A webcast is a media file distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, webcasting is “broadcasting” over the Internet.
A webcast uses streaming media technology to take a single content source and distribute it to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. The generally accepted use of the term webcast is the "transmission of linear audio or video content over the Internet".
Webcasting is used extensively in the commercial sector for investor relations presentations (such as Annual General Meetings), in E-learning (to transmit seminars), and for related communications activities. However, webcasting does not bear much, if any, relationship to the idea of web conferencing which is designed for many-to-many interaction.
What’s involved in a Webcast?
In simple terms, for a live webcast, we bring cameras, sound and webcasting transmission equipment to a venue where you are hosting an event, function or meeting that you want to transmit to an audience over the internet. We connect the equipment into that venue’s Internet connection. You publicise the webcast to your Intended audience in advance of the live broadcast. After transmission you can choose to have the webcast left on the Internet for a length of time so that people who were unable to view it live can watch it at their leisure.
More Advanced Webcasting Solutions
Presenters
We can provide professional presenters to introduce or help present your webcast if you have not made provision for this. A presenter can give your webcast a more professional feel, improving your image and message to your client base.
Live two-way interaction
You may wish viewers to interact with a live webcast by submitting questions and comments via email or Instant Messaging back to the transmission location. The questions could be presented to the speakers appearing in the webcast to answer or comment, and the questions that viewers make can be displayed on the screens of all viewers allowing everyone to speak to everyone else.
Can we include recorded material?
In the recording we can easily insert pre-recorded material from Video tape or DVD that has been pre-prepared into the live feed, in the same way that Live broadcast TV does. This pre-recorded material can be relayed simultaneously to a big screen in the live venue allowing anyone at the venue to see the material at the same time as the Internet audience. This is ideal where a client is to present a corporate video or interviews with staff, clients or colleagues, adding value to a presentation.
CONNECTION SPEED
Live Webcasting is reliant upon the Upload speed of the Internet connection. Nearly all ADSL connections are described by their Download speed – typically 2, 4, or 8 Mbps. ADSL, by definition, means the upload speed is not the same as the download speed.
Original ADSL (1Mbps lines) had a 512kbps upload speed. This is too low for reliable and good quality Video webcasting. Nearly all ADSL lines have been automatically upgraded however by Service Providers for clients at no extra charge. Often this means that ADSL starts at 2Mbps download and the upload often has been increased to 2Mbps. For reliable high quality video webcasting we would strongly recommend a minimum of 1Mbps upload speed connection.
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