Overview
Streaming media is streaming video with sound that is sent in a continuous, compressed form over the Internet and displayed to the viewer as it arrives. With streaming media, a web user does not have to wait to download a large file before seeing the video or hearing the sound.
How do I get an account?
Streaming accounts are available by request and can be activated for UAA Faculty, Staff and Departments or Working Groups.
How much space do I get?
Space is allocated based on account type:
Faculty: 2GB
Group: 5GB
Department: 10GB
How do I prepare my video for streaming?
Before streaming your video, it must be converted, to the proper format. This is known as encoding. IT services does not recommend or supply encoding software for streaming. We have developed the following suggestions which have been tested and may serve as a “best practices” guide for users just starting to experiment with streaming video.
The following encoding programs have been tested for use with our streaming server:
Windows media encoder for Windows Media
Quicktime Pro or Imovie for Quicktime
Helix media encoder for Realmedia
The following settings have been used when encoding streaming files for the UAA streaming server and have provided a good balance of image clarity and load/buffer speed.
Size: 320x240
16bit stereo audio
30 frames per second at the following bitrates
56k for modem
128
256
512(optional)
Uploading your streaming videos(Windows)
There are a few different ways you can upload your video files:
Method 1: Uploading your content using network drive
Once you have your video encoded into the proper format you're ready to upload it to the server. If you are using Windows 2000 or XP, and log in to the UAA Active Directory domain (contact the IT Call Center at 786-4646 option1 if you are unsure if you log in to the UAA Active Directory domain), a network drive should appear in your "My Computer" named <Username>on stream.uaa.alaska.edu. This network drive can be used to upload media directly from your computer to the streaming server by dragging and dropping any files you wish to upload.
Method 2: Uploading your content using WebDAV
WebDAV(or DAV) is a network protocol for making connections to network resources. One of the uses for this protocol is transferring files. This protocol has the advantage of being an extension of the standard hypertext transfer protocol (http), allowing this protocol to work with Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Apple’s OS X.
To upload your streaming files using WebDAV with Windows XP:
Click the start button and in the menu, click on my computer.
Click on “Map Network Drive”.
You will be asked to choose a drive letter for the mapped drive.
In the "Folder" field type the address of the streaming server, using the format http://stream.uaa.alska.edu/<username>.
You will be prompted for your username and password. Your username should be formatted <username>@uaa.alaska.edu. Check the “Remember my password” box.
Click “finish” and the window will open like any other windows folder. You can then drag and drop files into the window as you would any windows folder.
Method 3: Using Internet Explorer with FTP
You can use Internet Explorer as an FTP client. In the Internet Explorer address bar enter the following ftp://<username>@stream.uaa.alaska.edu. You will be prompted for your password. After entering your password, your streaming folder should open as a web folder. The web folder can be used to add content, delete existing content or download content to the computer you are using.
Uploading your streaming videos(Macintosh)
There are a few different ways you can upload your video files:
Method 1: Using Mac OS X to create network drive
In Finder, click on the “Go” menu and click on the “Connect to server” option.
In the window which pops up type in the following: smb://stream.uaa.alaska.edu/<username>.
You will then be prompted for your username and password.
Once the username and password are entered a network drive will be added to your MAC desktop and the folder will open. You can then drag and drop files into the window as you would any other Apple folder.
Method 2: Uploading your content using WebDAV
In Finder, click on the “Go” menu and click on the “Connect to server” option.
In the window which pops up type in the following: https://stream.uaa.alaska.edu/<username>.
You will then be prompted for your username and password.
Once the username and password are entered a network drive will be added to your MAC desktop and the folder will open. You can then drag and drop files into the window as you would any other Apple folder.
Method 3: Using Fetch for FTP
If you are using a Macintosh computer which has Fetch installed, you can access your streaming account by using FTP. Open Fetch. In the “New Connection” window enter “Stream.uaa.alaska.edu” in the Hostname field. Enter your LDAP/AD username and password in the username and password fields. Fetch will then open a connection to your streaming media account.
I've uploaded my files, now how do I view them?
You can view your media by going to the following locations depending on your media type.
For Realmedia:
rtsp://rm.uaa.alaska.edu/[username]/[Filename]
For Windows Media:
mms://wm.uaa.alaska.edu/[username]/[Filename]
For Quicktime movies:
rtsp://qt.uaa.alaska.edu/[username]/[Filename]
For Flash Communication files:
rtmp://fc.uaa.alaska.edu/[Username]/[Filename]
We do not recommend this format for linking to your streaming files.
I've uploaded my files, now how do link to them?
For Linking to your streaming content in a webpage, or in Blackboard we suggest using metafiles.
Metafiles are simple files with magic extensions and defined formats. They tell a media player how to find a stream to attach to. Metafiles are small, making them easy to transmit via web or e-mail. Plus, metafiles allow computers use file-types to figure out how to open the file (.doc uses word, .asx uses windows media player, .ram uses real media player, etc.). Using file-types is more reliable than using protocol handlers.
Windows meia primarily uses .asx files which use an XML format and are simple text files. Real uses .ram which are very simple text files. Quicktime uses "reference movies" which require special software to create and are not text files. Flash Communication metafiles are the SWF that you created to display the video. Quicktime and flash are generally more complicated to use metafiles.
Below are samples of metafiles. They have the .txt extension so you can read them. One is an asx file which is HTML-like and has a reference to a windows media stream. The other is a .ram file which can be just a single line with a reference to a real stream.
The above two samples are repeated below with their normal .asx and .ram file extension. Click them and see how your browser decides to open them. Then download them and open them from your computer. If you are really zealous, try emailing yourself one (they are tiny) and opening it from there.
Stream metafiles are the best way to distribute stream files over the web or e-mail. Because you just send a little tiny text file to reference a large stream object, it is a lot like like using a windows shortcut.
Learn More
The following resources are provided to get you started with the streaming format of your choice.
For specifics about producing with Real Media see the Real Production Guide at http://service.real.com/help/library/guides/realone/ProductionGuide/HTML/realpgd.htm
For information on windows media encoding see their overview at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/technologies/overview.aspx
For information on creating Quicktime movies see Apple's Tools and Tips at
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tools_tips/
For information on creating Flash movies see the Tutorial at
http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/mx/flashcom/articles/broadcast.html
