RealNetworks Inc said yesterday that it has taken a stake in WebGlide Inc and will incorporate the firm’s 3D graphics streaming technology into the next version of its RealPlayer. Real says the integration work, code-named ‘Project Utopia’, will help internet retailers to build 3D video store fronts as well enabling better advertisements and other content to be streamed on the web.
New York-based WebGlide is using its existing graphics streaming player in the integration efforts with Real. WebGlide CEO, Pal Kerret, described the software as a computer generated video (CGV) player. In a video storefront application, Kerret said the player would stream both a 3D graphical environment and actual pictures of products. A point and click user interface enables potential customers to navigate their way through the ‘store’ and click on products for more details.
Rendering 3D images is generally an extremely processor-intensive task which is not suited for streaming over the restricted bandwidth of a standard internet connection. Kerret says that his company has improved streaming times by sharing the rendering tasks between the server sending the content and the PC viewing the image. Kerret said that a lot of compression was applied to the data as it was streamed, enabling 3D images to viewed on a connection as slow as 28.8kb per second. However, the technology is not suitable for viewing on all browsers yet, Kerret said that the company was working on a Macintosh compatible player. The next version of RealPlayer is expected to be released in the middle of next year. Terms of the WebGlide deal were not disclosed but the stake reportedly cost a little under $10m.
Separately, Real made a deal with Adero systems Inc, which will incorporate the G2 RealPlayer with its World Service distribution system. The World Service system promises customers that users in foreign countries will be able to speedily view web sites through servers that sit on the edge of internet networks in 40 locations in 28 countries worldwide.
