Question about bandwith and those streaming 'players'

[PCOSGurl]

For the true (ie downloaded) podcasts, I'm going to host my files with LibSyn (unless something better comes along in the meantime).

BUT...I'm fairly certain that the majority of my listenters are going to want to listen online using a 'player-type' interface like the PUPU player, Wimpy, etc, since they aren't particularly tech savvy.

Does anyone have an idea about how the bandwidth usage of the players compares to downloading the full MP3 file? (or is it the same? :? )

[jeffoest]

Hmmm... I think it's the same. A byte being a byte.... Perhaps since it's brings instant gratification, you may experience a short-term 'bump' in total transfer.

[PCOSGurl]

Hmmm... I think it's the same. A byte being a byte.... Perhaps since it's brings instant gratification, you may experience a short-term 'bump' in total transfer.
Sigh...that's what I was afraid of :(

[theFerf]

it will be the same as long as your show doesnt get boring and they shut the stream off :)

[PCOSGurl]

it will be the same as long as your show doesnt get boring and they shut the stream off :)
Me, boring? Nah! :wink:

Thanks for the answers! That helps tremendously. So it looks like no matter what way the listener gains access to the file, it's still the SAME file, and still requires the same amount of bandwidth - got it! :idea:

[Will-Casel]

it will be the same as long as your show doesnt get boring and they shut the stream off :)

That's funny because somtimes I check my stats and see someone only listened to half a show and I wonder what made them turn it off.
Not good for the ego... :wink:

[DVDTalk]

You'll definately see a bump in transfer/etc as there are a large number of people out there who love to sample audio before downloading it or adding it to their feed/pod catcher. But the increase is not a bad thing, it means more listeners!!

[PCOSGurl]

That's funny because somtimes I check my stats and see someone only listened to half a show
How can you tell?

[SFEley]

That's funny because somtimes I check my stats and see someone only listened to half a show
How can you tell?
Apache access logs list the actual number of bytes transferred. Compare that against the size of the file, and you'll know how much of the file got sent.

As for why it happens: people can get interrupted while they're listening. Or they may just want to stream it long enough to decide whether to subscribe through their podcatcher. Or, sure, in a lot of cases they might just decide not to finish. You probably do the same thing -- listening to all of a forty-minute long podcast takes a real commitment.

[PCOSGurl]

You probably do the same thing -- listening to all of a forty-minute long podcast takes a real commitment.
Tell me about it. A well-produced 20 minutes is more than enough for me. Even if I'm just sitting at the computer working, I tend to tune out at about 20 min.

Thanks for the Apache info!

[theFerf]

That's funny because somtimes I check my stats and see someone only listened to half a show and I wonder what made them turn it off.
Not good for the ego... :wink:
my problem with the online players is that sometimes, while im listening, i will click a link from a different browser window and it will open in my player window...then i have to start the player again and fast forward to where i left off.

[pacopv]

For the true (ie downloaded) podcasts, I'm going to host my files with LibSyn (unless something better comes along in the meantime).

BUT...I'm fairly certain that the majority of my listenters are going to want to listen online using a 'player-type' interface like the PUPU player, Wimpy, etc, since they aren't particularly tech savvy.

Does anyone have an idea about how the bandwidth usage of the players compares to downloading the full MP3 file? (or is it the same? :? )

I've had the same concern about increased bandwidth as a by-product of installing an easy-to-use podcast player. I've just installed such a beast on my site:

http://www.vallartaundiscovered.com/blog/_WebPages/TheVUsPodcastPlayer.html

I'm pretty happy with it. When I shared my concern with the developer (i.e. is there a way to stop the download when someone hits the pause button or something like that), he suggested using the player to play 1-minute "teasers" or something to that effect. That way, whomever is interested in downloading the whole thing will do so on the regular download page.

Haven't implemented that, but I thought it was a good suggestion.

Paco Ojeda, Host

[jeffoest]

Ah - that IS an interesting idea! thanks for sharing

[SFEley]

I'm pretty happy with it. When I shared my concern with the developer (i.e. is there a way to stop the download when someone hits the pause button or something like that), he suggested using the player to play 1-minute "teasers" or something to that effect. That way, whomever is interested in downloading the whole thing will do so on the regular download page.

At which point they may say, "Wait a minute, how many links do I have to click to listen to this thing? And why is there an easy-to-use live player if it isn't going to play the podcast?"

If you want people to listen to your podcast, you'll have to live with some wasted bandwidth. That's just a fact. If it starts hitting your Web hosting limits you can go to an unlimited bandwidth provider, or you can Coralize (http://www.coralcdn.org) your media files, or whatever. But the problem isn't going to be made worse by having a live flash player on your site. Some people will bring down your file and not listen to it no matter how you make it available.

[jeffoest]

Just as an add-on... since I put up my player, I (surprisingly to me) didn't experience any bump in my bandwidth so you never know what the dynamic will be I suppose.

[PCOSGurl]

The more I think about it, the more I think I'll just go with the option that the Podcast Brothers and Endurance Radio used. (ie Make the file available via MP3 Stream, RealPlayer, WMA, MP3 Download.)

Is there any downside to this? (I'm assuming the file would just need to be output and hosted in the different formats?)

[jeffoest]

Sounds like overkill to me.... BUT as long as you can track downloaded activity to some degree after a month or so you could bag a couple of the less used ones (if that's indeed the case)..

The downside? Just more work for you to encode into all those formats and upload to your server....

Maybe a compromise would be to offer a mp3 and a streaming mp3 only. The encoded file is the exact same, you just have to add the little one-line .m3u file to get it to stream... that would probably solve 90% of your issues with 10% of the extra work.....

[pacopv]

Just as an add-on... since I put up my player, I (surprisingly to me) didn't experience any bump in my bandwidth so you never know what the dynamic will be I suppose.

Thanks, Jeff!

As usual, you're right on.

Paco

[PCOSGurl]

Sounds like overkill to me.... BUT as long as you can track downloaded activity to some degree after a month or so you could bag a couple of the less used ones (if that's indeed the case)..

The downside? Just more work for you to encode into all those formats and upload to your server....

Maybe a compromise would be to offer a mp3 and a streaming mp3 only. The encoded file is the exact same, you just have to add the little one-line .m3u file to get it to stream... that would probably solve 90% of your issues with 10% of the extra work.....
Anyway I go, I'll have to put in the extra work to make sure that the files are easy for my listeners. They are not tech savvy AT ALL, and some are still on dial-up. (My listener base will be coming from an existing website, so I'm quite familiar with their technical knowledge... ;) )

[jeffoest]

ah, that explains your thinking of the real audio stream! the .m3u files don't 'squeeze' automatically to accomdate the bandwidth as real audio files do...

Just as aside, do you really expect dial-up users to listen to audio on the internet? I guess I'm thinking of folks around me - those that are interested in multi-media have upgraded to broadband while many of those that just use their computer for reading static info have not upgraded.

But that's a separate topic - sounds like you know what you're doing and are in touch with your user base!

[PCOSGurl]

Just as aside, do you really expect dial-up users to listen to audio on the internet?

They'll try! I know they will!

But that's a separate topic - sounds like you know what you're doing and are in touch with your user base!
Yep...I know them ALL too well. They're a great bunch, but they are quirky.

[Will-Casel]

Just as an add-on... since I put up my player, I (surprisingly to me) didn't experience any bump in my bandwidth so you never know what the dynamic will be I suppose.

Yeah, I haven't noticed much of a difference myself either.
Then again, I'm only three shows in on a weekly podcast.

I know my parents, not very tech savvy, prefer the audio stream. Downloading stuff scares them. :shock:

Will-Casel