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Streaming Large Video Files

  • 03-03-2008 6:02pm
    #1
    tvr
    Registered Users Posts: 416 ✭✭


    Does anyone know the most affordable way of streaming high quality videos online. I was going to go with Brightcove but they seem to have stopped beta testing and our now charging for their service. Anyone got another good service ?

    Is there away of doing it myself via a Microsoft Silverlight player or something?

    Cheers

    TVR


Comments

  • #2
    pwd
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,284 ✭✭✭pwd


    Doing it yourself with a Silverlight player and using the Silverlight Streaming service would probably be the most affordable way of doing it.


  • #3
    misterq
    Closed Accounts Posts: 382 ✭✭misterq


    I have to say I would be against silverlight as I think asking users to install a new plugin to access the content can be a bit of a turn off.

    I'm showing flash video files on a site of mine, not quite streaming, but thinking of changing as the data throughput is topping 50GB a month now and causing the server a bit of bother.

    I would be interested in hearing about some alternatives too.


  • #4
    ianhobo
    Registered Users Posts: 413 ✭✭ianhobo


    I have to say I would be against silverlight as I think asking users to install a new plugin to access the content can be a bit of a turn off.

    But sure didn't you have to do the same thing when you first wanted to use flash?! And it's something that developers still spend a lot of time on, between detecting its installation and detecting and prompting users to upgrade to a newer version.

    In the near future, I'm sure it will most likely be as standard an installation in peoples browser as the flash plug-in is.

    A regards the silverlight streaming service, I'm not sure of any other/better alternatives


  • #5
    misterq
    Closed Accounts Posts: 382 ✭✭misterq


    ianhobo wrote: »
    But sure didn't you have to do the same thing when you first wanted to use flash?! And it's something that developers still spend a lot of time on, between detecting its installation and detecting and prompting users to upgrade to a newer version.

    Well I don't want to stray too far off the topic, but flash is ubiquitous today, the vast majority of users have it installed on their browsers. If it were 10 years ago, you would have heard me say the same thing about flash. Well I also said that flash strained people's modems too much also, that bit has changed!

    If silverlight reaches the same popularity as flash then sure, no problem, but I would be very reluctant to ask visitors to install something new just to access my content. If you are ok with it, then by all means. After all, that is why Microsoft are offering free silverlight hosting.


  • #6
    pwd
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,284 ✭✭✭pwd


    I agree that having to install a new plugin might be offputting to some people, but I think there is another side to it. Maybe using Silverlight would appeal to some users who are interested in the new technology too though. Personally I would want to look at a site if it used Silverlight just to see what is being done with it, even if I was not interested in the content. Also the fact that it is a Microsoft technology would probably mean that most users would trust the plugin.


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  • #7
    tvr
    Registered Users Posts: 416 ✭✭tvr


    right i will go with silverlight then, does anyone know if I have to ring up to get the beta testing for the streaming service or what. also is the streaming service free for the first 4gb of files. Does anyone know the cost situation after that?


  • #8
    ianhobo
    Registered Users Posts: 413 ✭✭ianhobo


    misterq wrote: »
    Well I don't want to stray too far off the topic, but flash is ubiquitous today, the vast majority of users have it installed on their browsers. If it were 10 years ago, you would have heard me say the same thing about flash. Well I also said that flash strained people's modems too much also, that bit has changed!

    If silverlight reaches the same popularity as flash then sure, no problem, but I would be very reluctant to ask visitors to install something new just to access my content. If you are ok with it, then by all means. After all, that is why Microsoft are offering free silverlight hosting.


    my point was your exclusion of a technology because a plugin installation was required. You then started promoting flash. Something which also requires a plugin to be insalled. it appeared contradictory as you made no reference to "10years ago..."

    Any new users to firefox, opera, insert your browser name here will still have to download plugins, including a flash plugin


  • #9
    CuLT
    Subscribers Posts: 9,716 ✭✭✭CuLT


    If you're doing the legwork yourself, Amazon's S3 system is a nifty (and very cost effective) way to store and serve files.


  • #10
    tvr
    Registered Users Posts: 416 ✭✭tvr


    thanks for all the help.


  • #11
    flywheel
    Registered Users Posts: 4,027 ✭✭✭flywheel


    try: http://www.playstream.com/ they have a trial account you can test out and various pricing options


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