Web Server Question

[tdtinker]

I'm a bit confused as usual. What is the difference between Web Server and Streaming Server? I made my client a WMF in the streaming server mode, but he said it would play until the whole video had down loaded. Did I pick the wrong server?
tdtinker

[tdtinker]

I was thinking this was a simple question, but I guess not. Or maybe it is a simple question, and no one wants to say just how simple it is.
tdtinker

[biopic]

"True streaming video must be delivered from a specialized streaming server."
Read about it here http://www.mediacollege.com/video/st.../overview.html

[tdtinker]

That was helpful, but I quess what I was asking was the difference in procoder, between web server and streaming serving.
tdtinker

[antonsvideo]

streaming video production should be avoided

if a streaming video is made at 600kbps and the user has a connection speed of 500kbps, the user will get stuttering video all the way

a streaming video does not cache in the browser cache and as a result will stutter no matter how many times the same user watches it

if the video is made for webserver, then it will cache and play at the same time, so it may stutter at first and then play smooth, especially if viewed again and again

[STORMDAVE]

Actually with true video servers, the user has the option to pick a datarate for their stream...it costs much more than a webserver of course.

[GrassValley_BH]

Streaming version output generally contains more than one bitrate - having several different bitrate copies of the video allows the server and client to agree upon (or just the server to decide) what stream would best suit the client's network throughput.

Thus, as Anton says, streaming output for download is a bad idea because now your client is getting a file that's full of extra streams they won't see, and they get a much larger file resulting and not getting any benefit.