Macromedia's acquisition by Adobe should be all the buzz, but panels will focus on the development and deployment of streams.Conference organizers and analysts expect next week's Streaming Media East conference in New York to delve into both the latest industry issues and the step-by-step education needs of its attendees.
"The biggest things lacking are educational resources for those trying to implement streaming media," said Dan Rayburn, executive vice president of Streaming Media Inc., in Westchester, N.Y., and the conference chairman. "There's nothing out there that provides the fundamental building blocks for how companies can use it, how to choose a vendor and what the best format, technology and solutions are for your organization. We're always striving to educate."
With that in mind, Rayburn set aside half of the 100 speaking slots for users of streaming technologies. This is also the first year stand-alone case studies and how-to sessions were scheduled for the show, which will be held May 17-18 at the New York Hilton Hotel.
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"We'll be hearing from real people who are actually implementing these technologies," said Rayburn. Those sessions include presentations from Citigroup, the U.S. State Department, USA Today, Lockheed Martin and numerous others on how they've implemented streaming solutions into their respective organizations.
"A show like Streaming Media often concentrates on the technology issues—ways of distributing, new codecs and advancements," said Todd Chanko, a television analyst with Jupiter Research in New York, who will attend the show. "Improvements and standards are important, but the real question is whether those improvements signify a major shift between the consumer and producer of content."
While Chanko doesn't believe such a shift is imminent, he said streaming video in particular does help to extend company and entertainment brands to new media. Panel sessions will touch on this subject and the conference will also address growing concerns over wireless distribution, security, Internet radio and DRM (digital rights management).
"Digital content protection will be key," said Antonette Goroch, a senior analyst for Digital Tech Consulting in San Francisco. "This is the all-important piece of the puzzle, which changes any kind of digital content delivery from being theoretically cool, to being an actual business." Goroch will participate in a panel discussion at the show May 17 on this issue.
"I'm particularly interested to see how Adobe's acquisition of Macromedia is received at the conference," said Counse Broders, a principal analyst for Internet/Managed Services with Current Analysis, in Sterling, Va. "So far, it's been pretty much quiet acceptance, but we'll see how it plays out as many companies have tapped Flash video as a potential standard."
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Though not on the agenda, Adobe Systems Inc.'s pending acquisition of Macromedia Inc. is sure to be a regular topic of conversation. Neither Adobe nor Macromedia is expected to participate in the show.
Broders, who will sit on a panel on video-over-IP on May 17, also expects wireless streaming audio and video to garner attention.
"Mobile users are driving services featuring synchronized audio and video, and rich media applications like video messaging appeals to the audiences' need to communicate personal information," said Broders. That specific topic will be addressed during a panel discussion May 18 titled "Wireless and Portable Media Anytime, Anywhere," and includes the chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
In its third year as a separate show from Penton Media Inc.'s InternetWorld event, Streaming Media is likely to attract between 3,000 and 4,000 attendees, up from about 2,500 last year, and nearly 50 exhibitors, according to Rayburn.
"Penton didn't understand the space. It was the wrong audience; the wrong crowd," Rayburn said. "We've changed the focus and direction to bring the streaming community back into it."
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Current Analysis' Broders said last year's show drew most of the major content delivery players, and this year's show will likely expand as more and more content and technology providers recognize the streaming media space as a strong market.
"This show focuses on the technologies, as well as those wishing to provide the content, and represents one of the best opportunities to talk to the major and new players in one setting," Broders said.
Jupiter's Chanko, meanwhile, had slightly lower expectations: "If we can walk away with a paragraph of new information we didn't have before, I'll consider it a successful show."
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