Introduction - Axis 250S User Manual

Introduction

AXIS 250S User's Manual
6
Introduction
The AXIS 250S MPEG-2 Video Server is a one-port MPEG-2 video server that allows
real-time compression and transmission of DVD quality MPEG-2 video streams over a
TCP/IP network (LAN).
When viewing multimedia content (video and audio) in a browser on a network, various
technologies and protocols are employed to supply the content. The video and audio
streams are transmitted either as unicast, where communication is between a single sender
and a single recipient, or as multicast, which is communication between a single sender
and multiple recipients. Multicasting is an excellent way to save on bandwidth.
The AXIS 250S's built-in support for multicasting via RTP (Real-Time Protocol) ensures
smooth delivery to multiple clients on a local network. The only restrictions on the number
of multicast clients are those imposed by the network in use, plus the requirement of one
license per client. The video stream delivered by the AXIS 250S uses approximately a third
of the bandwidth required by an equivalent Motion-JPEG stream.
The AXIS 250S MPEG-2 Video Server
The AXIS 250S includes all of the required networking connectivity for distributing
multimedia content over the network. The built-in Web server provides its own application
page for direct viewing of the video stream, as well as full web-based control of the
management and configuration functions. All of this can be accessed from a browser over
the network.