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Article:
Does Your Event Need To Be Live? by: Adi Gaskell There are many choices to make when it comes to Webcasting: live vs. on-demand, audio vs. video, and more. So here are some of the questions you'll need to ask yourself before deciding which way to go. Live versus On-Demand Although broadcasting an event live may be necessary for breaking news or a corporate announcement, it is also much more expensive than broadcasting it later. When, where and how will your audience access the broadcast? Your flawlessly (and expensively) produced broadcast can fail if no one is watching it. Although the live webcast solutions from Web Video 4 U are significantly easier than many other solutions you still have much to consider. Yes you won't have to worry about camera crews or ticket retailing you will still need to consider things such as lighting and acoustics. Live versus Edited Highlights Conferences contain lots of down time that isn't boring when you're on site but which don't translate well via broadcast. That's why you may be better off offering edited highlights. For example, present each conference speaker as a separate link to their presentation, with background and audience reaction. Viewers can then exercise more control, viewing in the order they prefer. This also gives them the broader context of the event. This isn't to say that the valuable networking time between speakers exploited by many a conference attendee cannot be replicated on the Internet. The Web Video 4 U chat rooms can be installed to allow virtual conference attendees to talk to each other online and perform this vital networking role from their offices. Audio and/or Video An audio webcast is much less expensive to produce than video, which involves onsite production costs for crew, lighting, and equipment. So you need to decide whether an audio Webcast is sufficient or whether your audience needs to see full video of the speaker with live integration of speaker support. Keep in mind that a video Webcast also demands higher bandwidth from Web users. So before making these crucial decisions, find out your audience's bandwidth, firewall or VPN limitations and Web usage habits. About The Author Adi Gaskell is the founder of www.WebVideo4U.co.uk, a leading developer of Flash based streaming video solutions. This article was posted on January '04
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