Leading technology innovation company, Alien Technologies, subsidiary of Edutain Distribution, distribute powerful and extensive ranges of affordable networking video editing and capturing products. Alien have a reputation for being a "future-forward" company; consequently, they are on the cutting edge of emerging technologies in new media tools.
"With the focus today more and more on becoming a knowledge-based society, ICT (Information and Communications Technology) infrastructure is becoming an increasingly important facet of any successful business," says Voula Philippides, MD of Alien Technologies. "The market has recognized video as a powerful medium, which when deployed into daily applications, can maximize the impact of their message."
Video has played an important role in business communications for several decades now, but it was not until fairly recently that computer monitors have been turned into video screens. With a screen on virtually every desk these days, it was inevitable that these business fixtures would serve a dual purpose.
"This phenomenon isn`t restricted to the business or home desktop either," adds Philippides, "anywhere you might find or mount a screen has become fair game for the display of digital video - even at ATMs and petrol pumps. In short, business video is becoming ubiquitous."
Alien Technologies have the exclusive distributorship for one of the most innovative and affordable MPEG digital video capture/editing products available on the market today. "The Dazzle Snazzi Digital Video Creator is a PC peripheral and software suite that gives both business and personal computer users the ability to capture, edit and share TV-quality digital video using the industry standard MPEG file format Products such as this represent an evolution from text and character-based processing to a computing environment in which audio/video and other media are more fully integrated into documents, presentations and communications," says Philippides.
The ability to view video across networks and on the Internet, known as Streaming Video, was made possible with new compression methods such as MPEG (Moving Picture Expert Group) the leading technology used in most multimedia PCs today. The Dazzle Snazzi Digitial Video Creator incorporates this technology and automatically converts your video/audio files into real format - the Internet`s best format for streaming both audio and video. The product also features one-button web publishing and one-button video e-mail along with an analogue video output for users who wish to output their edited MPEG video to VHS tape. This allows for seamless integration of stills and videos into popular windows applications.
Another major player in providing streaming video over corporate intranets and extranets is Sigma Designs,Inc. an acknowledged leader and driving force in digital video technology used in high-speed, high bandwidth transmission for business, educational and home markets. Their REALmagic range of products enable users to easily play high-quality streaming video and audio on corporate LANs and WANs. The easy-to-use NetStream 2 PCI card, which makes this new technology accessible and affordable to everyone; offers full plug and play installation and compatibility with a broad range of third-party applications, including video servers for VOD, MPEG encoders for stored or real-time playback, satellite delivery systems, streaming video playback systems and scores of customizable interactive training titles.
The greatest advances can be found at the level of corporate networks, which are much faster than the internet. Technologies such as 100BaseT and Gigabit Ethernet are providing the bandwidth and throughput necessary to deliver high-fidelity compressed video.
Dedicated video servers have also addressed the specialised needs of delivery video over a network. Again, technology has provided the necessary applications for concurrent viewing by multiple viewers. Products such as Sigma`s Netstream at employee`s desktops make it possible to view full-quality streaming video without taxing the processor.
The other trend that is driving streaming video is the convergence of the infrastructures supporting data, telephony, and video. With the digitising of voice and video, it makes sense for converged applications to run over data networks. This trend is being rapidly accelerated by the industry`s adoption of Internet Protocol (IP) standards - believed by many to be the future of communication technologies.
In another form of convergence, video is changing from being just a stream of content to merging with other data types into corporate databases. Vsoft`s VideoClick for example, makes it easy to manage video in folders and to search on content attributes. Like other data types, digital video is now a corporate asset that adds profitability and value to business.
In the case of streaming media, technology and market needs have converged around the fundamental concept that the ability to continually deliver new information and skills to employees and customers is critical for the success of today`s corporation. The market is growing and maturing rapidly with applications such as interactive training, marketing and sales automation, corporate communications, advertising and movies-on-demand for hotels and airlines. A typical example of the many incarnations of video networking is corporate communications where information delivery is easily transmitted through a process known as multicasting. This is where the feed from one or more switched sources (typically cameras) is streamed across the company`s network to the screens of its employees who then have the option of submitting questions via return text channel. Demonstrating their industry commitment to an integrated and unified front, Sigma Designs,Inc. and Starlight Networks worked closely together to deliver a robust video muticasting solution for corporate intranets using terrestial and satellite delivery mechanisms.
The same technology that makes multicasting possible also provides for video-on-demand (VOD) or unicast services in which any authorised user can access the content at any time. Training via networked VOD eliminates the need for many physical materials and also travelling time and costs for both trainer and trainee. A new third-party content market is also emerging featuring mainstream corporate trainers like Tom Peters.
Another training offering via networked video is a form of distance learning called distributed training. Live presentations in streaming video format are multicast to employee gatherings at multiple corporate locations. Distributed training provides a cost-effective contribution to team-building - a very important aspect of the mission of any business.
Beyond the corporate world, the Web has opened up incredible opportunities for businesses to communicate with customers as well as each other. With marketing as an ever-present driver, video on the internet will play a key role in conveying corporate messages to the world, as well as pave the way for new business models. News and entertainment companies such as CNN enliven their sites with clips of news stories or movie previews, thus expanding their advertiser revenue.
The desktop computer has evolved from a data processing tool into a complete communications centre at the heart of today`s business models. Networked video has brought a completely new face to business video, and for most organisations it is not a question of being ready for streaming video, but when they will take the plunge.
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