Real Audio/Video FAQ

Some basic questions about running Real Audio/Video files on our servers.

(1) You do not have the RealServer software running on your servers. Will we be able to stream RealMedia files?

Yes, you will be able to stream RealMedia files. You will need to create a .ram file that calls your real audio/video file. The .ram file is a text file with an absolute URL. This URL will need to be:

http://full.domain.name/directory/filename.rm

(2) Is there a difference between streaming using the PNM-protocol and the HTTP-protocol?

If you visit http://www.real.com/, you might come across a term called "pseudo-streaming". According to audiohost.com:

"Pseudo-streaming" is a discriminating name for HTTP-stream. It was invented by the RealAudio promotion to suggest that you need to use the RealAudio server if you want to get "real" streaming. Here's a free translation: "Streaming RealAudio files without using RealAudio server software". That's all there is to it! The RealAudio server actually has some special features that cannot be achieved (in RealAudio) without it. Regarding "streaming" we cannot find a difference between the two protocols.

(3) What are some of the special features of the RealServer?

With the Real Server, you are able to take advantage of "bandwidth negotiation". This feature takes into account the bandwidth of the surfer's Internet connection when clicking on the hyperlink that requests the RealMedia file. Depending on the connection, the RealServer will provide a different version of the RealMedia file that best suits the visitor's bandwidth connection. You also need the RealServer to broadcast live on the Internet.

(4) How do I get around not having "bandwidth negotiation"?

While encoding, if you set the target audience to 28 K modem, you will be able to reach the largest audience possible. If you want your higher bandwidth connection visitors to receive better quality recordings, you can always create a second link to a RealMedia file that is encoded with a target audience of a higher bandwidth connection.

What is the Correct Path for Real Audio/Video?

Typically you'll create a realaudio file subdirectory under domain-www, and put all your audiofiles there.

Then your .ram file, a.k.a., metafile, will contain an address with this format:

http://fulldomainname/subdirectory/filename.rm

The "subdirectory" is a subdirectory of your domain-www directory.

So for example:
http://musicforyou.com/ra/music.rm

Notice:
The above address goes in the .ram/metafile, not in your HTML code. Your HTML code calls the .ram/metafile. Then the .ram/metafile is used to call up the .rm/realmedia file. So for example, your HTML code would look something like this:

<a href="http://musicforyou.com/ra/music.ram">Click here to listen to music.</a>