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Complete support for the latest Real Networks and Microsoft Windows Media technology streaming media formats. This meant the provider was listed, for example, on the Level 3 provider list in Real Networks' partners area. We did not include QuickTime in this review because few streaming media service providers support the media file format as part of their standard portfolio, and QuickTime measurement agents have yet to be developed.
Support for live, video-rich Event Broadcast at 100K bit/sec and On Demand services at three data rates (40K bit/sec, 100K bit/sec and 300K bit/sec)
Owned or leased server space in at least 40 secure nationwide Points of Presence, including multi-homing and peering with multiple backbone providers at DS3 or greater capacity, for use by streaming media servers, and at least 10 international points of presence.
Application level support for events or content being distributed to populations of at least 10,000 simultaneous users.
Contracts to provide streaming media services in place at the time of testing with at least 25 existing medium and large enterprise customers.
Two or more advanced services, such as multiple video content acquisition technologies, video indexing/cataloging, digital asset management systems, video encoding, slide/presentation synchronization, text chat as part of a live broadcast, local content insertion servers, transaction servers for voice and video enhanced e-commerce, automated/browser accessible reporting and billing.
More Ground Rules
Further requirements of streaming media participants:
In addition, market share numbers were looked at to determine market leaders. Final decisions about who to invite to participate in the study were made by Network World editors, whose decisions were final.
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