There are two ways to deliver video files over the web: (i) progressive download and (ii) streaming. Progressive downloads are typically cheaper and work with any server, but do not offer content protection nor seeking to undownloaded parts. Streaming servers offer these functionalities, but must be installed on your server(s). Since server side access and / or knowledge is not always readily available, some developers choose an “in between” solution of HTTP streaming through the use of a small server side script (e.g. PHP, ASP, etc.).

For the last decade, Apple has been selling QuickTime Streaming Server, which uses an RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) server to stream live or rebroadcast video feeds to viewers. Apple uses this technology to stream some of its own live events. However, despite offering royalty free streaming and also delivering it as an open source project, QuickTime’s RTSP streaming server hasn’t gained the traction it was once expected to achieve. A large part of this is due to the fact that RTSP traffic is blocked by many firewalls, making it difficult to deliver streams reliably. The audio and video conferencing used by iChat also relies on RTSP, causing some users frustrating problems for the same reason. Getting RTSP video streaming to work on the iPhone would be even more difficult, as it routinely moves between mobile and WiFi networks.

Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming proposed draft looks a lot like a method Microsoft began selling last year, called Smooth Streaming. The difference is that Apple’s proposed IETF standard can use anybody’s encoder and broadcast server, and will work with any client software designed to receive the stream. In contrast, Microsoft’s Smooth Streaming is of course designed to exclusively use Microsoft Expression Encoder, Microsoft Internet Information Server with a Smooth Streaming extension, and requires Microsoft’s Silverlight 2 on the client.

What’s next? The obvious followup is to add support for HTTP Live Streaming in Apple TV, allowing for HD streams direct from broadcasters, facilitating the ability to only pay for channels you want to watch, skipping around the local cable monopoly while gaining access to content they don’t carry. The same content would also be accessible on the iPhone, a desktop PC, or any other device with the capacity to play modern video codecs. And that’s why Apple is not supporting Mozilla’s efforts to use the obsolete Ogg Theora on the web, which lacks silicon support for hardware acceleration on mobiles and appliances.

Adaptive Streaming allows programmers to offer a higher quality viewing experience to a broader audience. Being able to offer HD streams all the way down to low bandwidth streams, without pauses or interruptions of the video, makes for a significantly improved consumer experience.

Looking to find the best tool for Ankoder – Online Video Encoding, then visit www.ankoder.com for a tutorial on iPhone HTTP Streaming segments.

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