An increasing number of Websites are offering video content, not only in the form of entertainment (Lost and Desperate Housewives), but also in the form of product demos, educational seminars, and other so-called "streaming media" service offerings.
For additional information about the report findings access a press release and a market research report summary available from Insight Research.
So, what is streaming media? Two definitions follow:
- media (Web content) that is consumed (read, heard, viewed) while it is being delivered (source: Wikipedia)
- the transmission of digital audio and video files over an IP network or wireless network in real time or on-demand, while prohibiting users from storing the files locally (source: Insight Research)
The most important factor driving the consumer segment is content-on-demand -- the desire by consumers to listen and watch what they want at the time and place of their choosing.
The practical implication for Web developers is that clients will increasingly seek to differentiate their Web-based offerings via streaming media content and designers and developers should become knowledgeable and proficient in educating clients on the available options.
To learn more about streaming media access University of Wisconsin's Understanding Streaming Media tutorial series. Then visit the Creation and Production section to learn more about the five most popular streaming media technologies.
To understand the specific HTML code you would use to add rich media content to a Website access Embedding Streaming Video in a Web Page available from Media College. In particular, check out the technique used to enable video to be displayed in both Internet Explorer and Firefox. Code is available in the following formats:
As the Web evolves so must a Web professional's skills. And rich media content development is a skill consistent with the recent increase in demand for Web Marketing skills.
