This Frost & Sullivan research service titled Advances in Video Encoding Formats provides an overview of the various video encoding formats and industry standards, and the impact on streaming, broadcast and mobile video applications. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following technologies: H.264 / AVC, VC-1 technologies and digital video broadcast applications.

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Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:

• Internet Streaming
• Internet Downloads
• Broadcast Television
• Mobile Video

The following technologies are covered in this research:

• Flash Video
• Real Video
• QuickTime
• AVI, DivX
• MPEG, VC-1
• 3GPP, 3GPP2

Increased Efficacy of computing power and superior compression create positive outlook for Video Encoding Technologies

Since the nineties, video encoding technologies and standards have made vast strides with marked improvement in video compression every year. Providing the highest video quality at the lowest possible bit-rates, enabling Internet video streaming and mobile video seems to be the biggest driving factor. Standards organizations such as the MPEG, ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group and SMPTE have come up with sophisticated video encoding technologies that can achieve better compression than their predecessors, while maintaining very good video quality.

"The surge in computing power coupled with falling processor prices have also contributed to improvements in encoding algorithms," says the analyst of this research. "This enables computationally intensive operations such as motion compensation and arithmetic coding to run more efficiently and in shorter time."

Increasing Demands at Faster Pace Drives Video Encoding Technologies

The growing demands for superior performances, the race to meet changing and new needs of end users, is changing the face of video encoding technologies. These complex demands are driving growth and propelling advancements in the video encoding technologies. One such requirement is the changing face of the conventional meeting room scenario. Videoconferencing is much in demand as businesses expand and go global as it reduces valuable decision – making time. As advertising goes electronic, advertisers are pushing for a more interactive experience with the users on their set-top boxes, mobile handsets, or personal computers.

"The affinity toward Internet protocol (IP) type infrastructure is making communications easier through developments in IP multimedia subsystems (IMS) promoting convergence," further elaborates the analyst. "Even traditional broadcast systems are moving toward IP based systems."