Streaming: A reality or not?

We all know that moving images and sound are problematic over the Internet.

Streaming media is the solution to bypass these limitations. The US is expecting a boom year for streaming media as speedier connections and better quality draw more fans.

According to Nielsen NetRatings, streaming media`s audiences are skyrocketing with more than a third of US households using streaming media from their homes. Add 20 million office- and college-based broadband users, and you have a potential streaming audience big enough to interest traditional media.

Streaming media`s increasingly popularity is mainly because of its ability to deliver its message more dramatically than static documents, at an acceptably low cost. A single streaming multicast can provide a shared experience for many "live" viewers and also be replayed on demand by individuals.

But in SA, streaming media is still an issue - the promise thereof being hypothetical and limited.

Streaming media is currently difficult because of our dependency on Telkom as well as low bandwidth availability and high costs. Because of this, frame updates such as africam is generally used instead of streaming media. But streaming media will happen.

Internationally, broadcasters are the main users of streaming media and pay television over IP, and video on demand is growing with the availability of products such as Gateway.

For other businesses, streaming media applications include multicasting, company meetings, conferences and interactive distance learning. During live events, viewers can respond with questions or comments via telephone, e-mail, or instant message. Companies can also experiment with streaming slide shows, audio and 360-degree pictures.

Streaming media offers so much more than just another opportunity to communicate your message. With streaming media you can get a lot more personal, using it for training presentations, rebroadcasts of company events and even marketing and customer service.

South Africans are mainly faced with obstacles such ADSL/DSL roll-out, cost, availability and limited bandwidth. But other options do exist.

One such option is the use of satellite. Satellite systems transmit signals from transceivers to space satellites and users pay for the bandwidth used. The advantages of using satellite includes its cost-effectiveness for running certain business applications, as well as the fact that it is well-suited for data that is graphics-heavy. It also serves as a good overlay network in rural areas.

Unfortunately, satellite`s initial deployment is expensive, and it only offers one-way communication.

So, much like other Internet-based forms of delivery, working with streaming media is all about compromises. For now, South Africans have to compromise on factors like speedier connections and better quality. But the time will come for streaming technology to prove itself as a steady and reliable medium in the South African market.