NewTek TriCaster 855 - Manual (Page 267)

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o Easy to connect to the provider. There are no requirements for open ports on
your local system, or public IP’s. In addition, firewalls do not get in the way.
 Disadvantages:
o Live streams that have no viewers are still consuming bandwidth. From a
provider point of view, it is possible that all of our bandwidth could be utilized
with no viewers. However, that is more theoretical than practical.
o Some external streaming providers prefer to Pull streams, as re-connection can
performed from their end automatically if necessary. But in many venues
system administrators are very reluctant to configure their system with an
open port to have your stream Pulled from.
STREAMING MEDIA PROVIDERS 15.6.3
Using a commercial streaming media provider (sometimes referred to as a Content Delivery
Network, or simply ‘CDN’) bypasses otherwise high-bandwidth requirements for the encoding
computer.
When you have made arrangements for a streaming media provider to distribute your stream,
the encoder only needs enough bandwidth to get a single a/v stream to the provider. All end
users connect to the provider to view the stream.
Most streaming providers have access to massive bandwidth (and often, with a few hours notice,
they can scale up your allotment on demand to meet a temporary need.) Since your local
bandwidth is really only used for uploading a single stream, you can send a high quality stream,
secure in the knowledge that it will not degrade as soon as a second viewer attempts to see it.
Hint: A helpful way to find a good streaming service provider is to ask other TriCaster users for
recommendations in NewTek’s online discussion forums.