Filter
Top Products
Managing Your Streaming Server 33
A reference movie can simply be a text file with a “.mov” filename extension (such as
“ref.mov”). The format for the contents of the file is as follows:
rtsptext rtsp://my.streamingserver.com/sample.mov
Creating Links to MP3 Playlists
If you want to put an MP3 playlist on the web, you need to create an audio metafile that
directs the web browser to your playlist and opens the user’s MP3 player. There are two types
of audio metafile you can use: M3U and PLS. To create the audio metafile, use a text editor to
create the file, include the proper extension (“.m3u” for M3U metafiles and “.pls” for PLS
metafiles) at the end of the filename, and format it as described here.
The M3U file contains a single line of text in this format:
http://your.ip.addr:8000/mountpoint
A PLS file uses this format:
[playlistname]
File1=http://your.ip.addr:8000/mountpoint
Title1=Playlist Title
Length1=-1
NumberOfEntries=1
Version=2
Place the .m3u or .pls file in the same directory as your web site and link to it just as you
would link any other downloadable file. Most web browsers are configured to open .m3u and
.pls files using the user’s MP3 player automatically.
Bandwidth Considerations
It’s generally not a good idea to connect a streaming server to the Internet or local area
network by Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or cable modem. The server will be severely limited
by the relatively small bandwidth of DSL and cable modems for uploading data. In some
cases, running a server on a DSL connection may break a DSL service agreement. Consult
your DSL or cable modem service provider before setting up the server.
When authoring Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) streams, make sure they do not exceed
75 percent of anticipated client throughput. For example, don’t use a rate higher than 20
kilobits per second (Kbps) for a 28 Kbps modem connection. For a typical 56K modem
connection, don’t use a rate higher than 31 Kbps. For a T1 (1500 Kbps) client connection,
don’t use a rate higher than 1125 Kbps.
LL0329.book Page 33 Wednesday, November 20, 2002 2:09 PM