Interview: Bistri on WebRTC for Video Chat Services | 2013 | Blog

<!doctype html> <html dir="ltr" lang="en" class="no-js"> <head> <title>Interview: Bistri on WebRTC for Video Chat Services | 2013 | Blog | W3C</title> <meta charset="utf-8"/> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link rel="home" href="https://www.w3.org/"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://www.w3.org/assets/logos/w3c/favicon-32.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" type="image/png" href="https://www.w3.org/assets/logos/w3c/favicon-180.png"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/styles/core.css?ver=1.4" media="screen"/>  <link rel="stylesheet" id="advanced-stylesheet" href="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/styles/advanced.css?ver=1.4" media=" only print, only all and (pointer: fine), only all and (pointer: coarse), only all and (pointer: none), only all and (min--moz-device-pixel-ratio:0) and (display-mode:browser), (min--moz-device-pixel-ratio:0) and (display-mode:fullscreen) "> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/styles/print.css" media="print"/> <script src="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/js/libraries/fontfaceobserver.js"></script> <script> var myFont = new FontFaceObserver('Noto Sans'); Promise.all([myFont.load()]).then(function () { document.documentElement.className += " fonts-loaded"; }); (function () { var linkEl = document.getElementById('advanced-stylesheet'); if (window.matchMedia && window.matchMedia(linkEl.media).matches) { var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/js/main.js?ver=1.4'; script.defer = true; document.querySelector('head').appendChild(script); (function (H) { H.className = H.className.replace(/\bno-js\b/, 'js') })(document.documentElement); } })(); </script> <meta name="description" content="I recently spoke with Arnaud Budkiewicz (AB) of Bistri about their use of HTML5 and WebRTC to build a Web-based video chat service. IJ: How did you get started on this project? AB: Two years ago I decided to..."/> <meta name="thumbnail" content="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/images/w3c-opengraph-image.png"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.w3.org/blog/2013/interview-bistri-on-webrtc-for/"/> <meta property="og:type" content="website"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Interview: Bistri on WebRTC for Video Chat Services"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/images/w3c-opengraph-image.png"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="630"/> <meta property="og:description" content="I recently spoke with Arnaud Budkiewicz (AB) of Bistri about their use of HTML5 and WebRTC to build a Web-based video chat service. IJ: How did you get started on this project? AB: Two years ago I decided to..."/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="W3C"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/> <meta name="twitter:site" content="w3c"/> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://www.w3.org/blog/2013/interview-bistri-on-webrtc-for/"/> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Interview: Bistri on WebRTC for Video Chat Services"/> <meta name="twitter:description" content="I recently spoke with Arnaud Budkiewicz (AB) of Bistri about their use of HTML5 and WebRTC to build a Web-based video chat service. IJ: How did you get started on this project? AB: Two years ago I decided to..."/> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/images/w3c-opengraph-image.png"/> <link href="/blog/feed/" title="W3C - Blog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link href="/ecosystems/network-communications/feed/" title="W3C - Network & Communications Ecosystem" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" /> </head> <body class="post"> <a class="skip-link" href="#main">Skip to content</a> <div class="grid-wrap"> <div class="wrap"> <header class="global-header"> <span role="status" aria-live="polite"></span> <nav id="lang-nav" aria-label="Language options"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="l-cluster"> <ul class="clean-list" role="list"> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/ja/" hreflang="ja" lang="ja">日本語ホームページ<span class="visuallyhidden" lang="en">Japanese website</span></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/zh-hans/" hreflang="zh-hans" lang="zh-hans">简体中文首页<span class="visuallyhidden" lang="en">Chinese website</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> <nav id="global-nav" aria-label="Main"> <div class="global-nav__inner l-center"> <a class="logo-link" href="https://www.w3.org/" hreflang="en"> <span class="logo"> <img src="https://www.w3.org/assets/logos/w3c/w3c-no-bars.svg" alt="W3C" role="img"/> </span> <span class="visuallyhidden">Visit the W3C homepage</span> </a> <button type="button" class="button button--ghost with-icon--after with-icon--larger" data-trigger="mobile-nav" style="display: none;"></button> <ul data-component="nav-double-intro"> <li class="top-nav-item has-children"> <a href="https://www.w3.org/standards/" class="nav-link">Standards</a> <div class="nav__submenu" data-nav="submenu" style="display: none;"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="nav__submenu__intro"> <h2 class="nav__submenu__intro__heading">Standards</h2> <div class="nav__submenu__intro__text"> <p>Understand the various specifications, their maturity levels on the web standards track, and their adoption.