Multicasting has been a commercial reality since 1920. It's called audio and video transmission via modulation of an RF carrier.
IP multicasting is still nonexistent except in carefully prepared networks. The Real Server & Real Player have done multicast for something like 8 years. It's just that very few networks are actually multicast-clean.
transfer delay? Other than broadcasting horse racing or other ultra-time-sensitive material, this is irrelevant. Conventional streaming is always going to be some small amount of delayed, due to the various elements in the content creation & distribution chain (typically three computers, before it gets to yours, sometimes more).
What I simply do not understand is why more websites, if they're pushing the same amount of bits either way, don't offer the complete file for download.
One reason is bandwidth conservation. Most people do NOT view/listen to the entire content file. With downloads, you have to dump the whole thing on them (or at least a LOT more than if you streamed).
Not to mention having to wait for the download to complete. For -really- brief clips, sure, there is no difference. If you are having problems with streaming, the first thing to do is be sure you have set your player to TCP protocol. There are -many- factors that can screw up UDP delivery, and almost all of these will impact your perceived quality.
Lifeless geeks. I haven't seen this for years. There are many good reasons to not do downloads for ephemeral content. Particularly at high simultaneous volume. And it's impossible for live content, if that concept fits into the pin-sized intellects of these congenital whingers. If you don't like all the crap bundled into the RealPlayer, then get the Helix community player, or use mplayer, which (with questionable licensing, if you care about that) plays all of the same content.
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IP multicasting is still nonexistent except in carefully prepared networks. The Real Server & Real Player have done multicast for something like 8 years. It's just that very few networks are actually multicast-clean.
transfer delay? Other than broadcasting horse racing or other ultra-time-sensitive material, this is irrelevant. Conventional streaming is always going to be some small amount of delayed, due to the various elements in the content creation & distribution chain (typically three computers, before it gets to yours, sometimes more).
One reason is bandwidth conservation. Most people do NOT view/listen to the entire content file. With downloads, you have to dump the whole thing on them (or at least a LOT more than if you streamed).
Not to mention having to wait for the download to complete. For -really- brief clips, sure, there is no difference. If you are having problems with streaming, the first thing to do is be sure you have set your player to TCP protocol. There are -many- factors that can screw up UDP delivery, and almost all of these will impact your perceived quality.
Lifeless geeks. I haven't seen this for years. There are many good reasons to not do downloads for ephemeral content. Particularly at high simultaneous volume. And it's impossible for live content, if that concept fits into the pin-sized intellects of these congenital whingers. If you don't like all the crap bundled into the RealPlayer, then get the Helix community player, or use mplayer, which (with questionable licensing, if you care about that) plays all of the same content.