Q Why is the Internet the delivery system of choice for audio and video?
A The Internet is the ideal delivery system as it was designed specifically to transfer data between users on a global basis. Originally text alone was transferred. This was called email. In the early nineties the World Wide Web was invented and later featured illustrations and graphics. In the mid nineties technology made a further leap and allowed both sound and video to be passed over the Internet. This is what we now call streaming media. This advance has allowed truly global broadcasting to become accessible to an entirely new market.

There is an additional advantage in using the Internet in that the programs used allow you to gather information on the viewing habits of your audience, so that you can learn what they like and so offer them more of related or similar material. The audience can feed back to you and let you know what they think of the service, which should mean an improvement in standards.

The Internet also allows you to create interactive broadcasts. Here viewers can join in and ask questions or vote in polls, even during live events. These systems also allow you to create pay per view or protected areas, so that only registered or paying viewers can gain access to your premium content. In short it is only Streaming Media and the Internet that allows you full freedom to exploit your content and to meet your customers needs in the manner that today's businesses and projects demand.

Q What is the difference between streaming and download?
A Streaming plays the video/audio clip on your computer as a real time data transfer so you do not have to have downloaded the whole clip onto your computer before you view it. Streaming provides the ability for live Internet broadcasting. A download means that the data has to actually be taken onto your computer thereby occupying disc space. If you want to reuse that space you need to erase the download.

Q What is the difference between streaming and video conferencing?
A Streaming is an expansive mode. It allows many people, wherever they are on Internet, the ability to access the stream at the same time. Video conferencing is a restrictive mode allowing a limited number of people, usually no more than nine, to access an agreed group of pre-arranged participants.

Q Does Broadband offer me better video quality?
A The quality of the connection over which you are receiving your signal is directly proportional to the quality of the video. Watching video over a 28kbps phone line is approximately half as good as the quality over an 56k ISDN connection. Broadband offers the ability to watch near VHS video quality over the Internet. Although the usage of broadband to the home is still limited within the UK many businesses are broadband enabled.

Q Can I watch Internet video over my home phone line?
A Yes you can but visual material takes higher bandwidth than voice and so unless you have an ISDN line (56K) the video quality will be poor. For low band-width users (less than 56K) audio is a very effective use of streaming either by itself or with slide presentations.

Q What is a Content Delivery Network or CDN?
A A CDN provides the network needed to deliver streaming media reliably and cost effectively. Generally the bandwidth used is much higher than for other applications. The expertise needed to run such a network is costly even when compared to the network required for serving web pages.

Q How will I know my content is always available to my viewers and listeners?
A To do this you will need access to real-time statistics. This service can be provided via the web using the Virtue Broadcasting Inktomi Broadcast Management software.

Q Can you view video through firewalls?
A Firewalls may cause problems if they are configured not to allow streamed video. Equally, if your systems administrator has disabled the Windows Media or Real Player software on you computer you will be unable to watch video on demand. A firewall can be easily configured to allow video through without causing security risks. If there is some over-riding problem with external security then Virtue Broadcasting is able to broadcast the video using HTTP streaming. This overcomes many of the firewall issues.

Q Will there be any broadcasting issues when streaming over my company's Intranet? What are they and how do we deal with them?
A If there is a live broadcast being streamed to many employees within a company there may be several bandwidth issues to contend with. In the first place a stream may overload the Intranet as the bandwidth required is equal to the multiple of bandwidth used by the number of users. This means that an executive decision must be taken on the priorities for use of the bandwidth within the company at that time.
The second problem may be the overload between the Intranet and the broadcast server which will be sitting on the Internet. This is less of a problem as the company can either rent an additional server or servers from Tornado Virtue for the duration of the broadcast or alternatively cache some of the broadcast. Finally, there is a solution called multi-cast which allows a two tier delivery of the broadcast for a very large audience. Here the main stream is split inside the Intranet and by using remote management and smart network protocols, the users find the nearest sub-station from which to pick up the broadcast.

Q Is the video going to be secure?
A Virtue Broadcasting is able to provide a number of applications that enable video to be distributed securely to one person or many people through a sophisticated digital rights management system.

Q How do I know if this streaming media system is making me money?
A Access to timely and accurate log analysis is vital. Without this you will never know who is watching and when. Only a global automated log analysis system can provide this service. Since a CDN has servers across the globe a system is needed to compile the statistics from all these servers and then to present the information in a usable and easily digested format.

Q Is a CDN all I need?
A Sometimes it is, but if you are new to streaming or regard streaming as outside your core competencies then maybe you need to outsource everything including filming and web design to another company.

Q Can anyone film content for streaming?
A To ensure high quality results you need a production team that understands the techniques needed for high quality streaming. The methodologies used by streaming production teams differ considerably from those employed by traditional broadcasters and in some cases content produced using these older methodologies is unusable. You need to ensure that the team understands what is required for streaming media.

Q How do I integrate this streaming content into my website?
A All websites with a little alteration can benefit from streaming media. Since the CDN looks after the infrastructure, all that is needed is for a simple HTML link to be placed onto your site. The video is broadcast seamlessly with no knowledge that there is a 3rd party CDN existence.

Q What is encoding?
A To stream content it needs to be in a digital format recognised by a media player. Encoding converts content from broadcast and consumer grade media into this recognisable digital format. Quality is of paramount importance in encoding and only through encoding via contribution grade MPEG2 format can a high quality result be obtained in a timely manner and a high quality master retained. To ensure that both quality and responsiveness are maintained a high level of investment is needed.

Q Why does the picture look better in my office than it does at home?
A There are many different ways of connecting to the Internet and watching streaming content. Each method supplies a different amount of bandwidth. Generally, the more bandwidth you have, the better. Office users share large bandwidth connections to the Internet, these allow large amounts of information to flow to your PC, therefore the picture quality is better. At home you may use a telephone line this has a lower bandwidth and therefore the quality is not as good. People with ADSL or Cable based broadband access can see TV quality images even when at home.

Q I try to view the content, but it just won't work. It mentions something about and unknown file type. What's the problem?
A To view any streaming media you need a media player. There are many types out there, but the main two are RealPlayer and Windows Media Player. If you do not have either of these you will need to download them for free from the worldwide web. The address from which you can download is http://www.real.com or http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia.

Q I have RealPlayer, but there is still some content I cannot view. What's wrong now?
A Windows Media content will not play back in RealPlayer and RealMedia content will not play back in Windows Media Player. To view both types you need both players.

Q I can see the video, but there's no sound. Why's that?
A You need to have the correct hardware to view and listen to clips. Are you sure you have a soundcard and speakers? Many older PCs do not have these. Also are you sure that your PC has the correct amount of memory or a powerful enough processor? If not then visit the two sites above and check out the Support section for the technical specification of the recommended systems?

Q I have a Mac. Can I watch all of this content?
A Both Windows Media Player and RealPlayer are available for Apple machines.

Q Why is the picture small?
A Streaming Media is very different from television. Traditional TV uses delivery systems that can supply huge amounts of information in a short amount of time. Telephone wires and the Internet were not designed to do this, but through clever software and compression it is possible to deliver high quality, interactive content with even a home telephone line. "Broadband" content supplies a quality which is similar to that on your TV.