Evolution Of The Video Essay Example for Free

Evolution Of The Video Essay Abstract The ubiquitous development of technology and computers has changed the way people live, work, play and interact. The profile of business has also changed dramatically throughout the years. With the development of faster bandwidths, videos were also introduced as part of the myriad of services that cyberspace had to offer to its growing patrons. Raynovich (2005) wrote that the video is slowly migrating into cyberspace to cater to the more sophisticated demands of the tech savvy. Several technological innovations in the video-Internet interface are streaming, Internet TV, video conferencing and online gaming. The interface between the Internet and video is inexorable as customers demand better quality and easy access to the medium. The development of the video on the Internet is still in constant flux. The current video Internet protocol still needs more time to evolve. It is apparent that video on the Internet is the wave of the future and something to look forward to. Introduction The ubiquitous development of technology and computers has changed the way people live, work, play and interact. The profile of business has also changed dramatically throughout the years. Technological advancements dominate the shift in business strategies of many firms and made traditional business models obsolete. Upheavals wrought by these developments have forced many corporations to restructure and seek new directions. Financial markets are not spared from the upheaval. World capital markets throughout the globe are now interlinked via satellite, networks and technology. Globalization has linked formerly independent economies. When a cataclysm occurs within a globally linked financial system, the entire global market feels the ripples of the event. Businesses are no longer isolated entities that operate autonomously. People can live and work in virtual reality. It is no longer important that one be physically present in a given work area. Because of computers and connectivity, people can choose to work where they like, when they like and how they like to do their job. With the click of a mouse, an ordinary worker can communicate with his counterpart elsewhere in the globe to discuss work and exchange ideas. The development of computers gave birth to the Internet. In the early 1960’s, a few visionaries saw great potentials in information exchange within the scientific and military circles (Howe, 2005). By 1969, ARPANET originally conceived by Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) became online. Only four computers from partner universities in the southwestern US (UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, UCSB, and the University of Utah) were able to establish contact (Howe 2005).The Internet, or simply the Net, is a publicly accessible worldwide system of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using a standardized Internet Protocol (IP). A few other institutions are liked to network. Initially, the web provided information services like †electronic mail, online chat, and the interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web† (Internet, n.d.). With the development of faster bandwidths, videos were also introduced as part of the myriad of services that cyberspace had to offer to its growing patrons. Raynovich (2005) wrote that the video is slowly migrating into cyberspace to cater to the more sophisticated demands of the tech savvy. Legacy video networks like cable television, television broadcasts and the DVD and VHS formats are the prevailing formats for the past decades. However, with the entry of faster bandwidths and improved connectivity, it is apparent that the Internet is the wave of the future in video technology. Developments of the Video in the Internet By mid-1990’s, service providers began introducing photos, audio, video and animations. It had broadened the scope of the Internet from just merely text-based transmissions. Real Audio ver. 1.0 developed by Progressive Networks in 1995 allowed Internet users to view real time images on the Internet without the need for downloading the file. This new technological breakthrough is known as streaming. Streaming allowed consumers to access audio files immediately with less download time. The user immediately received a transmission of the audio files as soon as it was released. In 1997, the same company introduced Real Video. This time, images were streamed and transmitted over the Internet. Microsoft was not far behind when they introduced Netshow 2.0 that used better bandwidths. It was later renamed Window Media Player 6.0 in 1999. The program allowed users to play both audio and video streaming formats. By 2000, the improved program can accommodate MP3 formats. In 2003, an improved version of Window Media Player 9.0 allowed users to queue, cross-fade and playback audio and video clips. A video smoothing technology was also included in the new version that allowed content encoding at lower speeds. This was ideal for slow Internet connections (Shaw, n.d.) In streaming, there are two types of server. One is a streaming server and the other is a regular web server. A streaming server sends data in packets and determines the speed of the user’s connection. The server buffers the data so the video could be viewed continuously even when the speed becomes intermittent. The stream server sends video files in three ways – unicast, multicast or reflected multicast (Streaming video on the Internet, 2000). On a regular web server, the video files are treated as regular file