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What is the difference between encoder push and encoder pull?

In order to accommodate the widest possible range of streaming conditions, Windows Media Services enables you to receive content from an encoder using two different methods: push and pull.

In some live encoding situations, the Windows Media server may not be able to coordinate the content feed between the encoder and the Windows Media server. Other circumstances may require that you maintain control of the broadcast at the content source. You can use the encoder to control the server and "push" the encoded content to a broadcast publishing point. Using encoder push, you can create a new publishing point on the server and set it to delete itself when the broadcast is finished. In order to use the encoder to push a broadcast to the Windows Media server, the encoder administrator must have the Windows Media server name, the URL, and all of the necessary permissions.

When Windows Media Services "pulls" the content from the encoder, the server connects to an encoder stream that is already in progress. Encoder pull is useful if your publishing point is set to start when the first client connects or if the Windows Media server is separated from the encoder by a firewall. In an encoder pull configuration, the encoder must be started and encoding content before the Windows Media server can connect to it. The server publishing point must use the encoder URL as the source of its content.

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