The third article in our series about media streaming for Digital Asset Management examines the streaming media players available. See Using Streaming Media With Digital Asset Management Systems for an introduction and Streaming Media Formats For Digital Asset Management for details on the types of file that are used for streaming.
Having read the other articles, it should be apparent that (in addition to the format) the playback technology used to deliver streaming media is also important. Although there are numerous formats and associated players, for practical purposes there are three that are either adequately supported now or will be in the very near future:
- Adobe Flash Player
- Microsoft Windows Media Player
- Microsoft Silverlight
Of the choices above, most online video is delivered via the Flash Player as it has widespread support – even in the majority of corporate environments. The Flash Player supports Flash Video and the newer MPEG/H.264 format.
The Microsoft Windows Media Player is usually available as standard with all Windows PCs, as a result it is ubiquitous in corporate IT environments. The player is more difficult to adapt and for marketing oriented uses, controlling the design & branding of the controller is a slightly more involved process (although it is possible).
Microsoft Silverlight is a newer technology and threatens to challenge Flash’s dominance. It offers a number of the benefits of Flash and, crucially, streaming online video. Silverlight operates via a player that will work on both Macs and Windows PCs. At the time of writing, the Silverlight player is not as widely supported as Flash and in most cases, the user has to agree to allow it to be installed (although this is rapidly changing). Daydream expect Silverlight to have a comparable or higher level of market penetration by 2009 as it will be included by default with new PCs, the Internet Explorer browser, or automatic operating system updates.
If Silverlight gains momentum, it is likely to replace the Windows Media Player entirely. We recommend the latter only if you need to utilise streaming media in the immediate short term and cannot use Flash or wait for Silverlight.
The Flash player has acquired mass-acceptance because it is bundled with most web browsers as a standard plug-in. Now that Microsoft are directly competing with Adobe (the developers of Flash), there is a possibility that the player will no longer get included with Microsoft browsers. This is a massive share of the market and a significant potential risk for anyone planning Video Digital Asset Management or video on the web.
The likely scenario is a format ‘war’ between both technologies. As a result, we advise all our current and prospective clients to hedge their bets by considering a Digital Asset Management solution that will accommodate both.
Daydream have designed the FocusOPEN Digital Asset Management platform to support Flash, Windows Media Player and Silverlight players, as well as QuickTime for more specialist video processing work. This offers the maximum flexibility to ensure that their video can be used successfully in a wide range of scenarios. If you are evaluating vendors currently, ensure that they offer similar levels of support.
This flexibility should extend to the streaming server also and we strongly favour vendor neutral products such as Wowza (commercial) or Red5 (open source).
Having read this series of articles about streaming media, you should have a good understanding of the basics and be able to understand the significance of key streaming terms and phrases. If you require further information about Digital Video Asset Management and media streaming in general, consult the following in our reports and articles library: