Even more nascent than the wireless Internet industry, the wireless multimedia industry is expected to represent a good portion of next-generation wireless Internet services.
PacketVideo Corp.-which develops wireless streaming video and audio solutions-last week introduced a showcase of streaming video media applications available on today’s networks as a way to promote the growth of multimedia applications and its own technology.
The showcase, called PV Airguide, is a publicly accessible collection of wireless streaming video applications available to users for free. It was designed to allow content providers, application developers, wireless operators and consumers to experiment with wireless streaming video applications.
PV Airguide can be accessed by any user with an Internet-enabled wireless device optimized with PacketVideo’s Player technology, which is based on the MPEG-4 standard.
“Technology for technology’s sake is no good,” said James Carol, PacketVideo chief executive officer an co-founder. “You need compelling applications on top of it.”
More than 40 media and Internet PacketVideo partners have agreed to showcase their content on PV Airguide, focusing on three types of wireless video services. AirView is a streaming video on demand service, AirCam features streaming video from live remote cameras and AirZip allows users to download compressed video files for offline viewing.
Rob Tercek, president of PacketVideo’s Consumer Applications and Services division, said the company launched the showcase initially to give developers and content providers a place to host and test their applications in a live environment. In doing so, PacketVideo also hopes to pique the interest of other developers, as well as network operators and end users. Essentially it’s a proof of concept for wireless streaming video.
AirView on-demand content includes movie trailers and news clips; AirCam offers live access to live traffic cams or remote security and monitoring cams; while AirZip content is stored on the device and uses less bandwidth.
Aside from showcasing these types of applications, PV Airguide also is a way to experiment with PacketVideo’s solution. The PacketVideo Platform includes the PacketVideo Player client-side software, PacketVideo Server software and PacketVideo Author development tools.
For the showcase, PacketVideo is hosting content written in Author on its own server, accessible by devices with the Player software installed. PacketVideo expects color-screen personal digital assistants to be the initial devices accessing the showcase and its services, including the Compaq iPAQ, Hewlett-Packard’s Jornada and Casio’s Cassiopeia. Sierra Wireless and Novatel Wireless both make wireless modems with the Player technology bundled as well.
Both NEC and Sanyo are developing video phones with the technology, expected next year, and PacketVideo is in discussions to license the technology to several others.
While the content is being hosted at PacketVideo’s server, carriers wanting to deploy streaming video services may integrate PacketVideo’s server technology, giving them control over content distribution and billing.
Sprint PCS is collaborating with PacketVideo to develop vertical commercial market applications, specifically for the live-camera, remote-viewing applications, while Finland’s Sonera has announced trials with PacketVideo. Some 16 other carriers also are testing the technology, but remained under non-disclosure.
Content providers with applications on the showcase are in charge of promoting the showcase to end users, a PacketVideo spokeswoman said. Participating companies include ABCNEWS.com, Alltrue.com, article27, AtomFilms, Audible.com, Broadband Sports, chinadotcom, CinemaElectric, CNET, Druid Media Inc., Earthnoise, Fox Filmed Entertainment, Icebox, Independent Pictures, Lions Gate Entertainment, Salon TV, Sony Pictures, television.com, Traffic411, Video-Greetings.com and several others.
In other multimedia news, Mobilee Inc., formerly ShoutMail-which has a proprietary streaming media delivery network-introduced a phonecasting program for streaming audio. It offers radio stations the ability to broadcast streaming audio content to phones. It uses Mobilee’s Wireless Media Gateway and Streaming Media Delivery Network to deliver streaming audio to any phone, not just WAP phones, through a wireless ASP model.
