Guide to Streaming Video in LAN

**Quad Master** · 25-04-05, 06:26 PM

Guide to Streaming Video in LAN

Most of the people think that video streaming is a very complicated process

Lets make it easy

This is my first effort in writing a Tutorial.

After reading this Tutorial you also will be able to stream

VCD .dat , AVI [Normal , Divx , Xvid , 3ivx] , WMV , mpg files

Hardware Requirements

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minimum 2 Computers in LAN with any IP address

Server - PIII 450Mhz , 128/256MB Ram

Client - PIII 450Mhz , 128/256MB Ram

If You dont have a LAN you can also try this on a Single Computer.

Operating System Supported

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Windows , Mac OS X , BeOS , Debian GNU/Linux , Mandrake Linux , Fedora Core , Familiar Linux ,

SuSE Linux , Red Hat Linux , WinCE / PocketPC

Software Requirements

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Video Lan Client - VLC - The Cross - Platform media player and streaming server

VLC (initially VideoLAN Client) is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats

(MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, ...) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols.

It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network.

Web:- www.videolan.org

Download:- http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Features:- http://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.html

Installation

~~~~~~~~~

Video LAN Client has to be installed on the Server and every Client Computer.

Usually it comes as a zip package you need to extract it to a folder anywhere on the server and client.

Tutorial

~~~~~~

This Tutorial is demonstrating a VLC Streaming and Stream Playback on Windows Platform

Server IP Address:- 192.168.0.1

Client IP Address:- 192.168.0.2

On Server Side

1.> Double Click on VLC.exe to Launch it.

2.> Click on "Open File" to Browse the .dat , .avi , .mpg , .wmv file

Here "Test.avi" File

3.> Now Click the "Stream output" Checkbox and click on "Settings" button.

4.> When you click on "Settings" button a new interface is displayed where nothing is clicked

- Now Click on HTTP Check Box

- Enter Server Address and any empty server port number for eg. 1234

- Under Encapsulation Method Select "MPEG TS"

- Dont click anything under Transcoding Options

- Click Ok now

After Clicking OK

Note:- The Encapsulation Method is different for different files you stream from the server side

Dat File - MPEG TS

AVI File - MPEG TS

MPG File - MPEG TS

MPEG File - MPEG TS

WMV File - ASF

5.> After Clicking OK the Server "192.168.0.1" will start streaming the select video file on Port Number 1234

It Will be displayed as follows

Now the File is Streaming from the Server.

On the Client Side

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.> Double Click on VLC.exe to Launch it.

2.> Select "Open Network Stream"

3.> After Clicking there this will be displayed

4.> Now Click on "HTTP/FTP/MMS" and enter the Server IP address with the port number as "192.168.0.1:1234"

5.> After Clicking OK , The following streaming video file from the server will be displayed on the client side

6.> You can also view the Streaming Video on the Client Side in FullScreen Mode Like this

Done

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Note:- For people those who dont have LAN also can try out this tutorial like this

For any Computer 2 instances of VLC can be run and your same Computer as Server and Client.

Only thing you have to do is wherever i have used Server IP as 192.168.0.1 replace that with 127.0.0.1

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Hope you enjoyed my First Tutorial

Do try this and give me your feedback as it will help me improve with time.

Also Rate this Tutorial on a Scale of 5 [No Need for those Stars]

Only write it as Score:- X/5 [where X is any number from 1 to 5 and your Score]

If you have any sort of doubts related to this Tutorial feel free to ask me here

Thanks

Quad Master

**AlbertPacino** · 25-04-05, 06:31 PM

Very nice work mate! keep up the good work

**Quad Master** · 25-04-05, 06:49 PM

Thanks for appreciating my effort.

**TheMask** · 25-04-05, 07:50 PM

Hey mate, a very worthy effort and a very good guide!

Repped ya for the same..

**~HeadShot~** · 25-04-05, 10:01 PM

Good guide there, mate!

**Deus Ex Machina** · 25-04-05, 10:38 PM

Why exactly do we need streaming video on LAN, when i can directly see a movie from some remote system's shared folder?

**Quad Master** · 25-04-05, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by ThunderBolt

Why exactly do we need streaming video on LAN, when i can directly see a movie from some remote system's shared folder?

Nice Question there m8.

