February/March 2008 (Sourcebook)
Magazine Features
How to Execute a Successful Webcast
18 Apr 2008
A primer on selecting the right equipment, making the right production decisions, and establishing a solid webcasting plan.
Fri., April 18, by Nico McLane
Growth Spurt: CDN Year in Review
15 Feb 2008
Online video continued to grow in 2007, and CDNs were there to reap the benefits.
Gimme Five: Rich Media Presentation Systems for Education and the Enterprise
15 Feb 2008
By carefully assessing your needs and comparing them against the features of these five rich media presentation systems, you're likely to find one that meets your requirements.
Tues., April 15, by Paul Riismandel
How to Manage Video Content in Higher Education
15 Feb 2008
Managing online video content isn't simple, easy, or cheap. Yet, when the use of dynamic content management systems (CMSs) for websites has trickled down within reach of every blogger, it’s frustrating to realize that the same kind of management for digital media has not necessarily made the same journey, especially in education.
Publisher's Note—Mission 2008: Unite Pangaea
15 Feb 2008
Unlike the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates, imperceptible to the human eye, the changes we've seen here at the Streaming Media organization have been rapid and dramatic.
The Big Bang: Media & Entertainment Year in Review
15 Feb 2008
Despite deterioration in the broader economic indicators, nonadvertising-driven entertainment models remain robust and advertising-supported media are feeling the pressure of web advertising.
It's All About Integration: Enterprise Year in Review
15 Feb 2008
For many, 2007 marked an inflection point in the evolution of the enterprise online multimedia technology industry. As adoption of the technology for business use continued to gain ground in the past year, a growing number of major technology vendors, such as Cisco Systems, began making bigger bets than ever before on the future of enterprise web video.
Time Has Come Today: Mobile Video Year in Review
15 Feb 2008
In 2007, we had a flurry of new devices from the iPhone to the Nokia N95, the variety of content grew exponentially from major network shows to user-generated content, and the list of services for mobile video spanned from content providers to video creation and submission tools.
Almost Grown: Advertising Year in Review
15 Feb 2008
Rich media advertising continued to thrive in 2007, taking on its more established counterparts and holding its own.
Streamticker 2007: The Year in Mergers, Acquisitions, and Fundings
15 Feb 2008
2007 proved to be the year of legitimate peer-to-peer networking and high-definition streaming, but the bigger news was that the "big kids" got involved in the streaming space in a way that left some smaller companies in awe of their larger siblings.
Futurewatch: Education
15 Feb 2008
To CDN or not to CDN? That is the question for schools in 2008.
Futurewatch: Media & Entertainment
15 Feb 2008
Branded destinations, audience networks, audience monetization, contextual publishing, and high-quality video will be the main trends for this field in 2008.
Futurewatch: Enterprise
15 Feb 2008
In 2008, expect to see enterprise leaders work smarter with what they have in place and deploy solutions that can be scaled up rather than down; partner with suppliers that offer the tools to enhance user experience, capture accurate statistical data, and make their own products work better; and integrate long-term strategies and work to view their IT landscapes from all angles.
Futurewatch: Politics
15 Feb 2008
Streaming media content will provide the ideal information source for voters during the 2008 presidential campaign.
Futurewatch: The Business
15 Feb 2008
In 2008, companies must begin building real value instead of just the perception of value.
2008 Streaming Media Editors' Picks
21 Mar 2008
For the 2008 Streaming Media Industry Sourcebook, which mailed last week, our writers made their annual picks of the most notable products and services released in the past year.
Friday, March 21, by Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen
Choosing a CDN
15 Feb 2008
Despite confusion in the market, simply knowing what questions to ask a CDN and knowing what your specific needs are can make the process of selecting one much easier.
The 2008 Encoder Shootout
15 Feb 2008
In this roundup, Jan Ozer examines the compression capabilities for Adobe Creative Suite 3 and Apple Final Cut Studio 2, then reviews primary multiformat batch compression tools Grass Valley ProCoder, Sorenson Squeeze, and Telestream Episode Pro, all with an emphasis on output quality.
