[Live-devel] consistent combinations for streaming

[Ross Finlayson]

At 05:36 AM 1/23/04, you wrote:
>I'm testing a little application written with library live.com.
>I want to test different king of features:
>-streaming method: Video On Demand (VOD)

See "testOnDemandRTSPServer" for an example of how to do this.

>or Continuous Streaming (CS)

See the various "test*Streamer" applications.

>-RTSP server built or not

See "testMP3Streamer", "testMPEG1or2VideoStreamer" and 
"testMPEG1or2AudioVideoStreamer" for examples of applications where the 
RTSP server is optional.

>-multicast or unicast diffusion

The various "test*Streamer" applications (and "vobStreamer") use multicast; 
"testOnDemandRTSPServer" uses unicast.

Unicast streaming is usually done using a RTSP server, because it's tricky 
to set up the stream parameters (IP addresses, ports, etc.) otherwise.  But 
if you insist on trying to adapt the multicast streaming test programs to 
use unicast, see <http://www.live.com/liveMedia/faq.html#unicast>.

For multicast streaming, the use of a RTSP server is optional, provided 
that all of the stream parameters are known in advance.  However, for some 
of the multicast "test*Streamer" applications - e.g., 
"testWAVAudioStreamer" and "testMPEG4VideoStreamer" - the use of a RTSP 
server is manditory, because (for these streams) some of the stream 
parameters depend on the input file that is being streamed.

>-RTP over TCP or UDP

When using RTSP, it is possible to ask the RTSP server to send the RTP data 
back over the RTSP TCP connection, rather than using UDP.  The LIVE.COM 
"RTSPClient" implements this - note the "-t" option to "openRTSP".

However, the LIVE.COM "RTSPServer" currently does not implement RTP-over-TCP.

As Claudio Cavalera noted, multicast data cannot be sent using TCP (because 
TCP is a one-to-one protocol).


	Ross Finlayson
	LIVE.COM
	<http://www.live.com/>