StreamOS: Bring the Weights, It Will Do the Lifting

Remember the song "Inchworm"? Two plus two is four, four plus four is eight, eight plus eight is 16, 16 plus 16 is 32, and then some. After you encode multiple audio and video files in multiple formats at multiple bit rates, upload them to multiple hosts with multiple delivery, caching, and proxy configurations, and try to keep track of them while optimizing their distribution, you're going to wish the counting stopped at 32. But of course, streaming media technology is not as simple as a child's song, which is why NaviSite built its streamOS. The service package (streamOS is a bit of a misnomer, as it is not, in fact, an operating system) won't eliminate the headaches, but it'll take the pressure off of you, handle all the delivery dirty work (except encoding), and let you poke your head in from a Web browser to see how it's going.

Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Well, sure, but lots of companies make this claim. Does NaviSite's streamOS really work and, if so, how difficult is it to use? To find out, we put streamOS through its paces. Read on to find out how it fared.

Special Delivery

streamOS has two main components: the streaming media delivery component and the file management and tracking component. For the delivery component, unlike a traditional content delivery network (CDN), NaviSite does not own or manage a physical network of servers and pipelines. Rather, it partners with multiple CDNs, and uses proprietary software to determine which CDN is most appropriate at the particular moment for delivering a given piece of content. So, for example, NaviSite may route a file over Digital Island at one moment, and later route another request for the same file over another CDN, such as Speedera. NaviSite claims this approach best addresses delivery problems caused by congestion or outages, and enables it to offer extensive global coverage.

The file management and tracking component is entirely browser-based, and accessible through Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and even the Opera browser. To upload an encoded file, simply drag and drop it into a browser window spawned by the "FTP Upload" link. During the upload, we were kept apprised of the transfer status through messages such as "calculating upload time" and "copying file."

streamOS then led us through a simple, thorough process for storing the file in an existing or newly created directory of our choice and assigning information to the file (such as its bit rate, title, author and key words). Once uploaded, the file resides in two NaviSite data centers, from where it can be inserted into the appropriate CDN.

streamOS uses a somewhat unusual URL for linking to the clip, but provides the URL and code for playing the media file in a Web page or a stand-alone player. Note, however, that inserting this information into a Web page may be a little confusing for the uninitiated.

Point-and-Click File Management

For anyone accustomed to the Windows or Mac operating systems, managing files on streamOS is easy. Directories appear and work the same way as conventional computer folders. But instead of just listing traditional file information such as name, size and date of transfer, streamOS also lists title/author/copyright information and media type (Windows Media, QuickTime or Real). Files can be sorted by any one of these fields by simply clicking the appropriate column.

As an added convenience, the title/author/copyright information and clip length can be edited instantly, without having to open the file with a separate editing tool. Files can also be deleted, moved, renamed and "suspended," which means they'll be rendered unavailable to the public while still being stored on streamOS. Like more conventional file management systems, streamOS keeps an easily accessible record of all changes made to a file (and who made them), and deleted files remain in a recycle bin for two weeks, from which they can be restored.

streamOS' tracking system collects data from the numerous CDNs it uses and via its own routing software. This data includes what typically are the most useful traffic statistics for content owners, such as number of hits, number of unique visitors, megabytes transferred, average playing duration, and peak number of concurrent viewers. It also includes transmission protocol data (such as UDP, TCP, HTTP) and top referring sites. Customized reports can be generated instantly on a specific file, directory or date range, and statistics can be broken down by hour, day or clip.

While the delivery and management/tracking components form the bulk of streamOS, the system also includes an interface for instantly scheduling live streams fed from your own encoder, a Preferences section for assigning and limiting access privileges for individual members of your company, and a Support section for submitting and tracking the status of requests for technical assistance.

The Pricing Problem

NaviSite would not provide specific pricing for streamOS, explaining that it varies by customer and is confidential. What we did learn is that streamOS' target customers are the largest streaming content owners, such as record labels, and very large corporations, such as Anheuser-Busch.

While this implies that pricing may be on the high side, NaviSite claims that over the past year its pricing has fallen to somewhere in the mid-range, thanks to volume discounts it has negotiated with its partner CDNs and the fact that it has not had to acquire more hardware to increase capacity.

Given that pricing is a critical issue for streamers, this lack of readily available pricing information is a considerable drawback in evaluating the service. Presumably, because it works with many CDNs, NaviSite is able to procure streaming services at a reasonable cost — possibly better than an individual streamer could procure for itself. However, our best advice, in the absence of hard pricing information, is to negotiate and shop around for delivery services before committing.

The Bottom Line

streamOS is an impressive solution for those seeking a robust distribution system and an easy way to manage and track the content posted on that system. The service's performance was reliable throughout our testing, but we did not stress the testing of actual CDN performance (speed and quality) in this review. Since NaviSite contracts with multiple CDNs for delivery, such an evaluation might have been rendered obsolete by the time you read this anyhow. CDNs will come and go in NaviSite's world, and some of them may eventually compete with NaviSite — the combination of content delivery and file management/tracking is a feature that many CDNs claim to have in the works.

The harshest criticism of streamOS we have is that NaviSite doesn't offer auto-encoding. So in the end, streamOS is really just a super-CDN with a nice interface and solid reporting. These are admirable assets by any measure, but they do not constitute a one-stop shop for streaming.

If you don't have encoding expertise in-house, and you don't want to get it, streamOS may not be your best choice. If, however, your business already controls, or wants to control, all its encoding and then hand off the management of delivery, NaviSite definitely merits a place on your short list of companies to evaluate.