</p> <a href="https://www.w3.org/standards/">Explore web standards</a> </div> </div> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/standards/about/">About W3C web standards</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/">W3C standards & drafts</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/standards/types/">Types of documents W3C publishes</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/translations/">Translations of W3C standards & drafts</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/standards/review/">Reviews & public feedback</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/liaisons/">Liaisons</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/get-involved/promote/">Promote web standards</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </li> <li class="top-nav-item has-children"> <a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/" class="nav-link">Groups</a> <div class="nav__submenu" data-nav="submenu" style="display: none;"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="nav__submenu__intro"> <h2 class="nav__submenu__intro__heading">Groups</h2> <div class="nav__submenu__intro__text"> <p>A variety of groups develop Web Standards, guidelines, or supporting materials.</p> <a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/">About W3C groups</a> </div> </div> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/">Working Groups</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/ig/">Interest Groups</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/cg/">Community Groups</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/bg/">Business Groups</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/other/tag/">Technical Architecture Group</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/invited-experts/">Invited Experts</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/guide/">Participant guidebook</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/about/positive-work-environment/">Positive work environment</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </li> <li class="top-nav-item has-children"> <a href="https://www.w3.org/get-involved/" class="nav-link">Get involved</a> <div class="nav__submenu" data-nav="submenu" style="display: none;"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="nav__submenu__intro"> <h2 class="nav__submenu__intro__heading">Get involved</h2> <div class="nav__submenu__intro__text"> <p>W3C works at the nexus of core technology, industry needs, and societal needs.</p> <a href="https://www.w3.org/get-involved/">Find ways to get involved</a> </div> </div> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/ecosystems/">Browse our work by industry</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/membership/">Become a Member</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/Member/">Member Home (restricted)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/email/">Mailing lists</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/donate/">Make a donation</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/sponsor/">Sponsor an event</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </li> <li class="top-nav-item has-children"> <a href="https://www.w3.org/resources/" class="nav-link">Resources</a> <div class="nav__submenu" data-nav="submenu" style="display: none;"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="nav__submenu__intro"> <h2 class="nav__submenu__intro__heading">Resources</h2> <div class="nav__submenu__intro__text"> <p>Master Web fundamentals, use our developer tools, or contribute code.</p> <a href="https://www.w3.org/resources/">Learn from W3C resources</a> </div> </div> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/developers/">Developers</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/developers/tools/">Validators & tools</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/">Accessibility fundamentals</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/International/i18n-drafts/nav/about">Internationalization</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/translations/">Translations of W3C standards and drafts</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/code-of-conduct/">Code of conduct</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/reports/">Reports</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </li> <li class="top-nav-item has-children"> <a href="https://www.w3.org/news-events/" class="nav-link">News & events</a> <div class="nav__submenu" data-nav="submenu" style="display: none;"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="nav__submenu__intro"> <h2 class="nav__submenu__intro__heading">News & events</h2> <div class="nav__submenu__intro__text"> <p>Recent content across news, blogs, press releases, media; upcoming events.