Sun, Philips Push MPEG-4 Up Steep Hill

Kellym writes: "Sun Microsystems and Philips Digital Networks are putting their chips on MPEG-4 in the battle to determine the streaming media standard of the future. The companies have agreed to expand their year-long relationship to promote and develop MPEG-4 technology for broadband and wireless markets. The companies have partnered on marketing and have agreed to share technologies. In the most recent deal, Philips licensed Sun's StorEdge Media Central server technology. Philips said it will include the technology in a WebCine Server MPEG-4 system it is developing to run on Sun's Solaris Operating Environment and Sun Cobalt servers."

Comments

Re:MPEG-4 = DiVX?

[Anonymous Coward]

no. DivX:) uses a tiny subset of the MPEG4 specification (which is a patent minefield, BTW).

MPEG4 allows for things like lossy-compressed 3D scenegraphs, synchronisations of arbitrary real-time-stream data, and such.

Re:hmm

[DrSkwid]

I wonder where this leaves me. I still use morse code to communicate.

How am I going to watch full length moveis over morse code?

No-one shoudl invent anything until eveyone has upgraded from morse code (or below).

My friends inthe next valley are still on smoke signals. It's not fair that all of you with spiffy 1200/75 prestel should be able to get weather reports once an hour.

Seriously what are you actually trying to say?
"Hey! Wait for me" isn't go to get heard I'm afraid.

I would be very surprised if these guys were developing mpeg4 just so ppl could trade DVD rips!

But if you still feel left out, get a friend somewhere in the world with a cd burner and send him a five bucks to burn you a few cds!

Re:GOOD

[billcopc]

Actually, if Real could be talked into closing their doors, maybe I wouldn't need to reboot my box every time some idiot friend shows me an RM movie. Heck, I'd be happy if they just discontinued the RealPlayer and admitted that they're really just out to sell our souls for more cocaine and prostitutes.