QuickTime Streaming Server, the streaming media server that combines industrial strength performance with engaging ease of use.




When launched in 1999, QuickTime Streaming Server rocked the streaming media industry to its foundations with its open sourced, standards-based Real-Time Transport Protocol/Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTP/RTSP) engine. Now QuickTime Streaming Server 4 extends its support for standards by adding both MPEG-4 and MP3 to its palette of capabilities.

Open Source Versatility
While QuickTime Streaming Server is designed for Mac OS X Server, it’s also available as an open source server called Darwin Streaming Server. Versions are available for Linux, Solaris and Windows NT/2000. And because it’s an open source technology, Darwin Streaming Server can be ported to other platforms by modifying a few platform-specific source files.

What’s New in QuickTime Streaming Server 4:

Instant-On Streaming
Instant-On dramatically reduces the delay caused by buffering of the media stream prior to playback, allowing broadband users to begin watching streaming media right away. With Instant-On, broadband users can also “scrub” forward and back with the time slider through an on-demand media stream and have playback updated instantly.

MPEG-4 Support
Now you can serve ISO-compliant hinted MPEG-4 files to any ISO-compliant MPEG-4 client, including any MPEG-4 enabled device that supports playback of MPEG-4 streams over IP. You can serve on-demand or live MPEG-4 streams, and reflect playlists of MPEG-4 files.

MP3 Streaming
You can serve standard MP3 files using Icecast-compatible protocols over http. Build a playlist of MP3 files and serve them to MP3 clients such as iTunes, SoundJam, WinAmp, or QuickTime Player for a simulated live experience.

Skip Protection
Skip Protection uses excess bandwidth to buffer ahead data faster than real time on the client machine. When packets are lost, communication between client and server results in retransmission of only the lost packets, reducing impact to network traffic. By buffering ahead a high-quality “copy” of the media, QuickTime Streaming Server delivers a high-quality media stream time after time.

Playlists
Create playlists to deliver your own personal radio or TV station. The easy-to-use interface lets you drag the desired files into your playlist, start it — and forget it.

Plug-in API Support
A modular set of APIs lets programmers add functionality. Designed as a collection of modules that work together, this architecture, combined with the open-source nature of the server, allows for the highest degree of customization.

Features:

	Instant-on provides enhanced overbuffering of data, dramatically reducing buffer time for broadband users.
	Skip Protection takes advantage of excess available bandwidth to buffer ahead data locally to the client
	Serves to any standard MP3 player such as iTunes, WinAmp, or QuickTime Player
	Web-based interface for local and remote administration
	Provides full spectrum error logging and Writes logs in standard W3C format
	Supports QuickTime (.mov), MP3 audio (.mp3), or MPEG-4 (.mp4) files
	Supports multiple play options: sequential playback, sequential looped playback, and weighted Random playback
	Supports Digest authentication (encrypted password transmission)
	Supports Basic authentication (clear text password transmission
	Serves hinted QuickTime files stored on the server (video on demand)
	Acts as a reflector for live broadcasts
	Allows creation of a QuickTime Broadcaster user account for automated broadcasting.
	Provides relay functionality for setting up multiple servers
	Allows you to create simulated live broadcasts with Playlist Broadcaster, perfect for creating your own Internet radio station
	Supports up to 4,000 simultaneous streams
	Provides access control to media files using authentication modules
	Compliant with popular log analysis tools from Lariat, Active Concepts, and WebTrends