TMCnews Featured Article

Those who were searching in the past for a way to put events up on the Internet for their community of users to see from any place in the world got their wish with the advent of live streaming coverage. With live streaming coverage, events ranging from sporting events to conference proceedings to emergency events can be placed online within moments.

Streaming media refer to multimedia that are constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider. Live streaming, in particular, refers to taking the media and broadcasting live over the Internet. In order to accomplish live streaming coverage, there must be a camera for the media, an encoder to digitize the content, a media publisher where streams are made available to potential end-users and a content delivery network to distribute and deliver the content, according to industry experts.  

Live streaming first became a possible reality during the late 1990s and 2000s when Internet users saw the rise in greater network bandwidth, increased access to networks (especially the Internet), use of standard protocols and formats such as HTML, HTTP and TCP/IP, and commercialization of the Internet.

Recently, with the acceleration of 3G and 4G networks, greater geographic coverage and better cameras and laptops, live streaming coverage has become better than ever before. Moreover, as consumer demand for high definition content has crept up, the industry has developed a number of new technologies such as Wireless HD.

Most recently, the live streaming coverage area has seen big empires like YouTube (News - Alert) implement a new Live Streaming service for users, because of the increasing consumer demand for live streaming. In addition, the triple play service Comcast (News - Alert) announced earlier this year its new iPad and Android (News - Alert) tablet service that brings live, on demand recorded streaming video to tablet computers. Along those lines, other TV companies like DIRECTV hopped aboard the band wagon to offer On Demand streaming, which is provided by a means called progressive streaming or progressive download.

This fall, the industry will be highlighted during Streaming Media West, taking place Nov. 8-9 in Los Angeles, Calif. The event will cover the latest with regards to the business of audio and video on the Internet.

Check back here for the latest news on live streaming coverage.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.