The problem with (1) is that as more 'Net users have higher bandwidth,
(cable modems, xDSL, etc), a sub-30-second download for an entire audio file, stereo CD quality, becomes possible. At that point, downloading the whole file is as much an "impulse" activity as waiting for the RealPlayer to connect, sync up, buffer, and then play...
So I think as increased bandwidth becomes more widespread, the arguments for "streaming" audio weaken.
Video-wise, however, higher bandwidth makes the RealPlayer very nice, as long as the video producers encode the content at 15fps or higher, and with a decent image size (e.g., C-SPAN at 100kbps, available from real.com). |
