Digital Delivery of Multimedia Content from a Streaming Media Server

Using a streaming media server ISS is able to provide delivery of digital video or audio for teaching, research or informational purposes. If you have media of this type which you would like to make available over the network, then it can be stored on an ISS media server and streamed on demand to the intended audience. The content can be accessed via a web page held either on pages hosted by ISS or from pages hosted elsewhere. It may also be accessed directly from the media server. Content can be delivered to audiences on campus or off campus. Off campus applications include remote teaching over the Internet and publicity or informational use. On campus use includes teaching in student PC clusters and large screen projection in a lecture theatre environment.

The ISS streaming media server runs Microsoft Windows Media Services 2003 and Real Networks Helix Server. All content must be encoded to the appropriate format for one of these systems. Windows Media Server stores and streams content in Windows wma or mp3 format for audio and wmv format for video. Helix Server can stream media files in RealAudio and RealVideo format. Streamed content must be viewed using a media player program that supports these formats. This would normally be Windows Media Player for Windows formats or Real Player for Real formats.

Currently, there is is only a single media server providing this service, therefore it is not yet a resilient service and may be subject to scheduled maintenance and backup periods when it will be unavailable.

Copyright

You must either own the copyright or have copyright clearance for any material that you store on ISS media servers. ISS can not take any responsibility for copyright issues and an undertaking must be made when you store content on the server that copyright is not being infringed.