Webcasting -- rich media broadcasts go online

September 26, 2005
By:  Ben Davidson

If you think about it, the Internet can almost be considered an interactive version of TV. Since that’s the case, it’s only logical that many audio and video broadcasts are also being broadcast online. Live or delayed transmissions over the web are called webcasts. For an increasingly diverse number of people, webcasting fulfills a valuable niche.

Who benefits?

For non-traditional college students, the days of long distance, snail mail reliant correspondence courses may well be over. By watching a professor’s lecture online, a student can virtually replicate the classroom experience.

Many hospitals are finding webcasts extremely helpful. Whether it’s a rural surgeon viewing an online broadcast of difficult or innovative surgery, or a hospital using real-time broadcasts to attract new patients or physician referrals, streaming video is bridging numerous gaps between doctor and patient alike.

With television airtime being prohibitively expensive to acquire, many companies are turning to webcasts for important press conferences. Let’s face facts: bandwidth is far less expensive than most television and radio time. Furthermore, your company webcast has global reach, while that TV ad may only reach a limited market. Finally, webcast material is far more easily retrieved by your target audience in the form of archived audio or video than a 30 second commercial spot that only aired a few times.

Webcasts aren’t all about work though. It’s almost guaranteed that you can find webcasts of some of your favorite bands or TV shows. Some broadcast networks have been known to promote their programs by offering webcasts of an entire episode, and an increasing number of live music venues offer webcasts of selected concerts.

A few more facts

Interactivity is what differentiates a webcast from a video conferencing session. For situations where a great deal of real-time, media-rich interaction is required, you’ll go with the video conference, but for a non-interactive viewing session, webcasts offer a suitably simple solution. There is some crossover though. A student viewing a professor’s lecture via webcast might be able to participate in a question and answer session at the lecture’s end.

Webcasts can be live or prerecorded, and they use either a streaming viewer like RealPlayer or Microsoft Windows Media Player. Media Player in particular may also offer downloadable prerecorded broadcasts.

So if you’re looking to get your company or individual message out there to a geographically diverse target audience, the Internet is your global resource.

About the Author
Ben Davidson is a successful freelance writer and contributor to Web-Conferencing-Zone.com.  Your definitive guide to web conferencing services, online collaboration software and web meetings for business.