Audio Recording

Streaming Windows Media Server: The Best Choice

Streaming Windows Media Server is a part of the Microsoft Windows Server. It helps a user or administrator in generating a streaming media in the form of audio and video. A streaming window media server supports only the JPEG, MP3 and Windows Media formats.

* Uses A streaming windows media server can be used for some other purposes such as caching and recording streams, enforcing authentication, imposing connection limits, restricting access, using multiple protocols, generating the usage statistics, and applying a forward error correction (FEC). It is also able to handle a large number of connections. Therefore, it is an ideal streaming server for content providers.

A streaming windows media server facilitates the distribution of streams between different servers that are a part of a distribution network in which every server is used to feed a different network it supports both unicast and multicast streams . The only exception is that the multicast streams usually utilize a partially encrypted Windows Media Station file.

Generally one has to use Windows Media Player for decoding and watching or listening the streams, but sometimes the windows media content can also be played in other players such as VLC player.

* Advantages

There are various advantages of a streaming windows media server such as: a more efficient network throughput, which is because of the streaming windows media server's capability to use the UDP. It may be pertinent to note that the UDP is a specialized protocol required for on demand and live streaming.

A streaming windows media server helps the administrators to provide a better audio and video quality to the user. This is because the Windows Media server remains in close contact with the Windows Media Player throughout the play interval. This enables the server for dynamically responding to the client feedback. Another factor is that a streaming windows media server uses UDP which enjoys a higher priority over HTTP. This makes it more user-friendly for its users to enjoy uninterrupted viewing.

Another advantage is its support of advanced features like detailed porting of streams being played, the VCR controls, delivery of a live video and delivering multiple streams.

Besides being more cost effective, it also protects the content copyright because only the users can stream data, but cannot download them for later viewing.

It also facilitates the use of four different protocol configurations i.e. UDP, TCP , HTTP + TCP and multicast.

The streaming windows Media server automatically switches to the appropriate protocol thus removing the need for a configuration from the client's side.

With all these qualities that make a streaming media server the best choice for streaming audio/video over the Internet, using a streaming windows media server is the best approach for all providers of streaming media content.