WebRTC is making communications over the Internet easier, faster and more innovative. What was once limited to a call center can now be utilized across multiple platforms, including browsers and mobile devices. But, not all WebRTC solutions can be deployed on every mobile browser or device, and there’s still a long way to go in terms of integrating them with features like archiving and frame rate control – unless, of course, they’re using TokBox.
TokBox is a Telefonica Digital company and provider of the OpenTok WebRTC platform, which received the Best in Show award last week at the WebRTC Conference & Expo. The platform allows developers and enterprises to add live video using WebRTC into a browser or mobile app. I caught up with Scott Lomond, VP of Marketing at TokBox, to discuss the company’s platform, WebRTC growth and how TokBox “future-proofs” developers.
TokBox’s roadmap is all based on customer demand, Lomond explained, and customers don’t want to work with a platform that has one flavor (i.e. only mobile). So, TokBox enables developers to build solutions that can be deployed on the Web or any Android or iOS mobile device.
WebRTC solves many challenges that Flash still brings, such as video quality. It’s still getting up to speed in terms of features, but the difference in quality between WebRTC and Flash is huge, Lomond said.
A hot topic of discussion at the event last week and in the industry right now is video codecs, and, specifically, the IETF’s decision on selecting H.264 or VP8 as a video standard. Lomond explains that the debate around codecs is preventing some companies from fully embracing WebRTC and implementing it into solutions, causing a domino effect for the rest of the industry.
Despite this hiccup, Lomond says the momentum for WebRTC growth will slowly increase (emphasis on “slowly” in traditional communications environments, which are not just going to replace IMS with WebRTC immediately). However, WebRTC opens the door for a whole set of new use cases, including in advertising, retail, education, healthcare, e-commerce, consumer products, automobiles, sports and entertainment companies.
“What we’re seeing WebRTC do is allow people to put real-time communications into other contexts,” he said.
Last week TokBox announced archiving and playback features, the Android SDK for WebRTC, TURN over TCP and dynamic frame rate control capabilities. The company’s CEO Ian Small presented a keynote that covered these announcements, focusing on three main component of WebRTC: mobile, groups and archiving.
"The support and recognition of the industry has made us all the more determined in our mission to provide developers with the best tools for creating innovative websites and mobile applications incorporating live video. The WebRTC community is coming into an exciting age, and we are very proud to be a part of its vision and growth,” Small said in a statement.
Visit tokbox.com to learn more.
Edited by
Blaise McNamee
