Audio Stream Protocol
"Streaming" involves delivering a continual series of sounds in real time. This is different than transferring a sound file, which the receiver then opens to hear the recording. Audio streaming protocols have to deliver the sound so it is heard immediately on the receiving device.
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Interaction
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One application for audio streaming is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The transfer of data has to be fast enough to enable an interactive conversation. The first protocol supporting VoIP was the H.323 protocol. More recently, the Real-Time Streaming Protocol and the Real-Time Transport Protocol have become more popular for VoIP applications, and are also widely used for streaming music.
Codec
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A central concern for audio streaming protocols is the conversion of sound into digital data. These protocols are called codecs. The inclusion of compression is important, because audio stream protocols need to deliver sound in real time.
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Method
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Audio stream protocols have to account for varying transmission speeds. While the first part of the sound is playing, the protocol is sending the next segment. Lost packets or slow connections can damage the listener's experience, so the receiving program buffers arriving data. This causes a slight delay before the streamed sound starts. If following data arrives late, there is a section of arrived data which has still to be played. This buys time for the streaming system.
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References
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