The basic principle for Streamplug to work : 1- Create a SP compatible file (ogm, ogg) 2- That file must be hosted on a HTTP accessible server 3- SP scripts must be inserted in the webpages to link the file to the player 4- SP scripts can be added to control the display, to add subtitles, to make a file "saveable", etc.

Formats
StreamPlug only streams certain formats, which are : Ogg Vorbis for audio, and mpeg-4 codecs for video. StreamPlug® also uses the Ogg encapsulation.
To stream a file with SP, one must first convert it to, or create it in :
- Ogg Vorbis (*.ogg) if it's an audio file
- Any mpeg-4 codec listed by SP (DivX, XviD, 3ivX, Sigma, RMP4) for the video; Ogg vorbis for the audio, and the file will have to be encapsulated as a *.ogm if it is a video file. See Understanding Formats for more information.

Server Side
On the server side, all a web administrator has to do is to upload StreamPlug® compliant files to a HTTP server and insert scripts to link the specific file to SP into his webpages. As long as these two requirements are met with, StreamPlug® will work. No specific server is required. The only elements that should determine the choice of your server should be 1) your bandwidth needs and 2) security/reliability issues.

Client Side

On the client side, SP is just as simple to use. Provided the "PutStreamPlug" script has been correctly inserted in a webpage, a detection is performed upon request of a file to determine which browser is being used and if SP is already installed. If it is not present, the user is automatically offered to download and install it. The use of StreamPlug® was designed to be as transparent as possible for users.