DIY Video: 10 User-Generated Content Tools You Can't Live Without
15 Feb 2008
The desktop publishing revolution resulted in some amazingly beautiful design ideas being tried out for the first time. The same thing is happening with video. The general public is enthusiastic about producing video now that they can afford the tools, and the best way to learn is to experiment with your ideas and show them to people.
More Flash Brings More Light
15 Feb 2008
Undoubtedly the biggest news in online video for 2007, the Silverlight/Flash battle is one that finds both Microsoft and Adobe significantly shifting their fundamental approaches, although in both cases, there’s historical precedent.
When Should You Choose P2P?
15 Feb 2008
With potential to upend the economics around and ultimately enable high-quality video delivery, P2P holds such promise that if you don’t already have a P2P strategy, rest assured your competition does.
Outsourcing Everything but the Company Name
15 Feb 2008
Nowadays, thanks to outsourcing, you don't have to have any specific skills or knowledge relating to software development, content production, monetization, or even streaming media to build a streaming media business; you only need to come up with a clever name for your company.
How to Measure Online Video Ad Success
15 Feb 2008
Producing Content for Mobile Delivery
15 Feb 2008
Producing video content for wireless networks can be as complicated as delivering it successfully. To make video work effectively, we need a new understanding of production processes, driven by the realities of the wireless delivery channel.
How to Deliver Online Content That Delivers Viewers
15 Feb 2008
RocketBoom and Quarterlife are changing the rules.
Special Delivery: High-Def Video
15 Feb 2008
Case studies of Akamai, Hulu, and more reveal different approaches to delivering high-definition video online.
Webcasting Versus Web Conferencing: How to Choose
15 Feb 2008
The purpose of this article is to define the benefits of each medium, dispel the misinformation, and help you decide which is right for your organization.
Case Study: No Good TV Won't Be Ignored
15 Feb 2008
In the online world, just as in the offline world, money talks and success silences criticism. No Good Tv can be vulgar to the max, as long as it continues to make money.in the online world, just as in the offline world, money talks and success silences criticism. No Good Tv can be vulgar to the max, as long as it continues to make money.
Case Study: An Enterprise Webcast Heard 'Round the World
15 Feb 2008
In late 2006, MRM Worldwide began working with Insidedge to improve the level and quality of internal communications with its worldwide offices and employees. Since MRM Worldwide didn't have the internal resources to plan and produce the webcast, the MRM and Insidedge team sought a vendor that could provide an end-to-end solution for the companywide meeting. They selected On24.
Case Study: SyncCast Rises to the High-Def Challenge
15 Feb 2008
Last year, when Microsoft prepared to launch Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace to deliver high-quality SD and HD content to Xbox 360 owners, the company turned to a trusted partner, SyncCast, to build a secure, centralized video hosting delivery platform.
A Whole New World
15 Feb 2008
For NEC Unified, video webcasting is lighting the path to the future.
Case Study: Making a "Stickier" Cinema Site
16 Mar 2008
By speeding up page load times by 88%, Edgecast's CDN helps world film site Jaman keep its bounce rate down and its return visit numbers up.
Mon., 17 March, by Nancy Davis Kho
Case Study: Serving the Public by Serving Flash Video
15 Feb 2008
Needing to stream 24/7 live coverage of news and events, as well as provide a suitable platform to allow citizens to easily access TVW's vast programming library, the company identified Flash as the best technology to meet its reach goal.
Case Study: Going Mobile With Webcasting
15 Feb 2008
NetStreamLive recently unveiled its first Mobile Broadband vehicle: The modified 4WD Ford Excursion. The vehicle provides secure satellite network communications in the field, enabling NetStreamLive to offer webcasting productions from remote locations with no dependency on the location's existing bandwidth or connectivity.
Case Study: High Quality Meets High Efficiency
15 Feb 2008
With the help of Abacast's Hybrid P2P streaming technology, FutureStream Networks is now delivering high-quality video and audio for the third-largest South Korean broadcasting company.
Editor's Note
Editor's Note: Continuing Education
15 Feb 2008
Our goal in the streaming industry should be for video to be just another business and communication tool, like the fax machine. Streaming's not there yet, but the 4EVER Group's video clips remind us that the tools of our trade have become both ubiquitous and simple enough that people are able to use them while still focusing on the tools of their trades.