Do I NEED a dedicated server?

[khalijgroup]

I am looking to setup a site that will serve audio that I have produced.

I want it to be able to stream audio that is saved on the server, which is fairly simple... but the REAl issue is that I also want to be able to stream out live audio from live events.

For the last few years we have been having our evets streamed through Audio/Video Chat programs like Paltalk and the like. But in all fairness, PalTalk is neither efficient nor trustworthy enough to depend on for important live events. Its audio quality is also very poor.

I was told that a normal webhosting account would not be enough for me. Rather, i was told I NEED a a dedicated server. That the only way to stream audio directly from the website, and still be live, is for us to get a dedicated server.

I appreciate any help provided. So, if dedicated hosting is a NEED, please let me know. If it is just an amenity, let me know also, since dedicated hosting is quite expensive for an organization whose activities are not-for-profit.

Thanks again.

[Pethens]

I expect you do need a dedicated server. Shared hosts like Bluehost offer "progressive download", which allows you to get the effect of streaming with multimedia stored in a file. To stream a live event you need "true streaming", which uses a streaming server (not Apache, as far as I know) to stream in real time.

Googling the terms in quotes will get you more information about this subject.

[bobdog]

Yes, you will need a different server than Bluehost. There are companies that specialize in live streaming. It can get pricy depending on how much bandwidth you are prepared to offer.

[aceofspades]

You dont NEED a dedicated server.

get a VPS. aYou can get a VPS to suit your needs for no less than 15 bu