transfer. The files are also buffered to ensure continuous play. The video is played back not on the server’s but on the user’s computer storage. The diagram in figure 1 illustrates the process. Aside from streaming, Live Web broadcasting or live webcast is another way of transmitting video tracks onto the Internet. As a computer playbacks the video content in a computer, a streaming server accepts the broadcast. Anyone accessing the server at the time of broadcast would be able to view the video as it is being played (Streaming video on the Internet, 2000). Figure 1 – Process of video streaming (Streaming video on the Internet, 2000). . Streaming video is particularly useful as a learning tool used in many technology driven classrooms. Shepard (2003) differentiated streaming video from the traditional mediums of video like CD-ROM, DVD or VHS tapes. The publishers of CD-ROM or DVD inadvertently lose copyright control of their products once purchased while in streaming, the publisher can control copyright because video streams may not be stored on the viewer’s computer. Compared to VHS, streaming is more flexible and interactive (p.297). Streaming videos allow students to access demonstration or lecture at their own pace. Some of the important points of a lecture for example are hyperlinked to other sources that students can explore. Video streaming can also be used to facilitate examinations where teachers may post their questions and the students may send their answers. Video streaming presents an alternative form of learning transformation and allows teacher-student interaction. Another development in the video aspect in the Internet is the introduction of Internet television. Internet television allows viewers to access television programs on the Internet. However, the Internet offers more versatility and interactivity. The programs are watched on the user’s computer systems while according user’s more control over what they watch and obtain ancillary information over the Internet simultaneously (Noll, 2004, p.4). Presently, web TV received lukewarm responses from the users. Web TV allows users access to the internet through the use of the keyboard attached to a telephone line and a television set to provide display. The HDTV offers clearer transmission because it broadcasts programs in digital format. The scan lines are doubled compared to a conventional television and uses the UHF band width. Raynovich (2005) wrote that in the future, improvements in the Internet access and bandwidth would allow integration of the Internet and the video without mimicking existing cable television business models. The future of Internet television would ignore linear programming where the providers control the viewing choice and schedule. The Internet television should allow users to access programs anytime, anywhere and anyway the viewer would want it. Internet protocol television or IPTV is a current development in Internet television. Mike Volpi, senior vice president and general manager, Routing and Service Provider Technology Group, in an interview cited the new developments in Internet television. IPTV is not simply television delivered over the Internet. It uses the same language and technology of internet. The principle of IPTV follows the tradition of traditional television, cable or satellite but delivered with â€Å"a higher degree of personalization and searchability† (Cisco, 2006). On IPTV, the users are allowed to pick their favorite television programs and watch them on-demand. The IPTV’s interactivity differentiates it from traditional television and cable broadcasts. Video and audio conferencing have been in use for many years using a variety of mediums like the telephone, television and the Internet. When using video conferencing on the Internet through streaming. The first video conferencing was â€Å"Ericsson’s demonstration of the first trans-Atlantic LME video telephone calls† (Roberts, 2004). The network video protocol (NVP) was introduced in 1976 and packet video protocol (PVP) in 1981(Roberts, 2004). Video conferencing has also become one of the popular medium of communication but limited in scope. Not all telephone companies offered the service to their customers. The Virtual Room Videoconferencing System (VRVS) was developed at Caltech-CERN on July of 1997. The initial intention was to provide the communication tools for researchers and scientists involved in the Large Hadron Collider Project and scientists in the High Energy and Nuclear Physics Community in the U.S. and Europe. It has since been expanded to include other professions like geneticists, doctors, and a host of other scientists that requires such a facility (Roberts, 2004). In 2000, Microsoft introduced the software NetMeeting to support video conferencing using the computer. There are two ways to conduct video conferencing on the web – the point to point and multipoint services. Point to point or P2P can link two locations with live audio and video feeds while the multipoint system can provide a link to three or more locations. The P2P uses a protocol of H.323 to establish contact between two points. When connected, both parties can now exchange audio and video over the Internet. For the multipoint system, a multipoint control unit or MCU is necessary to make three or more connections on H.323 protocol (Hunter, n.d.). When Steve Russell developed the first computer game â€Å"Space War† in 1961, videogames became a byword for many homes in the United States. Entrepreneurs saw an opportunity in the videogames industry. Thus marked the beginnings of major leaders in videogames. Nolan