Some answers are presented below to some common streaming media questions. Please contact us if you have additional quiries.

What is Streaming Media?
Media streaming is the process of broadcasting video and audio “live” over the internet to the end user. The input source doesn’t have to be live (although it can be), and the stream can either be started by request of the user, or on a constant playout for them to "jump into".

What is “Video on Demand”?
Video on demand is the idea of allowing the user to request content as and when they want it. This is as appose to conventional TV or radio where the programming schedule is set, and users must be watching or listening at the time in order to utilise the media.

Why is streaming media better than downloadable media?
From the perspective of the person requesting the stream, they can begin watching the media as soon as the stream has “buffered” (see below for definition). This means for large files, for example, they don’t give up waiting for the whole file to download, because the content is being delivered as soon as possible, and the remainder continues being downloaded as the first part starts.

From the client’s perspective, you have maximum control over the content. The person receiving the stream does not really “have” the content – they’re just watching it. This makes it a lot harder for them to copy, redistribute or profit from your content. Optionally, users can be prevented from skipping forwards through the media, so they cannot ignore adverts or other important sections you may want them to hear or view.

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of streamed media is that it can be live – taken from camera or microphone source, and encoded and streamed for users to watch within seconds. This is most applicable for the likes of live music event or product launch.

Why are some streams better quality than others?
The quality of a media stream is determined by its bitrate. For audio streams, such as voice or music, the bitrate is lower than for video streams. The way that bandwidth pricing works, means that the cost of stream is directly related to its bitrate, and not necessarily the file size (determined by total length of the media). We can arrange for content to be streamed at different bitrates to cater for differing costs and connections speeds of users.

What are some comparable bitrates?
Approximate values for common mediums are as follows:

Why should I stream with you when I already have website hosting arranged with someone else?
Simple – to put it another way, why hire conference facilities for a large meeting, when you already have offices of your own? Because your offices probably aren’t big enough and why should they be for such one-off events? Streaming media is the same. There may well be as much data transferred in 5 minutes of good-quality streamed video, as there is in a whole month for the average website. Our servers can handle far greater traffic levels than normal web-hosting servers, and this is necessary to provide high-quality streams to multiple sources at once.

Why don’t I just use a video-sharing site like “YouTube”?
Video-sharing sites are a fantastic way for individuals to share content with others, allowing people to see videos on the main site, or to embed videos in their own personal pages. However, the provider’s logo will always be at the beginning and/or end of the video, there will usually be a playback bar at the bottom and users may have to download a separate piece of software in order to play your video. In short, it doesn’t look so professional.

We stream using Windows Media – software present on around 92% of the worlds home and office computers. This guarantees a consistently high playback quality that the vast majority of users will be able to see. You can choose what logo goes where, and how you want the web page, player and video to look. Additionally there’s no need for a “Comment Here” section where unhelpful individuals can leave derogatory comments about your company!

Where is my content stored and is it safe?
Content is stored on our dedicated streaming servers at London’s Telehouse Metro data centre. The facility itself is highly secure, and our servers are protected by high-calibre firewalls. Connections to the internet are premium quality “commercial grade” bandwidth, with up to 2.8Gbit of data transferring capacity, from ten separate connections to the web.

What is buffering?
Broadband connections, particularly domestic ones, don’t always maintain a constant connection speed. When downloading normal web pages for example, data is sent in batches (i.e. one batch per page), the fluctuation in connection speed isn’t noticed by users, and it is therefore of little importance. Streaming media however requires a large sustained transfer of data. Since the connection is not guaranteed, a buffer of data is downloaded before the media begins to play, such that in general, there will never be a break in playback.

Can you stream to mobile phones?
Absolutely, yes. Media can be encoded at a lower bitrate – appropriate for the download capabilities of most mobile phones and the smaller screens – and streamed so as to be accessible by Windows Mobile phones.