High-quality, reduced data rate streaming video production and monitoring system

A method comprising:

• receiving, at a video distribution system, a stream of video content captured by a digital video camera and transmitted over a network to the video distribution system using a progressive MPEG-4 video format having a 16:9 aspect ratio;
• contemporaneously storing the stream of video content in a storage device at the video distribution system;
• converting the stream of video content from a first progressive video format to a second progressive video format that has a frame rate of 20 frames per second or less;
• and
• streaming the stream of video content in the second progressive video format from the video distribution system to a remote viewing device via the Internet.

A system comprising:

• a plurality of digital video cameras;
• and
• a video distribution and storage system,
• wherein the plurality of digital video cameras capture video images and stream respective streams of video content derived from the captured video images using a progressive MPEG-4 format having an aspect ratio 16:9 over a network to the video distribution system, and wherein the video distribution and storage system contemporaneously stores respective streams of video content received from the plurality of digital video cameras, converts the respective streams of video content from the progressive MPEG-4 format to another progressive video format that has a frame rate of 20 frames per second or less, and streams at least one of the respective video streams of video content in the other progressive video format to respective remote viewing devices for display on the remote viewing devices via the Internet.