Each year, new products emerge in the technology market and are set to change the industry forever; this year all the hype seems to be around the influx of IP media servers and the change they will bring to the business and online entertainment world. An IP media server refers to a common shared IP media-processing platform that is used for a broad range of IP audio, video, and fax and speech applications in next generation VoIP or IMS service networks. 

This includes everything from playing a ringback tone or media clip, to collecting digits from a telephone or mobile device, and streaming and mixing multiple audio and video streams into one conference. 

One of the most expected uses of IP media in the U.S. during 2012 will be a larger push for web-based streaming videos to be watched from home on Wi-Fi enabled TV’s. With more technology companies looking to invest and create products with this feature it is expected that almost 50 percent of U.S. households will watch Internet video on full-sized TV screens directly from IP video capable devices like video game consoles, Blu-ray players and net media players.

Verizon (News - Alert) is already in preliminary launch stages of a home IP media service that will stream HD TV not only to televisions, but also to tablets and gaming systems as well, possibly drastically changing the way Americans watch TV and stream media in their homes.

Television is not the only industry IP media has began to flirt with. Tuesday, PlayStation 3 announced it had fixed a glitch in its Battlefield 3 game server, allowing game players to communicate using IP-media’s voice communication software, VoIP.

An initial step in the platform’s IP media development, instead of static-filled headset communications where players can barely hear each other, they will now have the ability to communicate clearly because the VoIP function will allow the signal to convert and adapt to the network’s settings, sending through a crisp, clear communication to whomever users are playing with.

As IP media servers will be transforming the TV and gaming industries over the next 11 months, the one industry it is already a staple in is the mobile industry. Mobile VoIP growth tripled in 2011, as a greater number of service providers are producing smart phones with Internet connections and capabilities that allow multiple network uses, users are fast becoming accustomed to HD Voice and the multitude of online services offered by integrating IP media.

Overall, IP media services are offering a cheaper way to communicate in a more efficient manner. As this year continues, be sure to keep an eye out for an influx of IP media servers in your favorite entertainment or communication system. From video games, online movies or television, to a change in in-office communication systems, 2012 is the year of IP Media and the sky is the limit for where it will take us next.