Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : VPS Hosting : Recommend Streaming System

[Searching10]

A client who does events photography and video (weddings included), wants to go a step further and stream the event on the net to friends of the couple who can't make it for any reason.
I am not sure which system to suggest to him and the total cost.
I know that the picture quality is not going to be that great.
At the first stage, we can do some tests streaming a video under static conditions like from his home or office and if the test is satisfactory, we can add more equipments that he should take with him at the event.
I understand that a Linux server is better suited for streaming than Windows, but I would prefer to use a Windows system, as my knowledge in Linux is very poor and I don't want to invest time on the learning curve.
I have the following list of what I think is needed, please add anything else that you think we shall need:

1 - Powerful PC or laptop
2 - Good upload speed connection. He can have 800kb/s at home, would this be adequate?
3 - Software, such as VLC Media. Please suggest better applications
4 - A streaming VPS with dedicated IP. What are the recommended specs for this server and how many users can watch at the same time
5 - If a VPS is not enough, what are the specs for a dedicated server?
6 - Would having a gadget like SlingBox helps?
7 - Please add any other missing parts of the system

Thank you for your help.

[Blazer_ES]

You can use "Meida Services 3.0" for IIS7 on Windows Server 2008, based on Silverlight smooth streaming technology, im testing it these days myself, but only with pre-encoded files. I guess this would have to Live? I think it can be done with silverlight and expression encoder 4 pro but I didn't test it fully yet. You would need to hook up the camera to the PC possibly through a TV capture card, not sure. High upload speeds would benefit the quaity if it's done live.

[BCVH]

You are probably leaning to a dedicated server for a project such as this as well, as for the specs it depends on the software you choose.

[Nnyan]

He can use a service like idostream.com that works with photo/videographers to stream events. Or something like livestream.com

[Searching10]

Originally Posted by Blazer_ES

You can use "Media Services 3.0" for IIS7 on Windows Server 2008, based on Silverlight smooth streaming technology, im testing it these days myself, but only with pre-encoded files. I guess this would have to Live? I think it can be done with silverlight and expression encoder 4 pro but I didn't test it fully yet. You would need to hook up the camera to the PC possibly through a TV capture card, not sure. High upload speeds would benefit the quaity if it's done live.

Thanks. This looks exactly what I am looking for, for the static testing.
Are you testing it on a VPS or dedicated server?
Can you upload with moderate speed like 500kb/s without any problem?
The reason I am asking is that my present VPS host has a poor upload speed capability (for example when I upload a zip file using FTP), it is about 50-80kb/s and I don't know how to get a VPS that would allow a high speed upload.

[Blazer_ES]

Usually the VPS will be connected with 100Mbit download and upload.

But if you upload something from your home connection you are limited to your ISP upload speed. If you were streaming live you would stream to the VPS and the VPS would then distribute it to the people watching without lag.

[Searching10]

Originally Posted by Blazer_ES

Usually the VPS will be connected with 100Mbit download and upload.

But if you upload something from your home connection you are limited to your ISP upload speed. If you were streaming live you would stream to the VPS and the VPS would then distribute it to the people watching without lag.

This is quite remarkable, but is it 100Mb/s for your own VPS or this is for the complete server?
Have you tried uploading a file using FTP from your desktop PC and noticing the actual upload speed?
Can you please recommend a host with reliable support?
Thanks a lot.

[BTCentral - Ben]

Is there any specific reason why the client can not use a service such as ustream? - It's really easy to use and you can stream video live.
It just seems like overkill to go and try and setup everything yourself when there are already many platforms out there available for doing things like this

[Blazer_ES]

Originally Posted by Searching10

This is quite remarkable, but is it 100Mb/s for your own VPS or this is for the complete server?
Have you tried uploading a file using FTP from your desktop PC and noticing the actual upload speed?
Can you please recommend a host with reliable support?
Thanks a lot.

The speed is often shared on the entire server. I don't think you understood me. When you upload from your desktop at home you are not using the servers upload you are using your home connection upload which might be rather slow.

I think it's best you do what BTCentral - Ben said.

[Searching10]

Originally Posted by Blazer_ES

The speed is often shared on the entire server. I don't think you understood me. When you upload from your desktop at home you are not using the servers upload you are using your home connection upload which might be rather slow.

I have recently upgraded my desktop speed (NGN based on fiber) to 4Mb/s Download and 800kb/s upload.
As I mentioned before, uploading to my present host is quite slow between 50kb/s-80kb/s and I would be happy to find a different host where I can upload a heavy file at ~ 500kb/s.
Would this be possible or not?

[Searching10]

Originally Posted by BTCentral - Ben

Is there any specific reason why the client can not use a service such as ustream? - It's really easy to use and you can stream video live.
It just seems like overkill to go and try and setup everything yourself when there are already many platforms out there available for doing things like this

Yes. There is no fun in using other ready made platforms when we can develop our own.
Also, all the material is copyrighted and we need to respect the privacy of the happy couple so that their wedding ceremony can be watched only by relatives and friends using a password.
The files would be stored only on the customer's VPS or dedicated server (if this is the best possibility) and he can have a better control of the files.
Anyway, thanks for the suggestion.

[deeq]

ffmpeg and ffserver would do the job, it simple solution and opensource, client grap video with ffmpeg and send it to vps/ffserver. You can use various video codec and bitrates, dependin your bandwitch.

[Searching10]

Just elaborating on the first post, as it is clear to me that this can be the most important factor

2 - Good upload speed connection. He can have 800kb/s at home, would this be adequate?

I need a VPS host who can guarantee high upload speed from a desktop PC, using ISP upload at least 500kb/s and higher.
It seems that hosts usually put a cap on the upload connection speed between the PC and the server.

[Blazer_ES]

I think you still don't get it. A VPS host can't guarantee any upload speed because YOU are uploading from your HOME connection, and if you only have around 1Mbit for upload any VPS host will most likely easily handle that since the VPS will most likely have a 100Mbit connection. But it also depends on the routing, peering etc...

Also; don't get your kilobits and kilobytes mixed up. Your home ISP will usually display kbit/s and not kByte/s. For a higher quality stream I would reommend 10Mbit upload.