Thus, it can cover vast geographic areas and scale to millions of users. It can also dynamically distribute stream capacity at times of heavy traffic and quickly adjust to spikes in usage, thus addressing a difficult challenge to today's network operators. The new Real technology also makes a stab at bringing together all the disparate media types now available. It consolidates 45 media delivery infrastructures including Apple's QuickTime, Flash 4 and streaming MP3. Missing from the list, unfortunately, is Microsoft's Windows Media format.
Old rivalries die hard.
A large roster of companies immediately signed on to RealSystem iQ. They include America Online, Intel, Adobe Systems, Avid Technology, HewlettPackard, IBM, Inktomi, Lucent, Macromedia and Sun Microsystems. There are extensions for authentication, advertising and content protection. Of course, there's much work ahead before a truly global streaming media delivery system is established. This includes creation of a global billing system between network vendors, improved conditional access and broader deployment of broadband connections to the home. For skeptics that say it can't be done, remember this is an industry that didn't exist only 5 years ago.