Live streaming

I'm just learning how live streaming works. But I have a few questions

1) Can a live stream come from your website server or do I need a stream server and pay extra?
2) Currently my church uses windows encoder as the program to do live streaming. We also have a adobe flash encoder and were thinking about doing it that way because it usually looks better with using less bandwidth. Right now we can only stream a small picture and want to be able to go full screen or at least almost full screen with good quality.
3) And if flash is the way to go and if I need a streaming server. What's a good company to go with? I prefer it to be Christian based but will consider others as well.

Maybe BDH should think about doing a streaming server if he does not already have one?

When you say "live", do you mean live as in real time (like TV) or like YouTube. The latter is simple as fully supported. However, true live TV type streaming requires compatible hardware and software on both sides and that we don't do, mainly because we have only had (guessing now), 5-6 people request it in 13 years so setting up a server to do that wouldn't make sense for us.

In most cases, if you have a live stream source, you also need a public IP to stream it - it makes more sense to simply stream from there and use a service like DYNDNS to put that IP on a domain and simply link to it from the "static" website. It simplifies things in many ways as it removes a whole chain of possible error points at the same time.

Okay, it is actual live stream as preacher preaches etc... We already have it streaming on the site we are just looking for a better way to do it. I guess the service I found that will do it for 99 bucks a month and is Christian based is a good way to go. They do it through adobe flash encoder program. And they give the technical info on how to set that up. And the way it's done the live stream can be done from anywhere once that account is set up and Adobe flash encoder is set up which means that when pastor goes on mission trips he can live broadcast from a laptop with a webcam if he has dsl, cable, or 4G access. And it can be streamed onto the screens so the church can see it.

We already have the software and equipment we are not satisfied with what we see on the net.

Some might think 90 bucks is a bit much but it's not. Some people want 300 and up and you are limited in bandwidth each month. If you use a lot it's going to cost you more.

Here an expensive example: http://www.livestream.com/platform/livetvbroadcasts

Here's what I want to use: http://www.mychurchlive.tv/faqs.php#11

The second one has a lot more options and bandwidth is unlimited. And so is the space for archived video files which as accessible a few minutes after live broadcast to be viewed later.

This stuff is not cheap - I see one of them is over $1,000 / mo. It's a niche market I guess. I would have to be very motivated to pay that. :)

You do know that many people still use dial-up right? Sounds like stone age but it's true. There's an old poll on the board about it ... maybe it's time we do another to see how that's changed.

Just saying.