Can Internet Video on Demand actually deliver?

Overview

A few years ago, the war for the next-generation audio CD format ended with an unexpected winner: digital downloads. When a similar format war later broke out on the home video market, many speculated that the new high-definition DVD formats (HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Disc) would meet a similar demise.

But now that Blu-Ray has emerged as the uncontested winner, the future of Internet-based Video on Demand appears uncertain.

Summary:

• Overview (this page)
• High expectations of quality
• The structural advantage of DVD/Blu-Ray over Internet Video on Demand
• Infrastructure constraints limit the appeal of Internet Video on Demand
• "Net Neutrality": ISP hostility to Internet Video on Demand
• Conclusion: The predictable failure of Internet Video on Demand

Next page: High expectations of quality

Articles in that section

• Can Internet Video on Demand actually deliver?
• The search for a High-Definition Video on Demand solution
• An elegant way to fight widespread copyright infringement on the Internet
• Summary: Snowball® OpenDelivery™: a novel approach to content-delivery networks

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