Re: [cobalt-users] Real Server Basic on RaQ4r

[<elmer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 17 Apr 2001, Lumir G Janku wrote:

} Unless you want to pay a bundle of bucks, you would opt for a Real Server
} Basic, that allows 25 simultaneous streams.

	I can't argue with installing Real's server but the free
server is only good for a year. After that I suspect the only option
is to buy one.

	While I get a lot of heat everytime I say this, but the fact
is we've been streaming for a couple of years here and we have had
great success streaming without specialized servers. Not long ago
someone posted a comment to a similar post of mine stating that only
one stream was possible but, try as I might, I haven't found that to
be true with either Real Audio/Video or Windows Streaming Media.
Another complained because they couldn't get a high enough bit rate
via httpd, but to that I point out the simple fact that one of our
clients is featured on Yahoo's Broadcast.com and the bit rates the
big gun, Broadcast.com, made available are 24k and 56k - both of
which I can stream quite nicely via httpd.

	I'm just trying to point out the fact that you can stream
content via your httpd. It works very well for the vast majority of
what most of our users stream. It will probably handle most of what
your users stream too. Even Real's support pages contain an obvious
hint to that fact.

	Sometimes we miss the basic simplicities of things. Real's
free server is more than powerful enough to eat every available bit
of bandwidth most of our providers (the keyword being providers)
have availbable without even breaking a sweat. 25 cable bit rate
streams at one time is, at least by my standards, serious streaming
(do the math)... If that's what you need and you're asking on this
list you're probably in big trouble, or soon will be - you need to
be talking to a consultant. But if you're asking on this list
because someone wants to put their kids birthday video on their web
site see the paragraph above. Or, better yet, read what Real has to
say about httpd streaming on their support site.

	Just my 0.02 cents.

	brent