Marc Melkonian
Microsoft New Media Platforms Division
November 2002
Introduction
The Microsoft Windows Media 9 Series platform includes Windows Media Encoder 9 Series, Windows Media Services 9 Series, Windows Media Player 9 Series, and the Windows Media Audio and Video 9 codecs. Although the entire streaming media platform has been updated for this release, you might want to take a phased approach to deploying the platform in your organization. Taking a phased approach enables you to understand the effect that each updated technology has on other technologies and applications already in use.
This paper introduces the new features of the Windows Media 9 Series platform and discusses interoperability considerations for each. This information is organized into the following topics:
Deploying Windows Media Encoder. Introduces the new codecs, describes some of the new features of the encoder, and addresses backward compatibility issues.
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Abstract
To successfully deploy Microsoft® Windows Media® 9 Series over an intranet, you must have a thorough understanding of what you want to deploy, when you want to deploy it, and how it will affect the streaming media infrastructure that is already in place in your organization. This paper discusses considerations for upgrading existing streaming media applications, and suggests best practices to ensure that the deployment goes smoothly.
Deploying Windows Media Services. Introduces the new object model and discusses the benefits of an upgrade versus clean installation.
Deploying Windows Media Player. Describes support for Windows Media 9 Series features in earlier versions of Windows Media Player, and discusses centrally managed deployments across a large organization or intranet.
This paper is intended for corporate IT managers, content creators, and network administrators who have knowledge of or experience with Windows Media.
Deploying Windows Media Encoder
Windows Media Encoder 9 Series is the content creation component of the streaming media platform. Using the encoder, you can compress audio and video content into a size that is suitable for streaming over common Internet bandwidths. Windows Media Encoder 9 Series has been updated to include many new features, including:
Variable-bit-rate encoding
Device control
Nonsquare pixel support
Multiple-bit-rate audio and video encoding
It incorporates all of the latest Windows Media codecs, including Windows Media Audio 9, Windows Media Audio 9 Professional, Windows Media Audio 9 Speech, Windows Media Audio 9 Lossless, Windows Media Video 9, and Windows Media Video 9 Screen.
It is important to note that content encoded with the Windows Media 9 Series codecs can only be played back in Windows Media Player 7, Windows Media Player for Windows® XP, or Windows Media Player 9 Series. (Audio content encoded with the Windows Media Audio 9 codec can be played in Windows Media Player 6.4). For this reason, the Windows Media Video 7 and Windows Media Video 8 codecs are still available.
Before deploying Windows Media Encoder 9 Series in your organization, you should know which versions of Windows Media Player are in use. If, for example, all users currently have Windows Media Player 6.4 installed on their computers, you might want to wait to deploy the encoder and focus instead on deploying Windows Media Services 9 Series or Windows Media Player 9 Series first.
Interoperability Considerations
When you are ready to deploy Windows Media Encoder 9 Series, you should be aware of how the deployment will affect other components of the streaming media platform in your organization. If Windows Media Encoder 9 Series, Windows Media Services 9 Series, and Windows Media Player 9 Series are being deployed simultaneously, then interoperability is not a concern. However, if you are deploying in an environment where earlier versions of the Player or server exist, you should be aware of the following issues:
Windows Media Encoder 9 Series cannot coexist on the same computer with version 7 of the encoder. If you need to retain both versions, it is recommended that you keep them on separate partitions or on separate encoding computers. Windows Media Encoder 9 Series can coexist with Windows Media Encoder version 4.
The Windows Media Video Screen version 7 codec has been replaced by the Windows Media Video 9 Screen codec, and is no longer supported. If you are using Windows Media Player 6.4 and require the version 7 codec, you will have to continue using Windows Media Encoder version 7.
The acelp.net codec is no longer installed with Windows Media Encoder. If you are upgrading from an earlier version, however, the codec will continue to be available.
If you intend to run Windows Media Encoder 9 Series on Windows Server 2003, make sure you turn on the Windows Audio service and Windows Image Acquisition service. To locate these services from the Start menu, click Administrative Tools, and then click Services. Right-click the desired service, and then click Properties to enable it. You should also open Display Properties and set your hardware acceleration to Full. (From the Display Properties dialog box, click Settings, click Advanced, and then click Troubleshoot.)
