How to create audio multicast server and client

UDP sockets have many applications which are not possible to achieve with TCP sockets. One of the application is a multicast technology, where data is delivered to a group of recipients simultaneously. There should be a data source, which creates a group, produces the data and sends it over network, and number of end-points, which join some group (or groups), announcing their interest, so network hardware may create the most efficient routing.

Multicast source and end-point samples

Unlike with broadcasting, shown in our Broadcast sample, multicast streams may reach clients connected through Internet, not only LAN, and preserve hardware resource (like bandwidth) so much larger number of clients may be served at the same time.

All job is done by the unaMulticastSocket class declared in unaSockets.pas unit, and Multicast source and Multicast end-point samples show how to use this class for live audio streaming.

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Precompiled binary of this sample is included in the Demos package.