What do I need to host multimedia content on my server?
If you want to have multimedia files (i.e. sound or video files) on your website, you may need to take special considerations when choosing your hosting provider. There are basically two methods of putting multimedia files on the website:
- Individual files. If you want to put your collection of small music files or video clips, you can simply put them on your server as individual files and provide links to them from your web page. People will be able to download them and play from their hard disk. If the files are small and your site is not specifically oriented towards serving multimedia content, this is the option for you. You do not need to take any additional precautions, just make sure you fit in your provider's storage and bandwidth requirements.
- Streaming. If you want to set up Internet radio, or put large video files on your server, you should consider streaming. It's the option where users can connect to your server and play your content just as if they tuned to radio or TV station. It is much better suited for multimedia oriented sites; however, your server must have special software installed on it in order to handle streaming. You should check with your hosting provider if it supports streaming. (click here for more info...)
When you choose to host multimedia content, you need to be careful about your bandwidth requirements. Multimedia tends to consume lots of bandwidth, especially when you plan to make your site popular. (click here for more info...)
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