- But Sharing folders is vunerable as a person whom you dont want to access

the files might also read it.

- Any person can even trace a hidden shared folder with a scanner.

- A shared folder might invite trouble to your PC security.

- The Streamed movie can be watched by many clients at a single time.

- There are also many other possiblites with streaming.

You can also stream live video from your Web cam and TV Tuner Card.

But i havent covered it in my article.

- In Video Streaming the audience is also defined whereas in a shared folder

anyone noticing of the shared folder can access its contents.

Hope that answers your doubt.

**~HeadShot~** · 26-04-05, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by Quad Master

Nice Question there m8.

- But Sharing folders is vunerable as a person whom you dont want to access

the files might also read it.

- Any person can even trace a hidden shared folder with a scanner.

- A shared folder might invite trouble to your PC security.

- The Streamed movie can be watched by many clients at a single time.

- There are also many other possiblites with streaming.

You can also stream live video from your Web cam and TV Tuner Card.

But i havent covered it in my article.

- In Video Streaming the audience is also defined whereas in a shared folder

anyone noticing of the shared folder can access its contents.

Hope that answers your doubt.

Good answers there mate!

**Deus Ex Machina** · 27-04-05, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by Quad Master

Nice Question there m8.

- But Sharing folders is vunerable as a person whom you dont want to access

the files might also read it.

Allow user level access. Which users can be allowed.

- Any person can even trace a hidden shared folder with a scanner.

- A shared folder might invite trouble to your PC security.

Off topic, but can u plz tell me how ?

Many pc's on my sify lan have the shareing turned on.

- The Streamed movie can be watched by many clients at a single time.

So can a shared video be. A higher load will of course be there on pc.

- There are also many other possiblites with streaming.

You can also stream live video from your Web cam and TV Tuner Card.

But i havent covered it in my article.

- In Video Streaming the audience is also defined whereas in a shared folder

anyone noticing of the shared folder can access its contents.

I'm sure i can rip the cam/tuner output to hardisk and share that. With Zoom player even incoplete files can be played as the download.

Plz let me say that i'm saying this just for the sake of discussion. Otherwise i agree with you.

**techmaster** · 28-04-05, 12:50 PM

hey quad master i wanted to know will the streaming become slow or get affected if there are many clients streaming from the server.

**techmaster** · 29-04-05, 09:24 AM

quad master is preparing for a special 200th post so he pm me the reply to my querry and told me to post it.

There is only one Server which will be streaming the

video its not like client requesting a server to start

the video streaming for him but the streaming has

started already from the Server side. There is only

a single video signal from the Server not individual

client requests. The video streaming is in broadcast

mode and those who want to see this video just

enter the proper server settings in VLC and view it.

So the answer in NO the server will not be loaded by

this method of streaming.

**Aces170** · 30-04-05, 11:30 AM

Awesome Guide m8, Now Techmaster and my ISP are planning to start a Streaming movie service for the customers.

How much of a bandwith do you require on the client side if you wanna screen a fullscreen Xvid movie ?

**secretunfold** · 17-08-05, 05:42 PM

Very helpful guide to share streaming video on LAn.. thanx bro

**Quad Master** · 17-08-05, 06:02 PM

Hope it helped you

**digimart** · 15-12-05, 05:12 PM

Pls guide about stream live video from your Web cam and TV Tuner Card.

Thanks

Omar

**Quad Master** · 15-12-05, 06:10 PM

@Omar - I dont have a Webcam or a TV Tuner so cant help u much.

I am sorry to tell u that u will have to explore the VLC a little bit i feel that

you will suerly find the options.

Also do u have the TV Tuner Card / Webcam installed.

BTW how did u dig such a old thread.

**blaster** · 17-12-05, 06:57 AM

Great tut,

But can any one tell me how do i construct such software

, i know its bit advanced , but may be if some one knows APIs in VB can guide me to do so.

**Quad Master** · 17-12-05, 07:43 AM

@Blaster - thanks for appreciating my efforts.

Regarding creating the software in VB , Sorry m8 my VB Skills aint that strong to guide u to create such a software.

BTW VLC is a free player.

**blaster** · 17-12-05, 08:26 AM

ya , VLC is free and best player.

But am trying to learn streaming since many places the concepts and techniques of streaming are used. Like IM service,Live Support, of course Movie streaming, etc etc.