HIGH DOWNLOAD SPEED FROM HOST SERVER

[orizaba]

Dear PTE Experts,

I decided to open this new topic in "DVD-Video, AVI, VideoBuilder", not exactly because of some PTE problem, but because of a more general situation which includes PTE users as well, mainly when a PTE user wishes to post some PTE-AVI file in a blog, which is my case.

I know that instead of puting a PTE-AVI Project file in my blog, it will certainly be better to put a link to EXE file itself, ok. Anyhow, in terms of my blog, which is exclusively for videos and slideshows, my real problem is to get higher download speeds, in order that I can increase video bitrates in my movies, and get a better presentation quality in the blog.

This takes us to recent discussions about TRANSPARENT PLAYER, started by Lin Evans, and I copy/paste part of my last post on this subject:

Concerning TRANSPARENT PLAYER, I have missed your recent first article on this subject, but I went to it now and read all 18 posts, including long Josh explanations, as well as visited Josh's site, saw demos, etc.. Inclusive, I asked Josh a lot of information because I became very much interested in this new TP for my "unique" private video blog...!

I considered your opinion, of course, about TP beeing, now, the very best FLV H.264 or MP4 H.264 web player in the world, and I am considering buying it to install in my blog.

The purpose is almost exclusively to get a much higher download speed, and so, to be able to put much higher video bit rates in my videos and get more quality.

But, in fact, I doubt...!

As you say, TP does not turn download speed higher. That's what I think as well. But Josh says that everything is instantanely! He gives his embeded demo video as example, made with some 128 kbps video bit rate, or so.

As I can understand, 128 kbps is not a good example at all in a steady video piece like his. I don't like to be "convinced" with such tricks!

In my videos to post in blog, I always use FLV H.264 800 kbps plus 48 kbps for audio, so a total of 848 kbps, 25 fps. I wished I could use the double!

But I have a download speed 1000 kbps maximum from host server, so it is necessary to pause a little at start before playing without interrupting.

On the contrary, downloading HD from Youtube, I have a 2400 kbps download speed. I measure all these speeds with DU METER.

My point is: could TP get a download speed similar to this 2400 kbps? And I could start using MP4 H.264 instead of FLV H.264.

Ok.

Josh replied to questions I put, but I really regret to say that (for the 3rd time in 1 month!) some of my emails get loose, disapear...! And Josh's reply has disapeared from my computer.

However, I remember he stated that his TRANSPARENT PLAYER does not increase download speed, just as I thought!

Josh said something like "... only video bit rate has something to do with download speed...", just as I thought.

So, honnestly, I can not find any reasonable argument to sustain that TRANSPARENT PLAYER is very fast, it starts playing at once, etc., etc., unless video files are converted at very low bit rates...

In conclusion, I think I can go on saying that time of miracles has not yet arrived, concerning good video quality at the web, facing actual download speeds from host servers.

I am sorry for the time I am taking to all of you... but I should like to put some questions, trying to get reasonable thoughts on this subject, as usual among PTE users.

1. I am using a host server which is POWWEB. I host there all my FLV video files as well as my EXE PTE Projects. It is from POWWEB that my blog's viewers download my files. POWWEB is a paid service, not expensive. In POWWEB I use a FTP account (which seams to be faster...)

2. I never got more than 1200 kbps maximum download speed, which leads to some 800-900 kbps average.

3. When I download HD Youtube, I get 2400 kbps average download speed. So, my computer, my connection and my service provider allow, at least, this 2400 kbps download speed.

4. POWWEB says that they can not increase my download speed. (I worked before with WEBNG, which download speed was 600 kbps maximum!)

5. QUESTION: Can somebody let me know of some "high speed" host server service? At least 2400 kbps, like Youtube?

6. Another point: all of you know DAP- DOWNLOAD ACCELERATOR PLUS 9.0, which in its paid version (PREMIUM) allows 10 connections to server, so downloads are really very fast.

Would it be possible to "incorporate" some kind of DAP in our FLV Players?

I asked this to the builder of my player, which is JW FLV PLAYER 4.3 (the best player in the world, #1 in quality and versality!), and his answer, till this moment, was: "DAP 10 connections are forbiden, and you risk to be banned from servers and sites...".

I was astonished with this! Is this true? I asked details but got no reply till the moment.

I put same point to DAP itself, some 5 days ago, but got no reply till this moment.

I put this point now to you, dear PTE experts:

#1 - Forbiden or not forbiden?

#2 - Technicaly possible or not possible?

7. As you can easly understand, I am not at all an expert... but why not "embeding" a kind of DAP in our own player "codes"?

Click "PLAY", real download speed around 4000-5000 kbps, big cache, start at once, no interruptions till the end. High video bit rates, excelent quality!

Is this a dream?

It is most probably a big mistake of mine... I only should like to know where and why!

Regards,

Jose

[Lin Evans]

Hi Jose,

There are so many factors which influence download speed possibilities that it's usually impossible to say with any certainty what you might get from a given server.

First you might want to test your own system to see what optimal download speed is possible. If you follow the link below you "may" be able to find out but I can't be certain. There are many sites on the web which have download speed testing, but here in the states I get the highest readings from this one. Click on "Speed Test" and try all four of the servers to get a baseline. Because you are across the pond, you "may" not get as good a download and upload as you do from local servers, but you can establish some baseline for downloads AND uploads which might help determine if it's at all possible to achieve the speeds you want from any server.

http://whatismyip.com/

On my own system I have seen download speeds as low as 50 kbps to as high as 6000 kbps so conditions over the web, the number of different systems involved and so on greatly influence the possibility of download or upload speeds. Upload speeds will always be considerably slower. I find that on my own server at "1 and 1" (my host) I get pretty consistently about 250 kbps on downloads with my radio broadband. It's rare for me to get super high speeds with any consistency, but I do better with Youtube, etc., than with most so they apparently have a pretty optimized system with fewer intermediate links. If you go to a command prompt and ping a URL you can see how many different locations the signal must travel to get to that URL.

In case you haven't done this before, go to your system prompt then type (omit the quotations) "ping -a" followed by the URL (you can omit the http://www.) then press Enter. So to ping Youtube you would type (again omit quotations)

ping -a youtube.com

Doing this will show you the response from each intermediate destination and the time in milliseconds. Of course the longer (larger the number) the less optimal that link.

You can get the actual route and times by:

"tracert youtube.com" then press Enter. Omit the quotations and substitute your destination URL

Just type "ping" followed by Enter to get various syntax...

Frankly, I doubt if you will be able to find a host which could guarantee the high download speed you are looking for. The issue is that even if it is extremely fast for you, your viewers may not enjoy the same download speeds depending on their geographical location.

Here's another link to get all information on "ping" and how it can help find number and types of intermediate circuits to get to location:

http://www.ping127001.com/pingpage.htm

Best regards,

Lin