What Separates One Streaming Package from Another?

by Larry Lemm
January 2000

There are more than a score of software companies selling video-streaming software. They all promise that their technology is far superior to their competitor's technology, but what really separates them? The biggest difference is how they route the video through the different channels of the Internet. There are different ways computers communicate through the Internet, and they call the different types of communication protocols. Click here to learn more about protocols.

The video-streamers fall into four major categories. The first category is the streamers that work only in the HTTP protocol. These usually work right off of your existing web server. They also stream video through firewalls with ease. Some of the HTTP-only streamers require a plug-in to view, while others work with the browser alone. The main disadvantage of the HTTP-only streamers is that HTTP is an inherently slower protocol than other protocols.

The second category is the streamers that use multiple protocols. These always require a plug-in to view, even if they cram the plug-in into your machine without you knowing using Java. These streamers are usually faster and more capable than the HTTP-only streamers, but they do have trouble with firewalls.

The third category is the streamers that stream QuickTime movies. These work with clips stored in Apple's QuickTime movie format only. Some are playside-only streamers, which play a QuickTime clip as it is loaded, without any special buffering on the server end of the data exchange.

The fourth category is the Videoconferencing software packages. They use a small camera connected to your computer to give you a ""Jetson's Phone"". They use multiple protocols, and are designed to serve and watch video at the same time.

Click here to see a chart comparing the HTTP-only streaming software.

Click here to see a chart comparing the multiple protocol streaming software.

Click here to see a chart comparing the QuickTime movie streaming software.

Click here to see a chart containing all three of the above charts.

Click here to see a chart comparing the videoconferencing software.

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What Separates One Streaming Package from Another?

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