One week after RealNetworks Inc announced RealSystem G2, its next generation video and audio streaming technology (CI No 3,399), Microsoft Corp has launched its rival NetShow into public beta. Product manager Gary Schere confirms that while Microsoft and RealNetworks are working together on specs for a joint file format, the server products from each company are competing for the same market. RealNetworks goes further, saying its RealSystem G2 supports more media types and that Microsoft is just playing catch up. Netshow comes in three pieces: NetShow 3.0 for Windows NT Server, a Media Player and a NetShow Theatre Server. NetShow integrates with BackOffice to deliver multimedia at a range of speeds, and the new release boasts improved compression and intelligent streaming capability. Media Player is intended to be a universal client and handles various file formats, including RealAudio, RealVideo, QuickTime, MPEG, WAV, AVI and ASF. NetShow Theatre Server is a video server for broadcast-quality MPEG 1 and 2 video on high-speed networks. Applications include hotels providing video-on-demand or intensive training environments. All three are now available for free download from www.microsoft.com/ntserver/netshow. Final versions of the software are expected in the summer.