Bushnell, the Atari founder was the first to convert video games into a lucrative venture. He developed games without the need for complicated computing requisites and sold them to the public. A modest 1500 units were sold through a pinball company. In 1972, Atari introduced Pong and generated revenues ten times more than the pinball machine. Bushnell later designed a simpler machine for home use. By 1976, the industry players had grown to twenty and their combined earnings grew from $200 million in 1978 to $1 billion in 1981. The biggest players at that time include National Semiconductor, Fairchild, General Instrument, Coleco, and Magnavox (Aoyama and Izushi, 2003, p.427). After several years of successful ventures, the market for video games crashed in 1983-1984. Aoyama and Izushi (2003) attributed the crash to oversupply and sub-standard designs of software (p.427). With the introduction of 3D and multimedia in the 1990’s, it had revolutionized gaming to include network gaming. By the late 1990’s, the MUD or multi-user domain protocol became a requisite in most videogames to allow multiple players for online gaming (Newman, 2004, p.115). The trend in online gaming is changing so rapidly that what is in vogue today may be obsolete in a few months. In online gaming, the players are allowed to pit against each other despite geographic and spatial distance. The Internet also allows online chat while players are competing against each other. The ubiquitous technology of the Internet had extended videogames from an individual’s living room into a global domain. Issues with Internet Video The main problems that usually hound providers are bandwidth and economics. In streaming technologies, most users have limited capacity modem speed. While the speed rate slowly improves, there are still gaps that need to be addressed. For example, streaming video files require a minimum of 2500 to 5000 compression ratio. A multimedia video consumes about 2.4M bits/second, 80 times more than the bandwidth capacity of a regular 28.8K modem connection (Currier, 1996). To have good transmission, the bandwidth must be slightly higher than the usual. The second issue is the time delay that video and audio content may experience on the Internet. Unpredictable load and traffic may disrupt transmission thereby producing corrupted images or audio. Disruption can cause the loss of data. The solution to the problem is to change the analogue lines into digital ones to increase bandwidth. A time delay of two seconds can render video conferencing useless. TCP/IP drop rate of 5% will inevitably translate to transmission loss. The level of acceptance for IPTV or Internet TV is still low. The proliferation of video and Internet television is also highly dependent on costs. Very few investors at the moment are willing to invest money into the medium. The medium also competes with traditional programming delivery of regular television broadcast and cable service. Conclusion The interface between the Internet and video is inexorable as customers demand better quality and easy access to the medium. The development of the video on the Internet is still in constant flux. The current video Internet protocol still needs more time to evolve. It is apparent that video on the Internet is the wave of the future and something to look forward to. References Aoyama, Y. and Izushi,H. (2003) Hardware gimmick or cultural innovation? Technological, cultural, and social foundations of the Japanese video game industry. Research Policy 32: 423-444. Cisco, 2006. Ciscos vision for the evolution of video communications and entertainment: Mike Volpi discusses the strategic importance of video in communications and media markets. Retrieved February 18, 2007 from: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2006/ts_121206.html Currier, B. (1996). Is the Internet ready for video? Retrieved February 18, 2007 from: http://www.synthetic-ap.com/qt/internetvideo.html Howe, W. (2005) An anecdotal history of the people and communities that brought about the Internet and the Web. Retrieved February 18, 2007 from: http://www.walthowe.com/navnet/history.html Hunter, J. (n.d.) Video Conferencing An Introduction. Retrieved February 18, 2007 from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Video-ConferencingAn-Introductionid=70930 Internet (n.d.) Retrieved February 18, 2007 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet Newman, J. (2004). Videogames, London: Routledge. Noll, M.A. (2004). Chapter 1:Internet Television: Definition and prospects in Internet Television. Darcy Gerbarg, Jo Groebel and Eli Noam – (eds). Mahwah, NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates:1-8. Raynovich, R.S. (2005). Video is the Internet. Retrieved February 19, 2007 from: http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=72472 Roberts,L.P. (2004). The history of video conferencing Moving ahead at the speed of video. Retrieved February 19, 2007 from: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-of-Video-ConferencingMoving-Ahead-at-the-Speed-of-Videoid=5369 Shaw, R. (n.d.). The evolution of rich media. Retrieved February 18, 2007 from: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/2618.asp. Shepard, K. (2003). Questioning, promoting and evaluating the use of streaming video to support student learning. British Journal of Educational Technology 34(3): 295–308. Streaming video on the Internet. (2000). Retrieved February 1997 from: http://www.dps.com/custserv/doclib.nsf/55f584d47a8fd27585256bf300554e9f/9cb11874854c451c85256aaf00681f80/$FILE/Streaming%20Video%20White%20Paper%20v1-0.pdf