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How To Use The Internet To Stage A Virtual Event
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Business New Haven
11/11/2002
By: Donald Guzauckas Jr.
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Forget the dotcom bust – the Internet is really the next frontier for presentation and virtual events. Just as meeting planners and producers had to master the multi-image slide show, then live video, then learn to incorporate satellite and videoconferencing into their realm of expertise, so you must now tackle Webcasting or video streaming.
Video streaming is different that any other new technology trend because it can be so much easier to use and deploy. The concept seems simple: plug a camera and microphone into a computer that encodes the signal and sends it to the internet for everyone that wants to see. Therin lies the first problem: it looks easy. But as we all know, you get what you pay for.
Meeting Planners need to be aware that there are many inexpensive solutions, but not all solutions are created equal. You must find someone who is trustworthy and knows enough about all of the technology involved to create the best image possible at the viewer's site. Look to your local full-service AV company.
Why Streaming?
Streaming can be used in many situations. It is less expensive than satellite and can be even less expensive than videoconferencing. Additionally, it is meant to broadcast to multiple locations at a negligible increase in cost.
Think about the possible uses: annual shareholder meetings, distance learning for a sales staff of a technical product, corporate employee addresses, medical education – the possibilities are endless. Think about the perfect meeting scenario, and, with streaming, you may just achieve it.
What technology does it take?
For the sake of simplicity, we'll look at the bare essentials of a live event only (archive and on-demand streaming are a different realm of business that exceeds the scope of this article).
The path of the video signal from start to finish in a typical stram looks something like this:
Camera and Audio Source
Switcher/Mixer
Encoding Card
Encoding Computer
Local LAN
Firewall/Proxy Server
Local ISP
Regional ISP
CDN (Content Distributor Network)
Regional ISP
Last Mile ISP
Firewall/Proxy Server
Local LAN
Audience Computer
There's a lot going on, and most of it is out of your control. In this signal path, there could be problems or bottlenecks that could ruin the entire program at any point. A thorough knowledge of computers, networking and TCP/IP is crucial.
First and foremost, make certain that you know the computer structure of the originating site. If you are on your own corporate campus, your IT staff can help you determine if the network is capable of handling the network traffic streams can generate. If you are off-campus, you need to work with the IT staff at the location to ensure smooth access to the internet.
Next, we need to look at the audience. This is the target audience specs. How many people are going to view the stream over a high bandwidth connection like T1, DSL or Cable and how many are still on 56k dial-up? What software will they use to watch it, Windows Media, Real Networks or Quicktime? Knowing this will help you determine how and at what rate to encode your video signal and allow you to get a price from the CDN for the actual stream (compare this to satellite time).
Video quality is last up. Make sure that your sources are of the best quality possible. Some of the rules that you are used to for corporate video do not necessarily apply to streaming. Make sure that your subject is well lit from the front (you will need a little more light than you are used to for video). Also use plain backgrounds and avoid a lot of motion. The more information there is in the picture, the harder all of the systems need to work to create a quality image. Once you have the picture tweaked, you are ready to roll.
Any size rental and staging company with an experienced and knowledgeable computer network engineer can manage a webcasting session. The computer is only one part of the equation. Take the time to talk to your resources and be comfortable getting them involved with your streaming jobs and the results will astound you.
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