A media server is a dedicated computer or specialized software that stores and streams various types of digital media content. There are different types of media servers that can provide video on demand, live streaming, or store media for playback in performance environments. A media server aggregates media content in one central location and makes it accessible both locally and remotely.
Multimedia data and information must be stored in a disk file using formats similar to image file formats. Multimedia formats, however, are much more complex than most other file formats because of the wide variety of data they must store. Such data includes text, image data, audio and video data, computer animations, and other forms of binary data, such as Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), control information, and graphical fonts. (See the "MIDI Standard" section later in this chapter.) Typical multimedia formats do not define new methods for storing these types of data. Instead, they offer the ability to store data in one or more existing data formats that are already in general use.
For example, a multimedia format may allow text to be stored as PostScript or Rich Text Format (RTF) data rather than in conventional ASCII plain-text format. Still-image bitmap data may be stored as BMP or TIFF files rather than as raw bitmaps. Similarly, audio, video, and animation data can be stored using industry-recognized formats specified as being supported by that multimedia file format.
Multimedia data and information must be stored in a disk file using formats similar to image file formats. Multimedia formats, however, are much more complex than most other file formats because of the wide variety of data they must store. Such data includes text, image data, audio and video data, computer animations, and other forms of binary data, such as Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), control information, and graphical fonts. (See the "MIDI Standard" section later in this chapter.) Typical multimedia formats do not define new methods for storing these types of data. Instead, they offer the ability to store data in one or more existing data formats that are already in general use.
For example, a multimedia format may allow text to be stored as PostScript or Rich Text Format (RTF) data rather than in conventional ASCII plain-text format. Still-image bitmap data may be stored as BMP or TIFF files rather than as raw bitmaps. Similarly, audio, video, and animation data can be stored using industry-recognized formats specified as being supported by that multimedia file format.
This slide gives a brief discussion of the multimedia. This is based on Anita Goel's Computers Fundamentals.
You can have a clear vision of the devices, video, audio and animations.
2. Set-up Media Streaming Server
In this chapter, you will learn:
o Describe what is a media server
o Identify the different type of media server
o Identify the usage of a media server
4. Media Server
• A dedicated computer or a specialized
software, ranging from an enterprise class
machine providing video on demand.
• A small personal computer or NAS for
storing various digital media
5. Streaming Media
• Constantly
received by and
presented to
an end-
user while being
delivered by a
streaming
provider.
6. Live Streaming
• Delivering live over the Internet, involves:
o camera for the media
o encoder to digitize the content
o media publisher
o content delivery network to distribute and deliver
the content
7. Media Servers in
Performance Environments
• High-spec home computers:
o Increased RAM
o Hard drive technologies such as RAID arrays
or solid-state drives
8. Media Servers in
Performance Environments
• Motion graphics in:
o Theatre,
o Dance,
o Corporate Events
o Rock tours
• Supplied with software which allows the
control and manipulation of video content
-a VJ software.
9. Media Servers in
Performance Environments
• A media server system may include:
o DMX512-A
o MIDI or similar control protocols
10. Media Servers in Telephony
• In the world of telephony,
o a media server is the computing component that
processes the audio and/or video streams
associated with telephone calls or connections
11. Media Servers in Telephony
• VoIP technology (Protocols)
o Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
o Netann
o MSCML
o MSML
o MediaCTRL (under development at the IETF)
12. Media Servers in Telephony
• IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)
o Defines a component called the MRF (Media
Resource Function), a kind of media server
o In IMS, the 'controlling logic' is provided by the
MRFC (MRF controller),
o Along with layers above constitutes an
'application server'.
13. Purpose of a Media Server
• A media server is a device that simply
stores and shares media like a:
o Network-attached storage
o PC running Windows XP Media Center Edition
o MediaPortal
o MythTV
o Commercial web server that hosts media for a
large web site
14. Purpose of a Media Server
• Home setting:
o a media server acts as an aggregator of
information: video, audio, photos, books, etc.
o stored on the media server's hard drive (pics,
music, video, docs, etc etc)
o Access is available from a central location
o Can be access the media from a remote location
via the internet.