Stars twinkle faintly at Streaming Media West 2002

Although the type of planetary alignment seen over the earth in April and May 2002 is relatively common and won't reveal anything new for experts, it has proven interesting for those less well acquainted with solar system operations. The same may be said of the most recent Streaming Media West, April 24-26 2002 in Los Angeles.

With the exception of the RealNetworks which launched RealVideo 9 and RealAudio Surround, and a handful of start ups and less well-known small companies who made announcements, those who stayed at their offices for the week probably have more to show for their time.

The first problem with Streaming Media West 2002 was that few of the noteworthy "planets" attended. These kinds of events, where streaming media gurus and leading vendors get together to compare notes, happened at least every 6 months in years past. As the technology edges closer to mainstream and more information is available on the Web, there's less incentive for true "experts" to spend their valuable time roaming the aisles of yet another convention center hall. Compound this with the recent vendor consolidation, general belt tightening (on the part of exhibitors as well as travel-conscious attendees), a high number of quiet industry exits and unproven business models for streaming in consumer segments and you spell trouble. The rationale for exhibiting at (or attending) an event focused solely on streaming media is weak at best.

The vast majority of the vendors of interest to streaming media producers and managers exhibited at the recent National Association of Broadcasters' conference in Las Vegas and that's where those in the know about video for television, Internet or Intranet distribution met barely a month before Streaming Media West.

What about streaming media for "the rest of us"?

With the current set of turnkey media authoring and distribution tools, it's increasingly realistic for a generalist - someone who hasn't been to NAB - to create decent streaming media content and outsource when the technology gets tricky. For example, if you want to quickly assemble a short informational video for your group or division, sit down in front of a MiniDV camera or even a Webcam and get talking. The resulting video can easily be incorporated into a full blown rich media presentation with synchronized slides using products such as Microsoft Producer, SofTV.net's Softv.Presenter, Accordent's PresenterPRO product suite or Sonic Foundry's MediaSite Publisher.

If you're in the mood for a nicely integrated teleprompter and some professional looking graphics to introduce the finished piece, you can't go wrong with Serious Magic's $99 Visual Communicator. The product was previewed at Comdex and commercially released at Streaming Media West. Two models are available for purchase on the Serious Magic web site. Retail outlets should have the product by mid May.

In contrast with the low "expert" turnout, the Penton Media tutorial for streaming media "beginners" drew a crowd in LA. Held the afternoon before the show opened, the tutorial written and presented by Streaming Media Inc.'s editors, offered basic information of interest to seasoned web veterans as well as to video producers who have heretofore stayed clear of low end delivery vehicles such as IP networks.

One of the attendees who apparently missed the tutorial asked a question to which many others wanted to hear the answer: When I prepare a request for proposal or am evaluating vendors, what should I be asking for?

Where is the channel?

To get beyond capturing a simple video and to a useful communications medium, streaming media requires integration of applications and networks to the content creation system. Some IT groups are able to perform the necessary integration, but most are too busy to dedicate any attention to what they consider to be a "high risk" medium for communication.

Business unit managers with the need for streaming are left in the lurch. The lack of strong interest in streaming media by "mainstream" systems integrators is beginning to show and needs to be remedied through seminars and market education by vendors before specialized products will find their target audience in any significant volume. This was highlighted by a conference session presented by James Dias of Sonic Foundry entitled "The Systems Integrator's Role in Business Webcasting." Most people in the audience were enterprise customers wondering who they should hire for their next Webcast.

The technology channel, in the form of national or regional resellers and systems integrators, was another element that is seriously missing from not only Streaming Media West the tradeshow and conference, but the streaming media landscape in general.

This points to an opportunity which some smaller and more nimble professional services organizations are moving to fill. Although they were roaming the conference sessions and visiting booths in the trade show hall, the "experts" to whom enterprises will turn were not exhibiting at Streaming Media West.

In lieu of building capabilities in house, there remains the outsourced alternative to streaming media implementation. Content delivery networks are building out with robust tools such as the Surgient Networks' eQ2500 and Volera's Velocity CDN platform, both demonstrated on the show floor. While only Speedera and Channel 1 Now had booths at the Streaming Media West event, at least 8 strong network service providers offer an impressive spectrum of hosted streaming media services.

On the Horizon

The best place to see the planetary alignment this month is just above the horizon just after the sun sets. It's a narrow window of opportunity, but worthwhile if you catch it.

The best place to see all the components of a streaming media solution is probably on the web, and not in the halls of a tradeshow where the sun may have already set. For those with expertise in designing and deploying streaming media in specific industries or vertical markets, the window of opportunity is now and, judging from the analysts' prediction of the growth of streaming media, the rewards will be well worth the effort.

Perey is president of Perey Research & Consulting in Placerville, Calif. The company provides business development consulting services and conducts market research on the use of video in enterprise. She can be reached at cperey@perey.com.