| |
What you describe is not *streaming* media, right?
In my opinion, what makes RNWK's technology so appealing, from a *business* standpoint, is:
1) it is streaming ... totally impulsive ... resides on the Net, not your harddrive, so it can be delivered, free, upon demand as a customer service. This promotes its ubiquity. NetRadio.net is an excellent example. It can even be delivered wirelessly, like radio and TV, over relatively lowbandwidth mobile connections.
2) it is becoming the standard because RNWK is pushing it with big bucks and creativity and new, practical consumer and business products and applications ... as Iomega has proven (and VHS before it) becoming the standard is more important than having the best technical quality.
3) it is so flexible. We see in the last week or two, RNWK is delivering a flavor that allows one to incorporate streaming audio into Powerpoint presentations and deliver them using RealVideo via email or intranet to clients, customers, associates, etc. This has tremendous appeal to business users, and is just one example of the creativity of the RNWK business team. The Audible link and the many radios broadcasting live music and talk are other illustrations. The streaming animation is another that will spur lots of creative work, I think.
MPEG3 is good, I'm sure. But tell me ... what are the commercial applications being now released to utilize it ... and how do they compare in market penetration with such things as netradio and other applications of RealNetworks? I've not found anyone with a differentiated market stake in promoting MPEG3, as RNWK has in their technology, and I'd be interested in your viewpoint about who will pay to develop applications and clients for it.
Doug |
|
