I feel the need, the need for speed
With more and more individuals and business switching to faster Internet delivery methods, the ability to send large amounts of streaming data becomes more of a reality. Recently, when the trailer for The Lord of the Rings was released on the Apple QuickTime site, you had to have a cable modem or DSL connection in order to see smooth, uninterrupted streaming video at 640x480. Cable modem and DSL speeds are in the 200Kbps to 1.5MBps range.

When you create larger files with high quality detail, that last barrier for true full-motion streaming animation is the end user's computer. It is not uncommon to find media files today that require at least a Pentium III 400MHz processor or Mac G4 to play a streaming file correctly. Added to the speed issue is network traffic. We can't all download the same 300MB file from a server that was not designed to handle 100,000 requests a minute for an animation.

There are workarounds for all of these problems. Titan A.E. had its premiere in Atlanta, GA, recently. What made the premiere interesting was the fact that the movie originated from Los Angeles, CA, and was streamed to the Woodruff Arts Center. This was made possible by a dedicated line capable of handling this huge amount of data on a network that was dedicated for just this purpose. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford or handle a connection/network of this size, so the continued use of this type of technology will only be in the hands of the theater owners and studios.

Until we have 10MBps direct connect uber-lines installed into our uber-computers, without any clogging of networks, true streaming of animation (or any other media) will be a brass ring just out of grasp. So until then, we are more likely to hear the phrase, "You can have quality, size or speed. Pick any two," much more in the near future.

Pprior to joining Digital Media Online, ran his own freelance animation business (Thunderhead Productions) providing content for clients in and around Atlanta. As Operations Manager of the Media Production Department of The American InterContinental University in Atlanta, GA, Stephen installed and built out an entire video facility from the ground up.