Progressive Networks' wildly popular RealAudio software greatly enhanced sound and music
offerings on the Net. Here was something that enabled your average Web
content creator to place large sound files online via Progressive's
RealAudio server. No more horrendous download times. No more grappling with
file extensions and formats. Progressive hit paydirt.
Now, amid much hype, Progressive has unveiled the visual equivalent of
RealAudio -- RealVideo 1.0. The company hopes to capture another emerging
market with this application that, like VDOnet's VDOLive, brings streaming video to the desktop.
"Two years ago, Progressive Networks pioneered audio on the Web when it
introduced RealAudio," says Rob Glaser, Progressive's chairman and CEO. "Our
RealAudio experience shows us that the market
rewards excellence. This means delivering great technology, great content,
and broad industry support."
Similar to RealAudio, RealVideo streams data into a window, which then
begins playing the content while simultaneously downloading the remaining
content. This approach dramatically cuts download times. Since most people
access the Net through a 28.8 bps modem or less, Progressive's offering is a
significant step toward bringing more technically-advanced content to the
average user's computer screen.
Will the success of RealAudio translate into similar market acceptance
for RealVideo? Possibly. But RealVideo has some catching up to do. The giant
in the video streaming field, VDOnet, offers a more advanced product that, unlike
RealVideo, automatically adjusts to the connection time of the user, saving
Web developers from having to create separate versions of the video file.
With the marketing clout of Progressive Networks and the market
acceptance of VDOLive, the battle for video standards on the Net is going to
be bloody. And, yes, it will be televised.
-- Steven Horn
Image credit: © 1997 Progressive Networks, Inc., VDOnet Corporation