Analysts: Streaming still has a way to go

First the good news: Business-oriented streaming media tools and services will top hit $2 billion in 2006, according to new research from In-Stat/MDR. The bad news: Streaming services do not seem to be growing as fast as videoconferencing when it comes to the business environment, according to the same research.

In-Stat/MDR believes for streaming to really take off in the enterprise, two things must happen: First, companies must develop a digital asset management system (such as that from Artesia). A management system will help keep track of the various multimedia assets used in a company, keeping all the content more manageable. Second, In-Stat/MDR believes there needs to be a consistent user interface for viewing and interacting with streaming content. A consistent user interface will not confuse users and allow them to focus more on the content rather than on the application.

Looking ahead, the company thinks Microsoft's Windows Media 9 Series will be the dominate streaming technology near-term, before the infant MPEG-4 standard matures into the industry leader. RealNetworks, the other dominiate player today, will continue to shift focus to its service provider business, In-State/DMR reports.