Which is best Media Server Streaming: H.264 or H.323?

[xentra]

Sorenson & DVC-1000 (H323:thumbd / Motorola OjO (H264 )

 

[diehardbiker]

How would anyone except Motorola know the difference? I am sure not many have OJO yet.

Sorenson & DVC-1000 (H323:thumbd / Motorola OjO (H264 )

 

[sequoias]

never mind...

 

[Boult]

Do you know what you are talking about?

H264 is compression technology, in other word, a codec... so in that case OjO use QCIF for video resolution and use SIP for conferencing protocol.
And OJO require service activation meaning a central server to send video and back. Almost similar to CUSeeMe which require a reflector server. and has monthly fee to use it. http://www.ojophone.com/products/shadow_specs.html for specs. For feature; http://www.ojophone.com/products/ojo_shadow.html The specs calls for 100 Base-T there are many of us stuck on 10 Base-T port.

Sorenson VP and DVC-1000 does not require servers or activation. you can call one directly without going thru a server.

H323 is a teleconferencing protocol not a codec. Sorenson VP and DVC-1000 use Sorenson video compression. as per this article;
http://www.connect-utah.com/article.asp?r=250

Sorenson Media has a wide range of software products that enable video professionals to optimize, compress and stream video to Internet users. The Sorenson EnVision SL software package allows video conferencing using a video camera connected to a PC.

Step tw Developing the hardware

Sorenson Media has developed three hardware chips. Most recently the SVX chip has been incorporated in Sorenson's VP-100 video conferencing unit. The VP-100 is a self-contained (no PC needed), inexpensive video conferencing product with a built-in camera. Only a television and a broadband Internet connection are required to use the product. D-link recently partnered with Sorenson on the VP-100 and is marketing it as the i2eye Broadband Videophone for under $300.

So it does not need H264 which is software based. The reason for quality as being not top notch is due to network latency. Period. I suggest shut down computer for a while, while using VP to assure that you are not downloading or letting the computer use some bandwidth in the background.

As per Sorenson Tech website, it says it use H.263 for codec and use H323 or SIP for conferencing protocol; http://www.sorensontech.com/solutions/videophone_more_info.php

Sorenson VP-100 Videophone Reference Design Key Features
Hardware reference design
Complete system software
Up to 30 fps H.263 video performance
H.323 or SIP compliant
Ethernet
G.723.1 and G.711 audio support
Full duplex acoustic echo cancellation
Supports CMOS or NTSC/PAL video input and NTSC or PAL video output
Complete on-screen user interface (customizable by OEM partner)
Support for IR remote control and telephone interface for one-touch dialing
Supports video display on any standard television

Or see this VP-100 Manual in PDF (latest version) and it is in Appendix E:
http://www.sorensonvrs.com/media/VP-100_User_Manual_New.pdf

see this link for comparison among different type of codec;
http://mac.sillydog.org/qt/compare.php

I use iChat 3 in Tiger which is H.264 that you can call HOVRS to do VRS calls. but point to point calls I use VP100.

I came across this blog which list the spec that says H.263 for VP-200 which is very interesting but I am sure it won't be software based but hardware like VP-100 had a SVX chip.
http://www.dfulmer.com/daveynin/archives/000969.php

This time it will be Linux OS not Windows like it was in VP-100 which seems to be the case (like WebTV you know?)

The spec shown in the blog says H.261 or H.263 I think it is for backward compatibility with other videophone users beside VP-100 or VP-200 and DVC-1000.

Finally as for H.263 so how does it compare with H.263;
from: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/technologies/h264/faq.html

How does H.264 compare with H.263?
H.263, created by the ITU, is primarily known as a video codec designed for low-latency video conferencing applications. H.264 has been adopted by the ITU as the successor to H.263 for these same low-latency video conferencing scenarios. H.264 provides much higher quality than H.263 across the entire bandwidth spectrum, thanks to advancements in technology since the introduction of H.263 more than a decade ago. H.264 is already being adopted in video conferencing solutions such as Apple’s iChat AV in Tiger and products from Tandberg and Polycom, the two main suppliers of professional video conferencing systems.

(see the underlined... "low-latency")

Chance are that Sorenson might include H.264 as final codec since the spec shown from the blog may not be final so who knows.

I guess that's all I can type for now.. will find out more later on.