White Paper
J300
13
July 2005
Streaming
Streaming media is a method of making audio,
video clips and other multimedia available in real-
time.
The term streaming refers to the technique it is
based on. Previously an entire file had to be down-
loaded before it could be played, whereas the use
of streaming means the end user can almost imme-
diately begin to watch or listen to the content of a
requested file. The data in the file is broken down
into small packets that are sent in a continuous
flow, a stream, to the end user. It is then possible to
begin viewing the file while the rest of the packets
are transferred.
Applications
The applications which can be built on top of the
streaming services can be classified into on
demand, and live information delivery applications.
Examples of the first category are music and video
clips, news on demand as well as on demand
instruction material. Live delivery of radio and tele-
vision are examples of live information delivery.
Examples of usage
Streaming of music (on demand)
Browse to a Web page to check out the latest top
ten list of pop music, to see if there are any new
cool songs. Select a few songs, stream the music
to the phone and listen to the songs through a
headset or via the built-in loudspeaker.
Streaming of news (on demand)
Browse to a morning paper’s Web page and decide
to check the news. Select the five-minute version
of the latest financial news, stream the news to the
phone, and watch it on the bus on the way to work.
Streaming/download of music video (on
demand)
Browse to a Web page and decide to check out the
latest rock videos. Select a video to watch, click
the link and then stream a one-minute version of
the video. Because the phone supports Packet Vid-
eos FastTrack solution, the user can play the video
while downloading it. Download and pay for the
complete video. A memory check is automatically
performed to make sure that the phone has enough
free memory.
Streaming of live radio (broadcast)
Check out and listen to a favourite radio station.
Browses to the home page and starts to stream the
content. The content is audio or audio with pictures
of the artist.
Streaming of live traffic information
(broadcast)
Find out if there is a traffic jam on the highway
before heading home. Browse a page for local traf-
fic information. If there is a traffic jam, take an alter-
native route home.
Market and revenue possibilities
As streaming means “seeing the product without
having it”, it can be extensively used in the music
and film industry. There are also great revenue pos-
sibilities for subscription-based content; for exam-
ple, the user can subscribe to several on demand
services such as news and traffic information.