</p> <a href="https://www.w3.org/news-events/">Follow news & events</a> </div> </div> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/news/">News</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/blog/">Blog</a></li> <li class="break-after"><a href="https://www.w3.org/press-releases/">Press releases</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/about/press-media/">Press & media</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/events/">Events</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/news-events/w3c-tpac/">Annual W3C Conference (TPAC)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/code-of-conduct/">Code of conduct</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </li> <li class="top-nav-item has-children"> <a href="https://www.w3.org/about/" class="nav-link">About</a> <div class="nav__submenu" data-nav="submenu" style="display: none;"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="nav__submenu__intro"> <h2 class="nav__submenu__intro__heading">About</h2> <div class="nav__submenu__intro__text"> <p>Understand our values and principles, learn our history, look into our policies, meet our people.</p> <a href="https://www.w3.org/about/">Find out more about us</a> </div> </div> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/mission/">Our mission</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/about/leadership/">Leadership</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/staff/">Staff</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/evangelists/">Evangelists</a></li> <li class="break-after"><a href="https://www.w3.org/careers/">Careers</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/about/diversity/">Diversity</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/about/corporation/">Corporation</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/sponsor/">Sponsoring W3C</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/about/press-media/">Media kit</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/contact/">Contact</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/">Policies & legal information</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/help/">Help</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </li> <li class="top-nav-item"> <a hreflang="en" href="https://www.w3.org/help/search/" class="nav-link icon-link"> <img class="icon" src="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/svg/search.svg" width="24" height="24" alt aria-hidden="true"><span class="hide-at-max-width">Search</span> </a> </li> <li class="top-nav-item"> <a hreflang="en" href="https://www.w3.org/users/myprofile/" id="account-login-link" class="account-login icon-link with-icon--after"> My account <span class="avatar avatar--small icon"><img src="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/svg/avatar.svg" width="24" height="24" alt aria-hidden="true"/></span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </nav> </header> <nav id="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="l-cluster"> <ol class="breadcrumbs clean-list" role="list"> <li><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/blog/">Blog</a></li> <li><a href="/blog/2013/">2013</a></li> <li><a href="/blog/2013/interview-bistri-on-webrtc-for/" aria-current="page">Interview: Bistri on WebRTC for Video Chat Services</a></li> </ol> </div> </div> </nav> <main id="main" > <div class="content"> <article> <h1>Interview: Bistri on WebRTC for Video Chat Services</h1> <section class="meta"> <h2 class="visuallyhidden">Author(s) and publish date</h2> <dl> <dt>By: </dt> <dd class="l-cluster"> <ul class="clean-list" role="presentation"> <li> <span class="with-icon--before with-icon--larger"> <span class="avatar avatar--small icon"> <img alt="" src="https://www.w3.org/avatars/eb867919c93542834995e6bceca890ae/?s=48" loading="lazy"> </span> Ian Jacobs </span> </li> </ul> </dd> <dt>Published: </dt> <dd> <time datetime="2013-02-05T17:22:26+00:00" title="5 February 2013 at 17:22:26"> 5 February 2013 </time> </dd> </dl> </section> <div class="component component--text"> <p><a href="https://bistri.com/"><img style="border: thin black solid" src="https://www.w3.org/2013/01/budkiewicz.jpg" alt="Arnaud Budkiewicz" /></a></p> <p>I recently spoke with Arnaud Budkiewicz (AB) of Bistri about their use of HTML5 and WebRTC to build a Web-based video chat service.</p> <p> <b>IJ</b>: How did you get started on this project? </p> <p> <b>AB</b>: Two years ago I decided to create a web-based, peer-to-peer video call system based on the standards-track document that was just an early draft at the time. We raised funds and started following the WebRTC Working Group. To help us start building the product while the different editors were working on the implementation of WebRTC, we worked with Flash, using their protocols. Our first focus was on simplicity and interoperability, while we built our technology-agnostic platform. </p> <p> <b>IJ</b>: Now you've moved to HTML5? </p> <p> <b>AB</b>: Yes, the Bistri Web application is fully built with HTML5; we only use Flash as a fallback now. As Chrome support for WebRTC has increased, we have seen WebRTC take over the Flash calls. </p> <p> <b>IJ</b>: What other technologies are you using? </p> <p> <b>AB</b>: The tool includes text chat, video effects and screen capture as well. So we use XMPP (chat, signaling), HTML5 video, WebRTC, CSS, JavaScript, WebGL (for video effects), Canvas (for screen capture). We plan to use Rich Communication Services (RCS), which is promoted by telcos in Europe in particular. </p> <p> <b>IJ</b>: What have been the main advantages for you in moving to HTML5? </p> <p> <b>AB</b>: Of course, WebRTC was a bit part of why we moved to HTML5. But there are other great HTML5 features such as video and canvas. </p> <p> <b>IJ</b>: If I understand, you have a basic video call service for free. So what is the business