Streaming Video Bandwidth needed per stream is?

will-3 wrote on 4/28/2009, 6:14 PM

Yes, it depends on the video quality... so let's pick a reference... say a typica YouTube video...

How much bandwidth is required to stream a single YouTube video to a single user ?

I'm guessing the bandwidth would be expressed as so many MB/s (mega bits per second) right?

I'm also guessing that when you "maximize" a YouTube video the data doesn't come in any faster... you just reduce the video quality by spreading the dots out over a wider area... right?

If there is a better reference than YouTube... OK, fine... let's use that.

Thanks for any help.

Comments

richard-courtney wrote on 4/28/2009, 6:23 PM

Download the free Windows Media Encoder from Microsoft. We stream as low as 256kbps
and is OK for most DSL connections. Stream through your router within your
home/office first. You will need to know the IP address of the sender and receiving
computers.
Connect your camera via its' firewire to sending computer. There will be a lag
of 10 or more seconds.

Outside your home go to a site such as displaymyip.com for your real IP address
for each location.

will-3 wrote on 4/29/2009, 8:38 AM

Thanks for the info. A few followup questions if you don't mind...

1 - Will your proceedure work for live net broadcast? So anyone can go to the website and watch the live video broadcast?

2 - I'm guessing you need a streaming video server for that... right?

3 - If so what streaming video server software is available and how much does it cost? Microsoft product? Linux or open source product?

4 - Back to original question - you have been able to stream a good quality live video stream in 256kbs ? How big is the video on the viewer's screen? Is 256kbs typical for a live streaming video on the net?

5 - Anybody know what it takes to stream a YouTube quality video to a typical viewer?

Thanks again for any info.

tomj wrote on 4/29/2009, 10:45 AM

I am just staring to use wm encoder. Are there any good tutorials to help in setting myself up?
Any help appreciated.
Tom

richard-courtney wrote on 4/29/2009, 2:52 PM

If you are multicasting (where more than one person will connect to watch) you
need special internet connections. A company like multicastmedia.com comes
to mind.
You singlecast your stream to them and then anyone in the world connects to
their server.

You can get by if your cable/dsl company can provide with with a multicast address
and all the viewers are on the same connection.

So answers:
1 Yes. Done it with laptop and also with Tricaster switcher.
2. More important you need the multicast IP address, see above.
3. I use a provider, see above.
4. Small 320x240 at 256k DSL faster cable or DSL 640x480
Live event like a corporate meeting would be going over 1 mbps.
For higher quality 720P upload would be done at a site with fiber optic backbone
or a satellite uplink truck.

richard-courtney wrote on 4/29/2009, 3:03 PM

Since it is free. Download it and try over your local home or office LAN.
Pretty straight forward. Plug your camcorder into one computer via iLink (firewire)
and then start program. The wizard will ask for type of session. "Broadcast Live Event".

Follow the screens. It will give you a HTTP link as a message before you start
encoding. Go to another computer on your local LAN and key in that address.

It really is easy and used it for a wedding several years back.

will-3 wrote on 5/2/2009, 6:35 AM

Thanks for the comments folks.

For this project the goal is to actually find & install true streaming software that can stream live to as many simultaneous viewers as the hardware can support. (Quad core server or whatever)

Put the hardware at a co-location facility with lots of bandwidth or brin in to the data center two tier-1 providers with enough bandwidth to accommodate a large number of simultaneous viewers... 1,000 or more is the number that is tossed around.

So we are trying to find true streaming software that we can use to do the job.

One choice (open source) is http://www.videolan.org/

Any comments on that platform... or any other.

thanks.

richard-courtney wrote on 5/2/2009, 2:54 PM

I have used VLC and Live555 (based on VLC core) to stream to Amino set top boxes.
Live555 supports the RTSP protocol. We never tried using VLC to handle multiple
requests like a web server does, so can't help any further.

Pose your questions in the videolan forum. (You might see my name there!)