Re: RA/RV Feeds from RBN

[Matthew Petach <mpetach () netflight com>]

> I heard lots of questions on multicast today...here's how it works with
> RealMedia.  If you have decent MBONE connectivity, you'll negotiate
> multicast when you connect to the audio or video stream.  If you don't, the
> client falls back to unicast UDP mode.  If even that fails (say you're
> behind a firewall), it rolls to TCP mode, and will ultimately resort to HTTP
> "cloaking" if nothing else works.  Users can override the automated
> fall-back through the preferences dialog if there's a strong preference for
> a particular mode.

Odd.  If MBone native tools aren't going to be offered, can
you please make sure source code is available for the player?
I normally use vat/sdr/rat on Digital Unix for watching NANOG,
and it seems RealNetworks, Inc. haven't figured out how to
compile their source on that platform yet.  :-( 

Have we sunk to proprietary, closed protocols for NANOG?  'Tis
a sad, sad day.  :-(
 
> Jeffrey Payne, GM Broadcast Operations
> RealNetworks, Inc.

As a representative of RealNetworks, do you have any comments
on the availability of source code to your player, for those
of us with multicast-supported systems you have chosen to
ignore?  Or is it simply time to declare NANOG yet another
bastion of closed minds, and closed protocols?

Matt Petach

disgruntled NANOG non-viewer