Streaming Service

Information to help you use the Division Of Information streaming server.

This information is presented in the following order:

1. How to create my multimedia file
2. How to connect to the streaming server
3. How to upload my multimedia files
4. How to link to my multimedia files
5. How to remove my multimedia files

You could call this process the multimedia-file life cycle.

1. How to create my multimedia file

The best advice we can give is to talk to an expert. This area can be extremly complex. Please give Paul Maclay a call on extension 57646.

For example, an important consideration is who your target audience is. For example, the speed of access they have to the internet, are they on campus or off campus. With video, this has bearing on the picture size and quality of the content you can deliver to your audience.

2. How to connect to the streaming server

Please click here to read a 1 page, easy to read, PDF on connecting to the streaming server. It covers Windows and Apple Mac (OSX).

3. How to upload my multimedia files

The streaming server file structure is loosely organised according to organisational stucture.

Once you have connected you should see the top level folders and files, locate a folder called ANUORG and open it.

If your area has uploaded content in the past, you may see it listed already. If not, simply create a folder named after your area, use an acronym if possible to keep it short. (This name will appear in the link to your multimedia file.) You may choose to create another folder specifically for your content.

Copy and paste your multimedia file(s) from your computer to this new folder.

Creating folders is a good idea, to keep your content seperated from other people content.

4. How to link to my multimedia files

Because there are many different multimedia formats with their associated media players, linking is a complex issue.

How you link to the multimedia file will depend on it's format. For example, is the file in Mpeg4, Real, or Quicktime format?

Mpeg4 is the most versatile and cross platform when it comes to playback, as it is playable on many different platforms and by many different media players.

In our manuals we have preference for the Quicktime Player, and Real Player.

Why target one or two media players when Meg4 is so universal? There is a good technical reason for this, probably too technical for this page.

In this example, we will link to an Mpeg4 file (refer to point 1 for making these files). We use link files, these are text files that simply contain the link to the media file, and they are associated with a particular media player. The advantage is that you can email these files, or put them on web servers, and clicked on open the Quicktime, or Real player.

Lets presume we have uploaded a file as such: F:\ANUORG\Test\Files\testfile.mp4

To target the Real Player, create a RAM file as follows:

Open notepad (or similar basic text editor), and type in the following.

rtsp://streaming.anu.edu.au/test/files/testfile.mp4

SAVE the file as testfile.ram ,and CLOSE the text editor.

You can now email this small ram file to people, and when they open it, it will open Real Player and play the mulitmedia file from the streaming server. You can also upload this ram file to your web server and link to it as you would any other document. When people click the link, it will open Real Player.

To target the Quicktime Player, create a QTL file as follows:

Open notepad (or similar basic text editor), and type in the following.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?quicktime type="application/x-quicktime-media-link"?>
<embed src="rtsp://streaming.anu.edu.au/test/files/testfile.mp4" />

You can now email this small qtl file to people, and when they open it, it will open Quicktime Player and play the mulitmedia file from the streaming server. You can also upload this qtl file to your web server and link to it as you would any other document. When people click the link, it will open Quicktime Player.

5. How to remove my multimedia files

Simply delete the multimedia file from the streaming server, the same way you would with a file on your own computer. If you want to keep the file long term, move the file to some other long term storage solution. For help with long term storage solutions, please lodge a request for assistance through http://doihelpdesk.anu.edu.au