Internet Streaming Media Alliance Surpasses Goals Set in 2001
Industry Leaders Gather At Annual Forum to Discuss Strategic Direction in 2002
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 24, 2002--The Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) today announced significant support of industry-leading companies including Sony, Hitachi Data Systems, Telecom Italia Lab and SRI, to round out a highly successful first year. Since the organization debuted at Streaming Media West in December 2000, the release of ISMA 1.0 Specification further enabled the ISMA to accelerate the adoption of open standards for streaming rich media content over Internet Protocols. Working jointly to step-up innovation and quickly bring products to market has allowed this non-profit alliance to push forward its goal of making interoperable complete systems for streaming media over IP networks.
The ISMA reached several milestones in its first year, including:
The addition of more than 30 member companies within the last six months, including AOL Time Warner, Dolby Laboratories, Entriq, Envivio, Hitachi Data Systems, Fraunhofer Institute, iVast, Network Appliance, SRI, Sony, Telecom Italia Lab, Thomson Multimedia, all with the goal of developing, promoting, evolving and incorporating ISMA-released specifications;
The formation of active task forces focused on Digital Rights Management, membership and interoperability and testing;
On-going interoperability ``plug-fest'' events, providing environments for solution testing; and
The release of ISMA 1.0 Specification -- designed to accelerated media streaming over the Internet -- requested by nearly 300 companies in just two months.
``Joining ISMA was an easy decision for Network Appliance given both service providers and enterprises are realizing the cost- and time-saving benefits of streaming media. Although streaming has made significant progress in recent years, its full benefits have yet to be realized,'' said Amit Pandey, senior director of marketing for the content delivery business unit of Network Appliance. ``By joining the ISMA, we are committed to developing and driving interoperability and open standards that will further promote streaming media as a viable, cost-effective technology for applications ranging from entertainment to marketing to corporate communications.''
The ISMA in 2002
The completion of a successful launch and closing of a number of goals within the first year allow the ISMA to capitalize on its efforts to date. In response to the overwhelming request of membership companies and content providers to provide an interoperable and uniform environment for Digital Rights Management, the ISMA has formed a focus group to engage on and work out the best solution for streaming media's stakeholders (content companies, consumers and technology suppliers). Digital Rights Management is an important area for the ISMA since it is a significant issue slowing the rapid adoption of streaming rich media. Other areas that the ISMA will address are dynamic scalability, quality of service, higher bandwidth/higher quality technologies, and other relevant technologies.
The ISMA will host its annual meeting on February 5, 2002 in New York. Press and analysts are invited to attend the annual meeting and participate in a number of interactive sessions, including a keynote with Yankee Group analyst, Ryan Jones regarding the acceptance of MPEG-4 by the consumer market. If you are interested in attending the annual meeting you must RSVP prior to the event, as registration will not be available on-site. Press and analysts can RSVP by contacting Rosalyn Martin at 650/949-6780 or by sending a detailed email to pressrsvp@isma.tv.
About Internet Streaming Media Alliance
The Internet Streaming Media Alliance is a non-profit corporation founded by Apple (AAPL), Cisco Systems (CSCO), IBM (IBM), Kasenna, Inc., Philips (PHG) and Sun Microsystems (SUNW) to accelerate the market adoption of an international ubiquitous open implementation specification for streaming rich media over the Internet Protocol (IP) that encompasses scalability, ease of use and effectiveness. The ISMA is a diverse alliance with representatives from all points of the streaming workflow. In addition to the founders, the following companies are members of the ISMA: AOL Time Warner Inc., Analog Devices, Bitband, Dolby Laboratories, Entriq, Envivio, Fraunhofer Institute, Hitachi, Inktomi, iVast, Lucent Technologies, Macrovision, National Semiconductor, NeoMagic, Network Appliance, ObjectVideo (formerly DiamondBack Vision), Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., Optibase, PacketVideo, Serome Technology, Sigma Designs, SGI, Sony, SRI International, Streaming21, Telecom Italia Lab and Thomson Multimedia. Additional information and a complete list of members can be accessed at www.isma.tv.
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