steps: capture, encode, distribute, and playback. In addition, you'll learn about the two main kinds of streaming: live and on-demand.
This chapter will also discuss your audience, the most important component in any kind of communications activity. You'll evaluate your audience's needs and how well you can meet those needs with streaming media. You'll also evaluate your content, that is, the media you want to deliver, in relation to your audience and how you use your tools. The chapter outlines the advantages and disadvantages of Windows Media versus other vendors. Finally, this chapter underlines the importance of cooperation between creative people and technical people when making and delivering streaming media. By the end of this chapter, you will:
Understand the definition of streaming media
Learn streaming fundamentals
Follow the four steps of streaming
Know the difference between live and on-demand streaming
Begin to evaluate your audience
Understand your own content in relation to streaming
Compare Windows Media with other technologies
Streaming usually refers to the predictable transfer at a consistent rate of data with a timeline, most often audio and video. But other types of data can be streamed as well, including text and static images. Most kinds...
