Streaming Media West 2001 Wrap Up

 

 

 

 

 

Apple is putting the finishing touches on it's MPEG-4 CODEC, which should be available by the end of the year.

Microsoft unveiled Microsoft Producer, it's answer to streaming media presentation creation.
Our Related Sites
Our Related User Forums
One of my first stops was with Apple. While they did not have a booth at this year's convention, they did have a meeting room where we discussed the forthcoming release of the Sorenson 3 CODEC. According to those I spoke with, the CODEC should be released in the next three to four weeks. Word is that the upgrade will be free. Stay tuned for more as the release date draws near. Apple also touched on some of the improvements to QuickTime 5, including the new skin features. This is far better than the skin options you have with some other media players, and I'll try and get some tutorials on how to build them soon.

We also talked briefly about Final Cut Pro 2 and how it will have an impact for those producing for streaming media. If you would like to read a review of this great NLE system, click here. I did have my first sighting of a working Pioneer DVD-R "Superdrive" in use in the Apple demo computer. Previous units I had seen were mockups because the demand was so high for these drives that Panasonic could not keep any in stock. For more on the Pioneer DVD-R drive, be sure to check out DMNTV.com.

Also shown was Apple's new MPEG-4 CODEC. This CODEC is still in early beta form, but it did look promising. The video image was a bit fuzzy and soft for my taste, but I was assured that Apple was working on it, and by the time it is released it should produce a very sharp picture.

The nice thing about MPEG-4 is that it produces a small enough file size for picture quality that it will be the key to unlocking streaming video across wireless networks and devices. While many trial streaming video wireless phones are on the market now, if economic trends improve, look for mass marketing of video cellular phones by Christmas 2002. Last year, Microsoft demonstrated the Eggy, a wireless portable device from Japan that can stream video and audio to the end user. While the Windows Media Format seems entrenched in Japan, I have a feeling that the lines will blur in the United States, and the end user will have no idea if the video they are watching is streaming QuickTime or Windows Media.

Speaking of Apple and Microsoft, Microsoft did have a booth on the show floor, and did have an Apple computer sitting among the various PCs. Microsoft has recently released Windows Media Player 7 for the Mac and was demonstrating the great image quality. Microsoft also unveiled Microsoft Producer, their answer to editing and producing streaming media presentations. This companion tool for Microsoft Office XP is available for download today from the Microsoft site as a technology preview. The final release is expected to ship sometime near the end of the year.

Read On...

[an error occurred while processing this directive]