Ensure that all video capture hardware is supported by Windows Media 9 Series and your operating system. You can check system requirements and hardware compatibility at the Microsoft Web site.
Windows Media Services is the distribution component of the Windows Media 9 Series platform and has been completely redesigned to provide outstanding reliability, performance, and scalability. Easy-to-use administration tools now simplify server administration tasks, the extensible plug-in architecture provides developers with endless customization options, and the server now supports streaming to all versions of Windows Media Player.
As part of the redesign, Windows Media Services now includes a new object model. This new object model provides developers much more control than was available in version 4.1, and enables you to do the following:
Administer the server programmatically. Administration tasks include retrieving plug-ins, setting limits, starting and stopping the service, and creating publishing points.
Set the properties on system plug-ins programmatically.
Programmatically create or change server-side playlists on the fly.
While the greater control and flexibility afforded by the object model provides great benefit, there is an associated cost. Any third-party plug-ins or custom applications that were designed with the version 4.1 object model will no longer work, and you should contact your plug-in vendor or software developer to determine whether updates are available.
Upgrade or Fresh Installation?
Windows Media Services 9 Series will only run on Windows Server 2003 operating systems. So if you are currently running a previous version of Windows Media Services and have decided to move to the Windows Server 2003 platform, then you need to decide whether to upgrade your existing configuration using the Windows Server 2003 upgrade wizard or to use a new installation. Each option has its benefits.
In an upgrade, many of your Windows Media Services settings are configured automatically in the new environment. You will still have to do some manual configuration, and you will need to enable features that were not previously available. You will also have to make minor changes to encoders and servers in your existing infrastructure to accommodate the changes in Windows Media Services 9 Series. However, the upgrade process is usually faster than a new installation. The main drawback of an upgrade is that you might encounter some compatibility problems. These problems might include legacy hardware that is not supported by the new operating system, or for which new drivers are not yet available.
A clean installation enables you to remove all data fragments and unused files that might be on the computer, and you can be sure that all of the settings are configured exactly as you need them to be. A clean installation takes longer but may result in less troubleshooting at the end of the process. A clean installation is the preferred method because you will be upgrading both the operating system and Windows Media Services.
When performing a clean installation, use the leap-frog approach to minimize server downtime. To use the leap-frog approach, follow these steps.
Back up one of your servers running Windows Media Services version 4.1.
Install Windows Server 2003 and Windows Media Services 9 Series on a spare computer.
Copy all content from the version 4.1 server to the server running Windows Media Services 9 Series.
Recreate all publishing points, logging settings, Windows Media Performance Monitor counters, limits, protocols, authorization and authentication properties, and so on. Your new Windows Media server should mirror the 4.1 configuration.
Run Windows Media Load Simulator. Your goal is to stress your server to the point of breaking it. Then you can set limits approximately 20 percent below the breaking point of the server. If the load in a production environment actually reaches those limits, then new users trying to connect will be denied service, but users already connected will maintain their connections without disruption.
Run Windows Media Performance Monitor to ensure the stability of the server. It is recommended that you run Windows Media Performance Monitor from a different server than the one that is being tested so that you do not add excess overhead to the load test.
Run a long-haul test, if possible. A long-haul test should simulate at least 72 hours of service under stress. The purpose of the test is to ensure that you have no memory leaks and that your hardware can withstand the load for extended periods.
Back up the server running Windows Media Services 9 Series after all testing is complete and limits are set.
Remove the server running Windows Media Services version 4.1 from the network and replace it with the server running Windows Media Services 9 Series. Assign the new server the same IP address and DNS name as the old server, so that it can respond to the same requests.
Repeat these steps for the server you freed up in step 9.
Interoperability Considerations
When deploying Windows Media Services 9 Series in an environment in which earlier versions of the server, encoder, or Player are in use, you should be aware of the following issues:
Windows Media Services no longer supports the MMS protocol for distribution between servers. If you are using a server running Windows Media Services version 4.1 and a server running Windows Media Services 9 Series server to exchange information, you'll have to enable HTTP distribution on both servers and change the publishing point properties on the server running Windows Media Services version 4.1 to use HTTP.
The MSBD protocol is no longer supported. If your server will be connecting to Windows Media Encoder version 4, you will have to manually change your encoding configuration to specify HTTP.
