Icecast Streaming Media Server

[DJ-Zath]

Oh boy!

I've been all over the net on this one.. and, in the end, I am left bewildered...

of all the things I've found, I came accross 2 major DISADVANTAGES.. (and many MANY minor ones...):

One: nothing truely runs in the *nix envirement..

Sure, FMS, for example KINDA runs in *nix.. but with many reservations- such as specific flavors, and specific versions of said flavors... but it REALLY wants to run in a Windows-based server.. while others, such as Red5, use WINE to run in a "windows" SHELL inside some form of Linux... HOW MESSY!

Since I'm running FBSD, *NONE* of this will work...

Two: EXPENSIVE!
WowSa runs around $1000, while FMS runs -ready for this??- $5000/month (recursively)!

SCREW THAT!


So....

It just hit me... WHY not use Icecast (which is allready running nicely on my box) to stream live flash video media??

I have the FME (flash Media Encoder) installed and running.... I just need a way to get its output to Icecast and then have that to the rtmp link to "foreward" to the net and, thus, so other flash players can view it...

you would think "piece of cake", right? WRONG!

either I don't understand how flash works... (and that wouldn't be far from the truth) or this simply isn't possable!

now, I HAVE had .NSV running BEAUTIFULLY on Icecast for a long long time... however, the problem is next to NOTHING is compatable with it!

VLC STOPPED supporting it, and the nullsoft plugin ONLY works in IE (when patched with the right service pack nibblets) which leaves Mac and FF "out of the game entirely".. of course, I have a "special version of Winamp" but ppl don't want to download it because they think "it might contain a virus" (though they probably allready have many from those facebook/utube videos anyways.. GO FIGURE!)

So, unless someone can help me figure out a way to make .nsv fully-compatable WITHOUT limitations... I thought to make Flash a viable option..

any help and/or suggestions would be appreciated!
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-DjZ-

[karlH]

The first thing you have to understand, flash does as much as it can to make it difficult to implement unless you are using their tech. nsv works because it passes through fairly easily, flash wrapping will not and rtmp is problematic. I have implemented flv wrapping in the kh tree to wrap around audio streams seamlessly but video is not handled. You can try to pump normal mpeg video through the kh tree and it should align reasonably well but the format we handle specifically is ogg theora.

karl.

[DJ-Zath]

Hi karl!

... and thanks for the reply

At the time of this orginating post, I didn't see much to read.. but since, I have found your "KH stuff".. and grabbed the latest release...

Though I have ran into a "newbie" problem where the "sxlt configuration can not be found" and the recompile of Icecast halts..

I know why this is, and, at this time I can not "repair" the server; a long story, but basically, it was built incorrectly and since its remote to me, I can't chance screwing it up and being off the air this close to Halloween (and a big show planned for it)

The current version of Icecast is working just FINE however, so it will just have to wait.. (I am running "Icecast trunk" is that recent enough I wonder??)

the libs that Icecast needs ARE present- and Icecast sees them.. however, if those libs require "other stuff" then, I'm SOL for now...

To make a long story short, when I rebuilt the server, I "copied over" the required libs and all was going well.. the idea was to "streamline" the server and it almost worked- untill PERL sent me into a tailspin to the ground.. damn perl5.5 ate up so much disk space- that 512 megs wasn't enough- and thus the /usr mount was full in NO time... I had to "symboliclly link" the damn libs for /usr/libs and /usr/bin to /bin and /lib.. MESSY!

So, after trying, I couldn't get the Icecast Installer to see anything on that box (not its fault) so I'll leave it for now.. and now back to the proper thread...

I have read that some people were linking Icecast streams via a .flv wrapper.. whereas, I was kinda thinking to "go the other way around".. to use FME to connect to Icecast directly.. and, again, it almost worked.. if only I can figure out how the password authenication (or LACK OF) works in FME and the rtmp protocol...

You're right about Adobe "making it as difficult as possable" to work with Flash- even for its own applications!

So, I'm kinda stuck now.. though I have since come up with a way to get an embed from uStream to work.. (sorta) but, not only do you need a working [read: license-free] encoder and server, you need a working (free) PLAYER too! sheesh! JUST RAPE ME HARD SIDEWAYS!

Damn flash garbage; I hate hate HATE Abobe so eff'ing much!

So, then, back to the issue that I had a momentary lapse of reason in the first place; NSV compatability! I'm OPEN to any suggestions that you may have on how to solve these NSV compatability problems if Flash is a bust (and it sounds like it is) but NSV seems to be a problem as well.

Is there anything out there that is fully-compatable with FF/Mac/*nix and easy to install/operate for the viewer that doesn't require some special set of libs/ini's that are either so old or proprierity, that no-one "with a normal computer" can get them working?!

see what I mean, I am just bewildered!
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-DjZ-

[karlH]

The xslt failure will be because you are missing the development side, xslt-config etc. If certain things were copied but not others then it won't be surprising a build failure occurs.

rtmp is not something we handle so that aspect is not something to pursue.

You can always use Ogg theora, Java applets can be used for video playback, vlc, real/helix, firefox and other browser should be ok with it these days (although I haven't tried video streaming)

karl

[DJ-Zath]

thanks Karl, for the reply...

A small thing about JAVA... its no longer supplied in Windows.. (as far as I know, Micro$oft and Sun had it out since the XP days and therefore, M$ lost its license to use java..) and most peeps don't know a THING about it..

Mind you, javascript is supported, but not full-blown Java I have this problem with a IRC chat applet I use.. well CAN'T use except for some who have went to sun and downloaded the Java package; its NASTY and the updater REALLY slows down a machine!

Many have told me they won't install java because they heard "it can increase the likeliness of getting a virus".. and that leads me back to the point about people "having to download something they think is iffy at best".

...and I don't blame them!

now, about Ogg..
I have heard that html5 will "do" ogg.. but I haven't been told specifically WHAT or HOW.. (I don't think they even knew, either)

I also will note that I have an OLD machine, running an OLD version of Windows;

a P4, 1.2 Mhz box running Win2k with only 380 megs of RAM!

Why is this you ask? well, to make a long story short, I have sound cards that were expensive when I baught them.. back in the 90s.. they are GREAT-sounding cards and feature true HARDWARE-BASED ADCs and real on-board audio handling.. they are balenced-ins and outs and multi-in/out with shielded circuitry and true 24 bit/128 Khz on-board clocking..

the problem? they are ISA!

To replace these boards with a modern version of the same specs.. would run well into the 10s of thousands of dollars!

thats more than an entire system upgrade!

So, I have been "reluctant" to do it.. if, knowing after spending all this money, only to find that I can't do what I want to... I would be VERY UNPLEASED!

(sorry, these "on-board" sound chips that comes in todays computers are complete and utter TRASH!)

I mention this becaue I have heard that Ogg encoding would be VERY CPU-intensive- versus its bitrate when compared to FhG of the same calibur... LAME, on the other hand is junk- and for what you get, it just TRASHES a CPU...

I'm not saying Ogg is like LAME.. just that Ogg probably wants a 4-core, 3 Ghz CPU with 2 Gigs of RAM minimum to do realtime/on-the-fly encoding!

(I'm actually getting realtime encoding out of the p4 running FME.. wasn't easy, but its possable.. and I can't do much of anythig else while the FME is running either.. )

but, if Ogg can boast true compatability, reliability, and render a decent compression ratio with high-end results... I am interested!
_________________
-DjZ-

[karlH]

While I'm no big java fan, I wouldn't trust flash any further from a security aspect, or performance for that matter.