Panasonic AV-HLC100E Operating Instructions Manual page 87

On Demand Hosting
As noted in Section 14.4.2, and when the NewTek Streaming for AV-HLC100 plugin is installed, AV-
HLC100 permits you to record live productions to local storage. The resulting files can be hosted on a
network later, so viewers can connect whenever they like. If you have the resources available, you can
host the video yourself – but if many people will likely want to view your production, you will likely avail
yourself of a service to stream it on your behalf.
Ideally, 'on demand' streaming video begins to play on request after a few moments. (Letting the stream get
a bit ahead of the client playback device is called 'buffering', and helps ensure smooth playback). This stands
in contrast to other types of online video distribution which requires the viewer to completely download the
video file before he can begin play. Given a sufficiently high speed connection between host and viewer, they
may well be able to enjoy a seamless viewing experience without stuttering or other issues.
Live Streaming
Live streaming is a growing international market, and one you may well wish to serve. This form of streaming
is a somewhat more demanding implementation. Rather than record a file and deal with it later, live video
is transmitted over the network (in 'near realtime' - give or take a little time 'in the pipe', as it were.)
Delivering a good quality stream requires that you consider both your network connection capabilities
and that of your viewers. As well, to ensure reliable delivery, you will ideally have some idea of the size
of your audience. Naturally, streaming video is highly compressed to reduce bandwidth demands and
make it available to a wider group. The decision as to which encoding format to use for your live stream
is up to you or – in some cases – your client. Here are some things to consider:
 Some corporate and institutional network administrators opt to support one or another format
exclusively. (Check with your IT department to find out if this affects your decision).
 RTMP and RTSP combined have a very wide installed user base, and work well across multiple
platforms (PCs, Macs, Linux, etc.).
Bandwidth Considerations
You'll often hear the term 'bitrate' in connection with streaming. This expression refers to data throughput per
second (generally measured in Kilobits per second, or Kbps.) You could think of this as being like water flowing
through a hose. You control the 'faucet', because you get to choose the streaming Profile setting in the system's
Configuration panels. However, you don't own the 'hose' – or, at least, not the entire hose.
Once the stream leaves your immediate environment, even if you can supply good throughput locally,
bandwidth may be constricted elsewhere along the transmission path. The level of Internet traffic can
impose limits, but another major factor is the sort of connections your viewing audience may have.
Consider one scenario: Even though you know that most of your audience is going to connect to your
program using (relatively slow) wireless devices, you use a very high outgoing bitrate – thinking that
this will surely be enough to fill the need. The fact is, though, a high bitrate actually ensures a poor
viewing experience in this case. The client player tries to play at the specified bitrate, but (in this
example) the wireless bottleneck impedes flow. It is as if you connected a fire hose on your end, giving
them a high volume of data – but in the last stage of flow, the stream must pass through a small garden
hose. Sadly, the final data stream will be quite insufficient, and output from the 'nozzle' (the client
player) will falter badly.
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