Streaming Video Trends

Approximately 3500 Web and intranet sites offer streaming video in some format. There are seven major vendors of software that enable the sites to offer these formats, which until recently were not interoperable.

In the last few months, however, Microsoft has put forward a proposal for a new standard streaming format called Active Streaming Format or ASF.

ASF is being adopted by most of the players in the streaming media arena and this will allow video streamed from any participating vendor's server in ASF to be viewed with any other participating vendor's clients software.

As I mentioned in last week's column, Vivo reports that more than 78% of all sites with streaming video use its VivoActive Producer software--about 2800 of them. VivoActive is unique among streaming video products because it enables sites to stream video directly from an HTTP server, just as they serve gif and jpeg images, but it also has important limitations.

The other primary streaming video products--Vxtreme, RealVideo, VDO, and Microsoft Netshow--require the use of their own special server software, but they are all compatible with the Microsoft Active Streaming Format, ASF, as is VivoActive.

Microsoft is also attempting to corner the market for streaming video software by buying or investing heavily in the competition. The company just bought Vxtreme outright, purchased 10% of VDO, and made an undisclosed investment in Progressive Networks, the makers of RealVideo.

StreamWorks from Xing Technologies is a high quality MPEG-based streaming video encoder and server software package. It is not currently compatible with ASF format, but Xing says it plans to make StreamWorks compatible when ASF becomes a common standard.

StreetTechnologies streams full screen computer screen images and audio for training purposes, and offers 1/4 screen video. The company does not sell software, however, it offers a deal that involves hosting on its server and charging on a per use basis.

Each of these vendors allow users to download free client plug-ins from the Internet, but most also offer a higher grade client for $20 or less.

Below you'll find information about the seven vendors and links to good examples of their respective technologies. I suggest you download the free clients of each and create a demo for yourself of the seven tools in action.

Vivo:

Vivo's professional product VivoActive Producer 2.0 sells for $599 and a simpler version called VideoNow for only $99. The standard VivoActive player is a free plug-in, but a special VivoActive PowerPlayer sells for 12.95.

Examples: Webster Interactive CD-ROM Guide, Dig ital Sales Force, and Swell Cinema.

Microsoft Netshow:
The Microsoft NetShow server and client software is available free of charge from the NetShow Web site. NetShow is also available with Microsoft Site Server and Microsoft Site Server, Enterprise Edition.

Examples: Vide o introduction to the product, ACM 97 main page (try the Gordon Bell talk), and The 1st International Internet Film Festival.

Vxtreme:
This company was recently purchased by Microsoft and its server/producer package for an unlimited number of streams, which now sells for $995, will be bundled with MS Site Server.

Examples: ACM 97 main page and CNNfn.

RealVideo:
Server and support package for 100 streams, $8,390.

Examples: Emerging Infections Information Network Spring 97 Seminars, InfoClips< /A> (look at medical show), World Business Review, CSPAN, and University of Colorado at Denver.

VDO:
100 Streams on demand, $10,000.

Examples: VDO Guide and VDO Indies.

Xing Technologies:
100 streams on demand, $4500.

Examples: Billboard Live.

StreetTechnologies:
Pricing not applicable. The company offers a hosting and profit sharing or usage based deal.

Examples: MS Excel training and Talking head video.