Questions about Video Streaming

[Monu Tripathi]

I have a URL to a video file (.mp4 file format) and I have to play this video on my Android phone. The simplest alternative, and the one that I've tried is to download the stream, persist it on the sdcard, and then play the file from there using the MediaPlayer bundled with the SDK.

The problem with this approach is that since the video file is large(about 10 MB) downloading it takes about 4-5 minutes. This is simply not acceptable. I need to stream the video file on the device. Since, I've never done anything like this before I have a few questions:
1. Are streaming URLs different from the normal URLs?
2. If I have a link in a webpage that points to a .mp3 file on my system, others can click on that link and download the .mp3 file on their system over HTTP. Can they also stream this file without requiring any other setup at my end?

Thanks.

[Joe Ess]

Monu Tripathi wrote:
1. Are streaming URLs different from the normal URLs?

I'm not sure what you mean by "different". They all have to abide by the same rules.

Monu Tripathi wrote:
2. If I have a link in a webpage that points to a .mp3 file on my system, others can click on that link and download the .mp3 file on their system over HTTP.

I think that is progressive downloading, not true streaming.

Monu Tripathi wrote:
Can they also stream this file without requiring any other setup at my end?

As far as I know, no, a video stream has to be served up by a specialized server.

[Ulf Dittmer]

Yes, streaming protocols are different from HTTP. A media file doesn't have to be fully present on the client in order for the embedded player to start playing it, though (note how videos on Youtube start playing while they're still downloading), and this works over HTTP.

[Monu Tripathi]

@Joe: I am reading up on this, hopefully I will be able to educate my self in these spheres..I am new to this so, I asked whatever came to my mind without thinking if my questions made any sense. Thanks again for your patience and your reply!

[Monu Tripathi]

Ulf Dittmer wrote:Yes, streaming protocols are different from HTTP. A media file doesn't have to be fully present on the client in order for the embedded player to start playing it, though (note how videos on Youtube start playing while they're still downloading), and this works over HTTP.

I found references to rstp etc. when going through some material; need to read up.

Thanks for your reply.