Streaming, how does it work?

[Lyderies]

I have started to look at streaming and have a couple of questions about ping, lag and stream lag...

What do you need to have a good stream?

Modem?
Bandwidth?
Location?

What are the essentials?

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- Loken

[Anaximander]

Internet

[Chloe Darrieux]

If you have a decent internet connection above something like 1/8 you won't have much problems.
I'd rather worry about what your processor can handle (might not be a big problem if it's FL you want to stream).

[Lyderies]

My computers fine, it can handle anything, what would you mean by 1/8?

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There was a complaint because your signature violated forum rule 1. Specifically:

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[Remnant]

It mostly has to do with having a good modem, and also having an eithernet connection with your host computer. Wireless streaming is not really the best thing to do.

Having a server computer helps alot of course because its dedicated to streaming, so I would say mostly bandwidth and your modem. Get an expensive modem, and have high bandwidth, you should be fine.

[Lyderies]

Would it matter that i live in NZ?

Also how would i check my bandwidth? whats a good one?

Cheers for all the answers so far <--- Newb on this stuff

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There was a complaint because your signature violated forum rule 1. Specifically:

Adult content or links to adult content; This includes any anime that is in any way slightly graphic or pornographic;

So it's been removed.

- Loken

[Zahas]

check your contract with your provider
you need 100 Mbps

[DarthBindo]

check your contract with your provider
you need 100 Mbps

Lol no. I've got 300 kbps and i can stream video and things just fine.
If you have absolutely no idea how streaming works, basically, think of a book.
Normally you just go out and purchase an entire book at once, right?
That's how traditional media download works. You download the whole thing at once, and then play/read/use it.
With streaming, instead of getting the entire book at once, you get each page, given to you, as you need it.
As the information on whatever it is your streaming comes into your computer, it goes into a memory buffer, and then as you watch it, it comes out of the buffer.
For this reason, a good streaming connection is as reliant on the health of the connection as much as the bandwidth.
For the most part, any modern internet connection should be able to handle video streaming, seeing how it's significantly less time-reliant than gaming.
So if you have Cable/fibre/wireless you should be able to handle streaming easily.

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gone four years, first day back: Zoners still getting shot in Theta :|

[AeternusDoleo]

I have started to look at streaming and have a couple of questions about ping, lag and stream lag...

What do you need to have a good stream?

Streaming basically means that you are receiving a constant stream of data, to be used/processed rightaway rather then downloading it onto a disk first and then using the information off-line. You're basically using the data you are getting before the transmission is complete.

I'll assume "a good stream" means you want to receive the content you are getting without interruptions/jitter. That means your internet connection and the transmission point both need to be able to maintain data transfer rates required for the content you are streaming. It depends heavily on the type of content what that data rate is. For instance, a low quality audio transmission can go as low as 24 kilobit (about 3KB/s, even an old analogue modem can handle that). Most voice over IP applications such as Teamspeak, Ventrilo etc run on that kind of speed - although the server needs to be able to send data to each client, so it has higher bandwith requirements. Video data requires much higher transfer rates, up to several megabits for high quality streams. This is why video sites such as YouTube offer different quality settings - slower connections can still play content at a lower quality. Higher quality tends to exponentially increase bandwith requirements.

With the information you've provided it can't be said what you need to receive a "good" stream. It depends on the type of stream, and what you're using it for. Latency requirements may also be a factor (time delay between the time a server sends the data, and you receiving it. Also known as "lag").

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Wide awake in a world that sleeps, enduring thoughts, enduring scenes. The knowledge of what is yet to come.
From a time when all seems lost, from a dead man to a world, without restraint, unafraid and free.

Mostly retired Discovery member. May still visit from time to time.