Setting up your own media server to live streaming a massive collection of videos or songs which you’ve collected over the years is all the rage right now. The problem is that not everyone has access to the second computer with enough power to sling media and run 24/7, but there is an easy solution to that problem: live streaming hosting.

Live streaming hosting is very similar to setting up your own media slinging server at home but without all of the upfront costs and the burden of maintaining and upgrading the hardware. It’s surprisingly easy to set up too!

Choosing the Operating System (OS) of Your Live Streaming Server

There are basically 2 operating systems for servers: Linux and Windows. Most everyone uses windows on a day to day basis, so using a windows server can be very simple and easy, but it is more expensive. In order to save money, you may want to look into a Linux based server such as CentOS. Though it may be scary and unfamiliar, there is a wealth of information on the web about using Linux based servers and much of what you need to do can be copied and pasted from online tutorials like this one.

VPS vs Cloud vs Dedicated Servers

One of the first things that you need to decide is whether a virtual private server (VPS), cloud server or dedicated server would fit your live streaming needs best. Each has its pros and cons.

VPS

Pros:

  • Cheapest option

Cons:

  • Limited space for media
  • Lowest power

Cloud Server

Pros:

  • You can easily increase and decrease the power of your server
  • Highest power

Cons:

  • Limited space for media
  • Most expensive option

Dedicated Server

Pros:

  • High power
  • The largest amount of storage space for media

Cons:

  • Also kind of expensive

Ultimately we recommend a dedicated server for your live streaming hosting. This will give you a high amount of power and 250 GB of space. 250 GBs equals roughly 125 hours of HD video (62 movies). If space is a concern, you can upgrade and get as much as 3TB of additional storage space. Once you’ve purchased your live streaming hosting plan you can proceed to the next step which is setting up how your media will be sent to your devices.

How to Stream Videos on CentOS

There are a few different ways to stream media from your newly acquired server. Here are the most popular methods:

  1. Plex
  2. Red5 Media Server
  3. Ampache Media Streaming Server
  4. GNUMP3d
  5. Nginx and JWPlayer

Each method has its pros and cons and I encourage you to check each method out to find out which is best for you. Each tutorial helps you along with copy and paste commands and easy step by step instructions.

ServerPronto offers the best affordable and secure hosting service in all dedicated server packages.

Author

Anthony is a tech fiend. As a child, he dreamed of seamless integrations between hard drives and brains as a method of enhancing the human brain. As an adult, he enjoys more rational ventures into tech such as experimenting with and writing about the latest technologies and softwares.

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