The traditional way of transmitting multimedia information such as audio and video over the network is to completely download it before playing it. The downloading often takes several minutes or even hours. With streaming media technology, streaming can be realized, and the sound, video or animation can be continuously and uninterruptedly transmitted from the server to the user's computer. The user does not have to wait until the entire file is downloaded, but only a few seconds or ten seconds. The start delay can be watched. When audio, video, etc. are played on the user's machine, the remaining part of the file will continue to be downloaded from the server.
If you think of file transfer as a process of receiving water, the past transfer method is like a rule for users. You must wait until a bucket of water is full before you can use it. This waiting time is naturally affected by the size of the water flow and the bucket. The size of the impact. The streaming method is to turn on the tap, wait a short while, the water will flow out continuously, and it can be used at any time. Therefore, regardless of the size of the water flow or the size of the bucket, the user can Use water at any time. In this sense, the term streaming media is very vivid.
There are two types of streaming technology, one is sequential streaming, and the other is real-time streaming.
Sequential streaming is a sequential download. The user can watch while downloading the file. However, the user's viewing and the transmission on the server are not synchronized. The user can only see the information uploaded by the server after a delay, or It is said that what the user sees is always the information sent by the server some time ago. In this process, the user can only watch the part that has been downloaded, and cannot ask to skip to the part that has not been downloaded. Sequential streaming is more suitable for high-quality short clips, because it can better guarantee the final quality of the program. It is suitable for the audio and video programs released on the website for users to order.
In real-time streaming, audio and video information can be viewed in real time. During the viewing process, the user can fast forward or rewind to watch the content in front or behind, but in this transmission mode, if the network transmission condition is not ideal, the received signal effect is relatively poor.
When using streaming media technology, audio andvideo files should adopt corresponding formats, and files of different formats need to be played with different player software. The so-called "a key opens a lock". At present, there are three main "genres" of audio and video files using streaming media technology.
One is Microsoft's ASF (Advanced Stream Format). The suffixes of such files are .asf and .wmv, and the corresponding player is "Media Player" of Microsoft Corporation. Users can combine graphics, sound and animation data into an ASF format file, or convert other formats of video and audio into ASF format, and users can also use sound cards and video capture cards to integrate peripherals such as microphones and video recorders. The data is saved in ASF format.
The second is RealNetworks’ RealMedia, which includes RealAudio, RealVideo and RealFlash. RealAudio is used to transmit audio data close to CD sound quality, RealVideo is used to transmit uninterrupted video data, and RealFlash is jointly launched by RealNetworks and Macromedia. A kind of high compression ratio animation format, the suffix of this kind of file is .rm, and the corresponding player of the file is "RealPlayer".
The third is Apple's QuickTime. This type of file extension is usually .mov, and its corresponding player is "QuickTime."
In addition, MPEG, AVI, DVI, SWF, etc. are all file formats suitable for streaming media technology.
Because streaming media technology has broken through the limitation of network bandwidth to the transmission of multimedia information to a certain extent, it is widely used in online live broadcasting, online advertising, video-on-demand, distance education, telemedicine, video conferencing, corporate training, e-commerce, etc. field.
For the news media, streaming media brings opportunities as well as challenges.
Streaming media technology makes it possible for traditional media to open up a broader space on the Internet. The Internet of radio and television media programs is more convenient, and it is easier for listeners and viewers to order programs online, and online audio and video live broadcasts will also be widely used.
Streaming media technology turns the "push" dissemination of traditional media into the "pull" dissemination of the audience. The audience no longer passively accepts programs from radio and television, but receives the information they need at their own convenient time. . This will improve the status of the audience to a certain extent, enable them to take the initiative in news dissemination, and also enable their needs to have a more direct impact on the activities of the news media.
The widespread use of streaming media technology will also blur the boundaries between radio, television and the Internet. The Internet is not only an auxiliary and extension of radio and television, but also a powerful competitor to them. Using streaming media technology, the network will provide new audio and video program styles, and will also form new business methods, such as fee-based on-demand services. Giving full play to the advantages of traditional media, using the advantages of online media, and maintaining good competition and cooperation between media are the road to the development of the future network, as well as the road to the development of traditional media in the future. The application of streaming media technology is just the beginning, and countless new technologies are still waiting for us.
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