Smooth Streaming

Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 offers an HTTP-based adaptive streaming extension (Smooth Streaming), which allows the dynamic switching of bit rate streams based on your client’s bandwidth and CPU usage. In other words, stream quality is improved to match a client’s bandwidth, as long as that client’s computer is sufficiently powerful to handle the feed. Likewise, if a client’s bandwidth or CPU usage is not sufficient for the current stream, then the video stream will be seamlessly switched to a lower quality.

Smooth Streaming provides many benefits for the distribution of your content. Some of these benefits are:

• Smooth Streaming is based on the HTTP protocol. This makes it easier to implement, it is more widely supported through firewalls, and it has a more resilient infrastructure.
• By dynamically adapting to each user’s environment, it avoids wasting bandwidth while delivering an optimal viewing experience.
• Dynamic bit rate switching takes the guesswork out of choosing the appropriate stream quality for each client.

Smooth Streaming also improves the viewing experience for your users in the following ways:

• Fast start-up and seek times.
• If your clients support the requirements for your minimum bit rate stream, then they will not suffer from the following issues: delays due to buffering, disconnects, or playback stutter.

More Information

• Live Streaming (Setup Overview)
  • Tutorial
  • Requirements
  • Publishing points
  • Token-Based Authentication & Smooth Streaming

• On-Demand Streaming (Setup Overview)
  • Tutorial
  • Requirements
  • Token-Based Authentication & Smooth Streaming