Windows Media Services now supports RTSP for delivering content as a unicast stream, but only when delivering the stream to Windows Media Player 9 Series. If you specify MMS as the protocol every time you attempt to access a stream, Windows Media Services and Windows Media Player will negotiate the appropriate protocol. Earlier versions of the Player should continue to use MMS or HTTP to access the stream.
The On-Line Broadcast service, which provided integration with Microsoft PowerPoint®, is not supported in Windows Media Services 9 Series. If you are running programs that require this service, you must continue to use Windows Media Services version 4.1 on a compatible operating system, such as Windows 2000 Server.
Some support for earlier versions of Windows Media Player is built in to Windows Media 9 Series. The level of support varies with the version of the Player. Knowing the operating systems and Player versions that are on the computers that make up your intranet will help you decide which codecs to use when encoding content. This table shows what features are supported by each version of the Player.
Windows Media Player version 6.4
Windows Media Player version 7.1
Windows Media Player for Windows XP
Windows Media Player 9 Series
Operating system
Windows 95, Windows 98 Gold, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP
Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 2000
Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional
Plays content encoded with Windows Media Audio 9 codec
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Plays content encoded with Windows Media 9 Series video codecs
No
Yes with codec download
Yes with codec download
Yes
Plays unicast and multicast content streamed from Windows Media Services 9 Series using MMS
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Plays content from a server-side playlist that is being streamed from Windows Media Services 9 Series
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Streams live digital rights management (DRM) content
Yes, when encoded with DRM version 1
Yes, when encoded with DRM version 1 or version 7
Yes, when encoded with DRM version 1 or version 7
Yes
Uses RTSP
No
No
No
Yes
Uses Fast Streaming
No
No
No
Yes
Uses MMST or MMSU to specify either the UDP or TCP protocols in a content URL
No
No
No
Yes
Streams content that has Flash or HTML integration
No
No
Yes
Yes
Supports video smoothing
No
No
Yes, minimally
Yes
Deploying the Player Across the Intranet
It is the policy in some large organizations to deploy Windows Media Player uniformly to every computer on the intranet. Often these organizations want to specify exactly which features are enabled and what skin or branding is applied.
With Windows Media Player version 7.1 came the introduction of the Enterprise Deployment Pack. The Enterprise Deployment Pack enabled network administrators to centrally manage the Player over the intranet. Using the Enterprise Deployment Pack, network administrators could:
Specify preset proxy settings.
Specify supported streaming protocols.
Turn off automatic updating of features and automatic download of codecs.
Silently install the Player on every desktop by using any software distribution system, such as Microsoft System Management Server or Application Bookshelf.
The Enterprise Deployment Pack is being updated for Windows Media Player 9 Series and will be available at the Windows Media Web site.
Support for the Enterprise Deployment Pack and other software distribution methods is only available in Windows Media Player version 7.1 and later.
Through the Microsoft Active Directory® Group Policy Objects in Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003, you can define what programs are available to your users and how the programs should behave. With Windows Media Player, for example, you could lock a skin, prevent codec download, and specify supported protocols. For more information about Group Policy Objects, see Windows Help and Support.
Embedding the Player
As with earlier versions of Windows Media Player, you can embed the Player ActiveX® control in a Web page in order to add streaming capabilities to your Web site. A number of changes have been made in the Windows Media Player 9 Series ActiveX control to address security and privacy issues. As a means of implementing these changes without altering the code in the Player 6.4 control, a wrapper was created to map the Player 6.4 control to the Windows Media Player 9 Series control.
The wrapper is installed automatically when a user installs Windows Media Player 9 Series. The wrapper provides users with the benefits of the latest Windows Media Player 9 control, such as security and privacy improvements, without requiring that you make significant changes to your existing Web page code.
For more information about the Windows Media Player 9 Series Active X control, see the Windows Media Player 9 Series SDK and the article on this CD, "Upgrading Your Web Site to the Windows Media 9 Series Platform."
To learn more about Windows Media Encoder, Windows Media Services, and Windows Media Player, see the Help documentation for the technology. Windows Media Player and Windows Media Encoder can be downloaded from the Windows Media 9 Series page at the Microsoft Web site. Windows Media Services is an optional component of Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition; and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition.
For more information about Windows Media 9 Series and intranet deployments, see:
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