Tutorials
About CDNs
¿What is a CDN? ¿When should you use a CDN? ¿What are the advantages of a CDN?.¿What is a CDN?
CDN = Content Delivery Network.
A CDN is a high performance and high availability network of servers that is capable of delivering content to a huge number of users in a simultaneous way.
¿When should you use a CDN?
A conventional hosting has its limitations, even a dedicated server.
If the number of users that visit your WebTV is small, you probably don´t need a CDN. But if your WebTV receives lots of daily visits (which is very good...), it is possible to have many simultaneous users connected at the same time. This situation causes a real problem to your server, because it is not able to satisfy all the requests and to serve all the requested video files at the required speed, thus causing playback interruptions and affecting the user experience.
¿What are the advantages of a CDN?
At the contrary of a conventional hosting, where there is only one computer that serves the files and could collapse once reached its full capacity, a CDN is made up of several servers (hundreds or thousands in some cases) connected to different points of a global network.
Each server in a CDN contains a copy of the files and in the moment a file is requested, it is served from the nearest, avaliable, server of the network respect the user; this allows that, for example, a video file can be played back by a virtually unlimited number of users, simultaneously, depending on the capacity of the CDN. For the case of live broadcasts (Webcasts) the video stream is distributed using the same criteria as video on demand files.
Simple Web TV´s LiveClips extension
Remember that with the LiveClips extension for Simple Web TV you can use the CDN of your choice. Check out the "advanced features" of Simple Web TV for more info.Flash live streaming workflow
If you are only planning to broadcast in Flash-only compatible format (for general Web viewing, not compatible with iPhone/iPod Touch), you can use the following workflow:
Setup example
1. Video source: High quality Webcam (USB) or DV Camera.
2. Live Enconder: Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder (Free).
3. CDN.
4. Simple Web TV + LiveClips extension.
CDN Companies
We have tested SimpleWebTV+LiveCLips Extension with the following CDNs (*) :| Provider | Tested service(s) | Notes |
| Simple Web TV Prepaid Live Streaming CDN [+ info] | • Live (Streaming, RTMP) • Live (Streaming, HTTP -iPhone-) |
Small to medium size live events. |
| Amazon CloudFront (USA) [↗] | • Video On-Demand (Progressive download, HTTP) • Video On-Demand (Streaming, RTMP) |
RTMP Live Streaming not supported. |
| bigCDN [↗] | • Video On-Demand (Progressive download, HTTP) • Video On-Demand (Streaming, RTMP) |
|
| BitGravity [↗] | • Video On-Demand (Progressive download, HTTP) • Video On-Demand (Streaming, RTMP) |
|
| EdgeCast (USA) [↗] | • Video On-Demand (Progressive download, HTTP) • Video On-Demand (Streaming, RTMP) • Live (Streaming, RTMP) |
At this moment: iPhone/iPod streaming supported by using a Stream or File Segmenter. (!) Coming out very shortly: Single stream to many format solution. |
| Global Data Link (USA) [↗] | • Video On-Demand (Progressive download, HTTP) • Video On-Demand (Streaming, RTMP) • Live (Streaming, RTMP) |
At this moment: iPhone/iPod streaming supported by using a Stream or File Segmenter. (!) Coming out very shortly: Single stream to many format solution. |
| Highwinds (USA) [↗] | StrikeTracker 1 (before December 15, 2011): • Video On-Demand (Progressive download, HTTP) • Video On-Demand (Streaming, RTMP) • Live (Streaming, RTMP) StrikeTracker 2 (not tested yet) |
StrikeTracker1 does not support iPhone/iPod streaming. NOTICE: This provider will stop supporting RTMP streaming from December 15,2011; additionally, there won´t be live streaming support until 2012. |
| Interroute (USA) [↗] |
• Video On-Demand (Progressive download, HTTP) • Video On-Demand (Streaming, RTMP) • Live (Streaming, RTMP) |
|
| simpleCDN [↗]** | • Video On-Demand (Streaming, RTMP) |
This company is no longer offering their services **NOTE: this company offered, for their customer base, a transition to another CDN company: maxcdn.com (hddn.com). |
| Streaming Wizard (UK) [↗] | N/A | NOTE: Although we have not tested the service of this provider, streaming is offered by using Wowza media server, therefore, you should not have problems for playing back on-demand or live streaming video, with Flash + iPhone. |
| StreamZilla (NL) [↗] | • Video On-Demand (Progressive download, HTTP) • Video On-Demand (Streaming, RTMP) • Live (Streaming, RTMP) • Live (Streaming, HTTP -iPhone-) |
NOTE: Simple Web TV 1.1.10.1 is required in order to work with this provider. |
| Webair (USA) [↗] | N/A | NOTE: Although we have not tested the service of this provider, streaming is offered by using Wowza media server, therefore, you should not have problems for playing back on-demand or live streaming video, with Flash + iPhone. |
1. The table is supplied only as a reference. The list is parcial and not exclusive, as we have only be able to try/install our solution on a limited number of providers. Features/capabilities of the CDNs may have changed to date. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the information. You must always contact the provider for up to date information.
2. Testing was not thorough.
3. For Live Streaming tests with encoded video at a total bitrate of 400Kbps.
4. Do you want your CDN listed here , contact us.