If you are wondering what basic technological advances are behind your ability to watch your favorite Apple live keynote address or your favorite TV channel on the Internet, look no further for the answer than this simple tutorial. When you see things from an industry perspective, you will quickly understand the basic requirements for how a successful streaming solution is delivered. The paper reveals the shortcomings of earlier solutions and shows why the current solution is both effective and commercially viable.

This is not an academic paper with lots of technical details and in-depth analysis, nor is it trying to be. Instead it addresses an audience unfamiliar with basic video streaming technology and offers a glimpse into how popular streaming actually works. The authors include an overview of traditional streaming protocols such as real-time transport protocol (RTP), real-time streaming protocol (RTSP), and real-time messaging protocol (RTMP), and the concept of progressive download. They conclude with a discussion of hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) streaming and how it is both commercially viable and technically sound.

The only shortcoming of the work is its simplicity and lack of depth, which is understandable given its purpose as an introductory tutorial. With ample references to more in-depth resources and an easy-to-read-and-understand style, the paper allows the reader to pursue details at will.

After reading this tutorial, you will know a little bit more about what’s happening behind the scenes the next time you are watching late-breaking news on your computer!