model? </p> <p> <b>AB</b>: The one-to-one capability is free. We also enable people to connect through existing social networks. With a premium account, people will organize teleconferences. Our plans will include enabling more customization and offer persistent file sharing. Right now we're the only B2C provider for video chat using WebRTC. </p> <p> <b>IJ</b>: Why do you think that is? </p> <p> <b>AB</b>: The initial reason was "that's our crazy ambition." Beyond that, you need a lot of users to sign up and building a strong user base with an open product is challenging. But I think the timing is right for this, and I expect other companies to follow with similar offerings. </p> <p> <b>IJ</b>: How long do you think it will take for WebRTC to work interoperably across platforms, including mobile? </p> <p> <b>AB</b>: I think in 18 months WebRTC will be well-established on laptops and desktops. Mobile is another story due to issues such as memory limitations, chip issues, and battery consumption. As WebRTC matures, we do plan to offer mobile services. </p> <p> <b>IJ</b>: What about performance? </p> <p> <b>AB</b>: The network layer raises its own set of issues. Performance on a wifi network is ok, but with 3G and other purely mobile technologies it's more complex. Those networks were not designed with the Internet Protocol (IP) in mind. Telcos need to work on ensuring IP is well-managed on those networks. Ultimately we want a seamless user experience as people move around between wifi and 3G networks. </p> <p> <b>IJ</b>: You recently joined W3C. What do you observe so far? </p> <p> <b>AB</b>: We attended TPAC 2012 in Lyon, which was great. As a startup, we have appreciated connecting with people from global organizations. We're also participating in Working Groups. What we need is more practical guidance on participation. </p> <p><b>IJ</b>: Whoops! I'm supposed to be working on that project....Thanks Arnaud!</p> </div> </article> <div class="related"> <nav class="related__inner" aria-labelledby="related-label"> <h2 id="related-label" class="txt-jupiter">Related to this post</h2> <div> <h3>Ecosystems</h3> <ul class="clean-list" role="list"> <li><a href="/ecosystems/network-communications/">Network & Communications</a></li> </ul> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <section class="rss"> <h2 class="txt-jupiter">Related RSS feed</h2> <div class="with-icon--before with-icon--larger"> <img class="icon icon--larger" src="/assets/website-2021/svg/rss.svg" width="30" height="30" alt="" aria-hidden="true"> <a href="/blog/feed">Subscribe to our blog feed</a> </div> </section> </main> <section class="comments"> <div class="l-center"> <h2 id="comments">Comments <span>(0)</span></h2> <p>Comments for this post are closed.</p> </div> </section> </div> <footer class="global-footer"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="global-footer__links"> <div class="l-cluster"> <ul class="clean-list" role="list"> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/" hreflang="en"><span lang="en" dir="ltr">Home</span></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/contact/" hreflang="en"><span lang="en" dir="ltr">Contact</span></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/help/" hreflang="en"><span lang="en" dir="ltr">Help</span></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/donate/" hreflang="en"><span lang="en" dir="ltr">Donate</span></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/" hreflang="en"><span lang="en" dir="ltr">Legal & Policies</span></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/about/corporation/" hreflang="en"><span lang="en" dir="ltr">Corporation</span></a></li> <li><a href="https://status.w3.org/" hreflang="en"><span lang="en" dir="ltr">System Status</span></a></li> </ul> </div> <ul class="clean-list" role="list"> <li> <a class="with-icon--larger" href="https://w3c.social/@w3c" hreflang="en"> <img class="icon icon--larger" src="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/svg/mastodon.svg" width="20" height="20" alt aria-hidden="true" loading="lazy"/> <span class="visuallyhidden"><span lang="en" dir="ltr">W3C on Mastodon</span></span> </a> </li> <li> <a class="with-icon--larger" href="https://github.com/w3c/" hreflang="en"> <img class="icon icon--larger" src="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/svg/github.svg" width="20" height="20" alt aria-hidden="true" loading="lazy"/> <span class="visuallyhidden"><span lang="en" dir="ltr">W3C on GitHub</span></span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <p class="copyright"><span lang="en" dir="ltr">Copyright © 2025 <a href="https://www.w3.org/">World Wide Web Consortium</a>.<br> <abbr title="World Wide Web Consortium">W3C</abbr><sup>®</sup> <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/#disclaimers">liability</a>, <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/#trademarks">trademark</a> and <a rel="license" href="https://www.w3.org/copyright/document-license/" title="W3C Document License">permissive license</a> rules apply.</span></p> </div> </footer> </div> <script> var commentsScript = document.createElement('script'); commentsScript.src = "/assets/website-2021/js/comments.js"; document.querySelector('body').appendChild(commentsScript); </script> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

Interview: Bistri on WebRTC for Video Chat Services | 2013 | Blog | W3C