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  february 2002 |
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  Ever-growing Streaming Tools and Productions
Streaming is a technology for the smooth, uninterrupted transfer of multimedia data flow via the Internet, upon request and in real time. Onward-transmission can be on-line or off-line. Streaming requires a reader (built-into web navigators such as Real Player TM, Quick Time TM or Windows Media PlayerTM, for instance) that unzips digital files and instantly broadcasts a video even before downloading is over. The advantages are legion: - low-rate for the network thanks to the codec (coder-decoder) - nothing is downloaded onto the hard disk (customers save disk space, and servers keep the ownership of the transmitted data) - video can be watched without waiting for complete download - thousands of Internet users can connect at the same time. Streaming is also marketing efficient because of targeted action and audience measurement Ever-increasing numbers of users According to a June 2001 SOFRES survey, French Internet users are conversant with streaming, 52% know about it or have already used it. The most seasoned users are men, students, users under 35, on-line buyers and heavy users of the Web (who go online several times a day). Uses are diversified. They involve leisure activities, with use breakdown as follows: - Trailers, films or video-clips: 66% - Radio: 40% - Advertising: 37% - News: 31% - Video e-mail: 21% - Product presentations, concerts and shows: 14% - Shows such as Loft Story: 11% - Sports events: 9% - Corporate videos: 6% - Conferences or discussion panels: 3% - Distance teaching or e-learning: 2% Seventy-five percent of Internet users think that streaming is very easy to use and 71% thinks it provides a competitive edge. Content designers use streaming for trailers, clips and films (56%), corporate videos (56%), news (51%), product presentation (44%), conferences and discussion panels (44%). The Industrial Prime Movers in Streaming The number of Internet users is growing with the sharp rise in audiovisual contents available on the Internet, but at the same time users are demanding more, and have exacting requirements. Of course, many users still only have low-speed connections, which is a hindrance to good quality images on the Web. Ever since Real Networks invented the word streaming in 1994, plug-ins or readers have been engineered, but there is room for other tools and services. The winners in this race will be the ones who know how to slash the weight of the relevant products so as not waste bandwidth. Streaming websites often provide Internet users with virtual receiving equipment, such as www.tv-radio.com, offering 7,000 media from the entire world (webcams, radios, TV channels, newspapers, magazines, and movies). Standardization also plays its part. W3C, the Web standardization organization, is working to standardize broadcasting formats. XML based SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language), the synchronization standard for multimedia contents has already upgraded to version 2.0. However, streaming has already given operators, content providers, software and service industries the opportunity to deploy many offerings (see the table below). For instance, environments developing synchronized rich media are available for multimedia application developers using streamed sound or video combined with other types of data (texts, images, banners, subtitles, interactive features, and so on). Several Prime Movers in Streaming Technology
For more information on streaming : - SOFRES Survey : www.artesi-ile-de-france.fr/article.php?artno=2501&headLine=srubri - www.France-streaming.com - www.streaming-fr.com - www.canalstreaming.fr    |
