New: Ability to specify a play start time and duration for HTTP streaming

**charlie** · 08-24-2011, 03:31 PM

Note: New in Wowza Media Server 3 Preview 3

You can now play a portion of an video on demand file when streaming using HTTP streaming to iOS devices, smooth streaming or Flash HTTP streaming. There are several ways to specify the start time and duration.

Query parameters: All HTTP streaming protocols now support a playstart and or playduration query parameter. Times are specified in milliseconds. For example to play the sample.mp4 starting at 30 seconds for a duration of 40 seconds to an iOS device, use the URL:
Code:
```
http://[wowza-ip-address]:1935/vod/mp4:sample.mp4?playstart=30000&playduration=40000
```
Server-side API:You can specify the playStart and playDuration times through the IHTTPStreamerSession session API. Values are in milliseconds. For example in a module you can use the following method:
Code:
```
public void onHTTPSessionCreate(IHTTPStreamerSession httpSession)
{
	httpSession.setPlayStart(30000);
	httpSession.setPlayDuration(40000);
}
```

SMIL file:In a SMIL file using the begin and dur attributes. These attributes are specified in seconds:

Code:

<smil>
	<head>
	</head>
	<body>
		<switch>
			<video begin="30.0" dur="40.0" src="mp4:sample.mp4" system-bitrate="450000"/>
		</switch>
	</body>
</smil>

MediaList API:Using the MediaList API. The values are specified in milliseconds:

Code:

public class ModuleAMLSTTest extends ModuleBase implements IMediaListProvider
{
	public void onAppStart(IApplicationInstance appInstance)
	{
		appInstance.setMediaListProvider(this);
	}
	
	public MediaList resolveMediaList(IMediaListReader mediaListReader, IMediaStream stream, String streamName)
	{
		MediaList mediaList = new MediaList();
		
		MediaListSegment segment = new MediaListSegment();
		mediaList.addSegment(segment);
		
		MediaListRendition rendition1 = new MediaListRendition();
		segment.addRendition(rendition1);
		
		rendition1.setName("mp4:sample.mp4");
		rendition1.setBitrateAudio(128000);
		rendition1.setBitrateVideo(400000);
		rendition1.setWidth(320);
		rendition1.setHeight(240);
		rendition1.setPlayStart(30000);
		rendition1.setPlayDuration(40000);
				
		return mediaList;
	}
}

Charlie

**kebabber** · 08-25-2011, 01:03 PM

This is very good news

thanks

**Phillip Seamore** · 09-09-2011, 05:23 AM

Hey Charlie,

Wanted to let you know that I've been testing this (running 3.0.0-preview4 build648) through API and query strings yet it doesn't seem to work with SmoothStreaming. I setup a completely new vod application to make sure, am using the provided sample.mp4 and Silverlight client. Logs show that the ?playstart=... is passed to WMS.

Works perfectly for sanjose, haven't gotten around to cupertino testing yet.

Cheers,
Phil

**rrlanham** · 09-09-2011, 05:32 AM

Phil,

I have had trouble with Silverlight and querystrings too, and am not sure what the solution, or what I was doing wrong perhaps. Try the smil method instead

Richard

**rrlanham** · 09-09-2011, 10:43 AM

Phil,

Try & instead of & and %3F instead of ?

Richard

**Phillip Seamore** · 09-10-2011, 07:25 AM

Hi Richard,

Tried that and various other urlencoded version of the string - that either failed to launch the handler:

Code:

DEBUG server comment - HTTPStreamerAdapterCupertinoStreamer.canHandle[vod/sample.mp4]: false

or just started playing from beginning. I also tried just using either one of the parameters.

Using the API doesn't work either:

Code:

httpSession.setPlayStart(30000);
httpSession.setPlayDuration(40000);

Cheers,
Phil

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