We listened to audio quality with a 128-Kbps encoding from the audio track in our DV test video but found no discernable difference among vendors. Based on our experiences as media consumers, we'd recommend using at least 128-Kbps stereo audio in your streaming media, even if it means sacrificing some video quality or frame rate. Talking heads, with no music, can get away with 56-Kbps mono if necessary. Although all vendors support streaming audio only (Flash doesn't support MP3 streaming outside of the Web browser), the rise of podcasts has made this component obsolete for on-demand content.
Server and media management made up the next largest chunk of our grading. All the products' installation procedures are simple enough for an intern to handle, so we didn't make distinctions in the grading here. Rather, we focused on advertising insertion, playlist creation and management user interface. RealNetworks' Helix has the most complex server configuration. The interface isn't as straightforward as that of the other products, and the breadth of options made it a bit difficult to figure out what to do first. All the vendors offer limited Web administration. The Microsoft playlist wizard is available only in the console GUI, and Darwin Streaming Server's Web GUI doesn't allow for user and password administration.
We were sorely disappointed in all the products reporting features. Darwin Streaming Server offers historical data presentation through the user interface, but only under OS X Server. That server provides historical graphs up to the most recent seven days. Still, all the vendors supply extensive logging information in text-based, standard-format log files, if you're willing to write or find your own log-file interpreters.
All the video encoders have presets for high, medium and low bit rates but also let power users tweak the settings. Although most vendors let you specify multiple bit rates and batch encode, Apple required us to encode each bit rate individually. Mac users could whip out some AppleScripts, but the rest of us were annoyed. Microsoft and RealNetworks both allow multiple bit rate videos within the same file; Darwin Streaming Server and Flash require a separate file for each bit rate.
Apple's server offers the most options for delivering custom streams. We could send different streams depending on the player version, bandwidth, language or CPU speed. You could deliver a video for English speakers, for example, or a Spanish dubbed video, depending on the user's system preferences.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
