StarDSL Licenses On2's VP3 for Japanese Video On Demand

On2.com (www.on2.com) has announced that StarDSL is licensing its VP3 codec for use in its video on demand test run. StarDSL ( www.stardsl.com) hopes to prove the VP3 codec will help them demonstrate the viability of offering on demand video services in Japan. Star DSL is a newly founded broadband company in Tokyo, Japan.

"We are excited to be working with StarDSL and to be expanding our Asian alliances," said Douglas McIntyre, On2 president and CEO.

StarDSL will begin a test service of its patented broadband data delivery platform, Most Efficient Data Delivery System, or MEDDS, in Japan mid-month. StarDSL states that it will also simultaneously develop a set top box that connects PC and TV to enable users to watch broadband video on their TV screen.

According to On2, it is able to offer a higher level of quality by combining its proprietary codec, VP3, with its unique remastering process. In addition, On2 states that its video engineers are undergoing a process to help increase the quality of the video delivered during the Japanese trial by converting all videos to their original frame rate, correcting black, white, and gamma levels, fixing stereo imbalances and offering key framing, balancing, masking, and cropping in order to maintain the proper image size and proportions.