Generic Media adds MPEG2 and mobile support
 
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Generic Media Tuesday announced at Internet World/Streaming Media East that it is adding support for the MPEG2 format and extending streaming capabilities to mobile devices via its hosted Publishing Service.
The Generic Media Publishing Service uses a single, high-quality master audio/video file to create Windows Media, QuickTime and RealMedia streams, as well as MP3 audio. Users benefit by only having to create one copy of their content and not having to worry about encoding to multiple player types.
The service now allows customers to use the MPEG2 format as a master copy, in addition to the previously supported formats MPEG1, QuickTime, AVI and MP3. MPEG2 is a standard for the satellite and cable industry and is the basis for DVD.
"[Customers] can encode once, into MPEG2, and use that for distribution to satellite, cable and now the Internet," said Peter Hoddie, president of Generic Media.
Generic Media is also offering player support for the Pocket PC by delivering optimized Windows Media content to the handheld devices over an 802.11-based wireless network. The optimized stream takes into account the devices smaller screen size and less powerful processor as compared to a standard desktop PC. Also, Palm OS users can now download content for the gMovie Player (Generic Media's own player application) directly to their network-connected device without having to first synchronize with a PC.
"This is good for people with handheld phones with the Palm OS built-in," Hoddie said. "We think Palm will be the No. 1 data-connected handheld that works anywhere."
Hoddie said his company is working with PacketVideo and Japan's NTT DoCoMo on delivering streaming media to cellular phones over 3G networks. "Customers in the future will be able to deliver one source file anywhere, including to cellular phones," Hoddie said.
Currently, all content delivered via Generic Media is on-demand, but the company is in trials with live content delivery using standard Internet connectivity. Live streaming is an expensive proposition today. Usually, companies either have to bring encoding servers to the location or beam content across a satellite to be encoded by a third party. Hoddie said Generic Media is building an encoder that would allow a person to use a camera and laptop to send a single source file to the Publishing Service to be served live in all of the supported format.
"We're taking the production of live events down from all kinds of devices to [just requiring] a backpack with a camera and a laptop," Hoddie said.
When generally available, the live model will also allow customers to capture a copy of the broadcast for use as on-demand content once the live event is over.
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