Let's face it, today a 56k connection does mean you are connected at a fast enough speed to view high quality streaming content. In fact, just because you have a 56k modem doesn't mean you are going to connect at that speed. If you are unfortunate enough to have to go through two or more POP sites in order to get to your ISP, you might as well save yourself the money and just stick with your 28.8k modem, because you'll never achieve a connection faster than that.

Most people are bandwidth hogs; they want their media, faster, smoother and cleaner. In order for a provider to get video and audio to stream at 24fps or higher and not have jerky movement or an image the size of a postage stamp, the end user needs to have a broadband connection on their computer.

Simply, broadband allows high-speed connection to the Internet at speeds higher than 200kbps, four times faster than current 56k clunkers. At these high speeds, video streaming becomes cleaner and larger, and audio sounds superb. There are four main ways to get broadband service, not all are available in every area of the country, but it is growing… quickly.

Cable Modem - Information is delivered to your computer via the same coax that feeds your television. The benefit is you don't have to tie up or purchase another phone line, and most houses today have a cable outlet in every room. The other benefit is that you are always connected. No more getting dropped right in the middle of downloading a 25mb file, no busy signals, no slow connects (well not usually). Prices are fairly reasonable and can be billed with your monthly cable service. The speed of cable modems can be quite high, close to or greater than 200kbps…that is if no one else in your neighborhood is connected.

You probably have been unfortunate enough to live in a neighborhood where there is one guy on the block who knows how to do everything himself. Chances are that guy has "accidentally" cut the coax cable in his yard and killed cable service for the entire neighborhood. This is where the drawback to cable modems lie. Since the cable in your neighborhood is shared, the connection speed is shared as well. The more people that are using cable modems in your area, and the more they want to stream original content or surf the web, the slower the connect speed. Before you know it, you could be back down to your old 28.8k connect again.

Cable modem technology has the most penetration of any broadband service right now, and fortunately having huge slow downs in service has not been a major issue.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) - Like a cable modem, a DSL connection means you are always on, with the added benefit of not being a shared service. DSL runs off the twisted pair phone line coming into your house. With many DSL services, the Internet signal can be piggybacked onto your existing phone line without the need of additional lines. Because the DSL signal broadcasts at a different frequency, it will not interfere with normal telephone use. This allows you to view streaming media at the same time your daughter talks on the phone with that weird boyfriend of hers.

DSL speeds vary with provider with 384kbps at the low end and 8Mbps at the high end. The average speed granted by most providers is 1.5Mbps. This is still 54 times faster than a traditional 28.8k dial up connect.

As far as drawbacks go, the DSL end-user must be located within three cable miles of a DSL-equipped serving office in order for DSL to operate effectively. This distance will vary depending on the specific type and condition of the telephone line. DSL service is one of the faster growing broadband delivery methods in the country. While not every city is connected, ISPs and Telcos are working fast to make it available to the customer.

Satellite - If you live within the satellite footprint, you can be connected with speeds up to 400kbs, 14 times faster than 28.8k modems. As mentioned, DSL is not available in all areas, if you are someone who lives in the middle of nowhere (a.k.a. my parents farm in the country), they may never have DSL service, so satellite may be the way for them to receive their on demand video and audio services. While it may not be as fast as DSL (now), satellite Internet systems can connect anywhere… your farm in Kansas, or your secluded get away in the mountains.

By 2004, Teledesic wants to launch 288 low orbiting satellites (with the financial backing of Bill Gates among others) to provide Internet access, of speeds up to 64Mbps, to the entire world.

Wireless - Until now, no matter how fast your connect speed, you have to be at home, locked to a line running into your computer. With wireless technology you are freed from the office and can truly take your Internet anywhere.

In a wireless Internet community, radio transmitters are attached to streetlights every quarter mile, forming a grid across a city. With wireless modems, like the Ricochet wireless, your laptop or palm pilot can be connected 100% of the time. With all the hype surrounding e-commerce, wireless technology could make the roadside e-business-stand a reality in a few short years.

How fast is your connect speed?
You can find out how fast your Internet speed is by going to MSN Computing Central and running their simple test.

In Part II of the Digital Webcast Primer, we'll look at compression, what's out there, and what works.