Pete -
.ra are real player media files, that is - they contain the actual
streaming audio data.
.ram is a playlist text format, which can have one or multiple lines,
on each line is the URL to an audio or video stream
[In quicktime, you have an almost equivalent .qtl format, though
that's actually a tiny XML file]
Linking to .ram is preferred, because the real player browser plugin
registers that as one of its own handlers - the browser hands off the
.ram file to real player, guaranteeing that real player and not some
other browser plugin will play the file. In addition, clicking on a
.ram (or .qtl) link will launch the standalone player rather than
trying to play the content in some plugin directly in the browser.
This is an important distinction, because media players can register
multiple audio and video types, and may conflict. For example you
could use a .ram playlist containing links to a bunch of MP3 files,
which could equally be played by media player, quicktime or real
player. That's not a great example but you get the idea.
You can apply the same concept to MP4 or 3GPP content, where certain
features of the streamed content might be preferable to play in one
or other known player, rather than 'whatever's defaultly registered
currently' on the users computer.
Where it becomes more important is if you want to do certain things
with a stream - real player and quicktime both support SMIL
containers for specifying how a stream should be laid out on screen
in the player - however their implementations of SMIL are slightly
modified from the standard, so you might want to target real player
by linking to a .ram file, and quicktime by linking to a .qtl file
type, each of which references a SMIL file containing player-specific
features (and possibly content)
The real player SMIL file might reference a real audio stream and a
realtext subtitle file - the quicktime link could reference an MP3
audio and qttext subtitles.
HTH
Cheers - Neil
At 17:54 15/05/2006, you wrote:
Can you clarify exactly what you mean here.
The recently announced test API lists .ra and .RAM for 'locations' for the
radio stations. I have seen no mention anywhere of any restriction on what
one may personally access. Pardon my ignorance but are .ra files considered
as RAM files?
The multicast trial provides links to RAM files that open in Real Player.
I think I must be getting very confused; perhaps I don't understand what you
mean by "link directly to RAM files"? Is there some difference between
'listen live' and 'listen again'?
Thanks
Pete Cole
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ben Metcalfe
> Sent: 15 May 2006 15:09
> To: backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk
> Subject: RE: [backstage] All streamable programmes
>
> > Is there a list somewhere of all the programmes that are
> streamable ?
> >
> > i.e. I know working lunch is, and that's top, and the news
> sometimes
> > is (although it's often yesterdays 10am news!) But I'm pretty sure
> > Countryfile isn't, and wish it was (seperately; maybe a wishlist of
> > streamable archive programmes would be good ?)
> >
> > So what other programmes are fully streamable ?
> > It's so gotta be on a page someplace.
>
> Hmmm, I don't think there is. I'll try and find out if
> there's something we can do (for TV, you mean?).
>
> For radio programmes everything is in the BBC Radio Player.
> We don't link directly to RAM files (and ask the backstage
> community not to
> either) because of our ongoing agreement with the record
> industry to only pay licensed music in a "BBC branded
> player". It's how we're able to keep current and chart music
> in our streams where other providers of streams/podcasts must
> remove the music before distribution.
>
>
> Cheers
>
> Ben : backstage.bbc.co.uk
>
>
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