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Despite glitchy images and a lack of standardization, a spate of IC vendors, including STMicroelectronics Inc., 3DSP Corp., and Vweb Corp., last week announced MPEG-4 chips for video-streaming applications in set-top boxes, PDAs, and other consumer devices.
While analysts generally agree that TV-like video quality over an IP-based network won't happen any time soon, recent advances in MPEG- 4 capabilities as well as faster processors and added features in the Windows XP operating system offer significant improvements. And widespread travel cutbacks due to the current economic and political climate have also given streaming for video...