All things related to multicast

["Greg Shepherd" <>]

On 7/24/08, Frank Fulchiero <> wrote:

Well, this depends on your goals and target audience. A web link works well for the average user, as long as the content can be found in a search. But if you're trying to target other network engineers who are interested in the transport as much as the content then either we need to be able to search on transport (mcast) to find the content, or we need some central directory service.

But even for the later, SAP doesn't make sense. A flat list of content that requires the source (or something on behalf of the source) to send out periodic announcements was a great bootstrap tool. Remember when Yahoo.com was a list? ;-)

I've spoken with Google about providing additional meta search tags for streaming content (codec, bitrate, transport, etc..). There was interest but nothing more.

Tom Pusateri at one time was working on a content directory web app where sources could push the schedule and users could search. I believe he dropped the work before completion but I've been bugging him to release the source for someone else to pickup the torch. Maybe it's time for a group push?

I don't think you should need a web browser to find a video stream.
If the goal is an easy way for most viewers  to watch a video channel, then the video player should show the available channels automatically.

Which video player?
 

This follows the broadcast television model: turn on the TV, see what's on, and then decide what to watch. You don't go to NTSC-Google to find a channel, though that might be fine if it were built into the television as a dedicated app. and integrated with the television seamlessly.

This works for TV because there is a national TV standard. With streaming digital media, there are many standards to choose from. ;-)

Yes, VLC does a great job on most content, but how much commercial content uses it?

You can of course have browser-based links to the channels also, with schedules, but the primary announcement should be integral with the player.
That's why, for all its warts, I think the best current system to announce and watch multicast video is VLC with SAPs.
I agree with all the mentioned SAP deficiencies and vulnerabilities, and that there should be a better way to do it, but right now there isn't.

YouTube uses a browser quite successfully I gather. But it's no less a proprietary solution than opening WMP to look for content.. or QT, or VLC, or Real.. But if a content directory service was available via a web browser, then the SDP file would open the correct player and all is well. 

I am not familiar with set-top boxes (have not unpacked our Amino yet)  so can't speak of those systems.

This is less STB specific than it is service specific.

Greg

Frank Fulchiero
Digital Media Specialist
Connecticut College