RealNetworks is introducing on Wednesday a new
version of its video compression technology that is aimed at improving
choppy video broadcasts delivered over dial-up modems to the Internet.
RealVideo 9 is the latest iteration of RealNetworks'
audio and video compression technology, used by Web publishers to
store and send large files such as movie clips, newscasts or DVDs over the
Internet to the PC. RealNetworks said the technology improves the
compression rates of its RealVideo 8 technology by 30 percent,
making it about 30 percent less expensive for Web publishers to deliver audio and
video files. It says it also compresses data at 25 percent of the rate
of MPEG-2, the industry standard for digital set-top boxes, cable and
satellites.
The move is the latest round of updates to video
compression and playback features for Internet broadcasts and other
digital media. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced its next-generation
video compression technology, code-named Corona, which it says will
dramatically improve video delivery quality for broadband users. While the
company has been gathering wide support for Corona, it has yet to set a firm date for its
arrival.
With this latest announcement, RealNetworks is
attempting to solve long-standing hiccups for consumers watching video
over narrowband speeds. The company said RealVideo 9 will deliver DVD quality
to broadband consumers. In addition, RealNetworks said
the codec has been tweaked to allow playback on TV
screens as well as PC monitors. Codecs are used to compress and decompress various types of data, particularly those that would otherwise use up large amounts of disk space, such as sound and video files.
Analysts say consumers using a dial-up connection will
benefit most, however. As many as 53 million Americans connect to
the Net using 56kbps (kilobits per second) or slower modems.
"They've broken the home barrier," said Richard
Doherty, analyst at the Envisioneering Group. "Suddenly if you're watching CNN
or a Warner Bros. music video, that video will be smoother and not
as jerky. It will be what we call video, not a slide show."
The company on Wednesday also plans to introduce
enhancements for audio, called RealAudio Surround, aimed
at the home theater crowd.
As part of its announcement, RealNetworks said that it
submitted components of RealVideo 9 to the Joint Video Team, a
joint working group that is creating the next
version of MPEG-4.
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