Outline
I. What Is A Webcast
A. Realtime delivery of audio and/or video via the Internet
B. Users "tune in" via client software, such as Real
Player
C. Data is "streamed" via a specialized server.
II. Publicizing Your Webcast
A. Create a Web page with relevant information.
- Provide a link to download the appropriate media player.
- Choose a simple URL.
- Create a "standby" message.
B. Publicize online and offline
III. Equipment You Need (demo)
A. If using audio: good quality microphone or input from a professional
audio system such as can be provided by BU Productions
B. If using video: Camera (can be DV but must have analog output),
or some other device such as Beta deck that can play back video.
BU Productions can also supply professional systems.
C. Network access
D. Encoding station. Can be desktop or laptop, must have video
capture card and encoding software, network connection. (Need
specs, for Mac and PC?) NIS can provide this equipment.
E. Monitoring station (optional). Highly recommended to view
the webcast in progress and note any issues or problems. NIS can
provide this equipment.
F. Scan converter and av switcher (optional). Allows you to integrate
input from a laptop (such as a PowerPoint presentation) into the
live video stream. NIS can provide this equipment.
IV. Setup and Testing (demo)
A. Scout the location
- particularly the network access points.
- Bring a laptop to verify that you can get on the network.
B. Arrive an hour before the start of the webcast
- earlier if it's your first time
- earlier if the setup is complex.
C. Connect network, audio and video feeds.
D. Launch Producer Plus
- configure for live webcast.
- NOte: will need username and password to access server
- Start a test stream
E. Launch RealPlayer and access the test stream
V. During the Webcast (demo, possibly hands-on if people want to try
starting/stopping the live stream)
A. Use a media player on the monitoring laptop to view the webcast.
B. Note any stalling, network congestion, or dropped connections.
(Need screen shots here)
C. Monitor server (NIS staff only)
VI. Archiving
A. We generally do not recommend creating an archive simultaneously
during the webcast itself.
- This allows all your systems' resources to be directed to
the best quality possible live stream.
B. If you're using your own camera or working with BU Productions,
you can take the tape and encode from it at a later time using
RealProducer.
C. An advantage to encoding a second time for archival purposes
is that you can create multiple versions of the webcast that further
optimized for different bandwidths.
- Different window sizes
- Incorporate into SMIL presentation
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