Configuring Publishing Point Properties
Windows Media
Services uses a plug-in–based architecture to configure the features and
options available for each publishing point. To access these settings,
select a publishing point using the Windows Media Services console, and
then select the Properties tab. Figure 28 shows an overview of the available options.
The
specific list of categories and their default property settings will
vary based on the decisions you made when you created the publishing
point.
For example, the Limits category provides numerous options for managing bandwidth and performance. The options include:
Limit Player Connections
Limit Outgoing Distribution Connections
Limit Aggregate Player Bandwidth (Kbps)
Limit Aggregate Outgoing Distribution Bandwidth (Kbps)
Limit Bandwidth Per Player Connection (Kbps)
Limit Bandwidth Per Outgoing Distribution Connection (Kbps)
Limit Fast Start Bandwidth Per Player Connection (Kbps)
Limit Fast Cache Content Delivery Rate
These settings are useful
for managing network usage, especially when many Windows Media Services
components might be competing for the same resources or when many
publishing points are running on the same server.
Managing Advertising Settings
For many content
providers, audio and video advertisements are a significant source of
revenue. You can use the Windows Media Services console to create and
manage advertisements automatically. To view and modify settings, select
a publishing point, and then click the Advertising tab. (See Figure 29.)
It
is possible to include advertisements manually by including the
relevant files within a playlist. However, this process can be tedious
and time-consuming, especially when users can access many audio and
video files from the same publishing point. There are three primary
methods of presenting advertising.
Banner ads
Many Web pages that link to video or audio content can include
advertisements on the source Web page. For example, the center of the
screen might show a video broadcast while the surrounding areas of the
page include relevant static image banner ads. This method does not
require any special configuration in Windows Media Services.
Wrapper ads
A typical requirement for many organizations is the ability to play a
specific audio or video clip automatically before or after any streaming
media is accessed. For example, a news video service might want to
include a brief splash video whenever a user accesses their media.
Wrapper ads point to a playlist that includes this information. These
ads will also play automatically for live broadcasts, so they ensure
that users who join a stream that has already started will also see the
ads.
Interstitial ads
These ads are presented at various times during the steaming of
specific content. For example, an online television broadcaster might
include a new advertisement after
every four on-demand videos are played. You can define manually which
ads are shown by modifying playlist settings on the Source tab of the
properties of the publishing point. You can also edit playlists manually
to achieve the same result.
