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The largest "webcasters" include existing radio and TV stations, who "simulcast" their
output, as well as a multitude oI Internet only "stations". The term webcasting usually reIers
to non-interactive linear streams or events. Rights and licensing bodies oIIer speciIic
"webcasting licenses"
|1|
to those wishing to carry out Internet broadcasting using copyrighted
material.
Webcasting is also used extensively in the commercial sector Ior investor relations
presentations (such as Annual General Meetings), in E-learning (to transmit seminars), and
Ior related communications activities. However, webcasting does not bear much, iI any,
relationship to web conIerencing, which is designed Ior many-to-many interaction.

The term netcasting was a consideration, but one oI the early webcast community members
owned a company called NetCast, so that term was not used, seeking a name that would not
be branded to one company.

Virtually all the major broadcasters have a webcast oI their output, Irom the BBC to CNN to
Al Jazeera to UNTV in television

Multimedia is a term that describes multiple forms of information, including audio, video,
graphics, animation, text, and a variety of virtual reality types. The interest in
multimedia is surging. At one point, Microsoft and Real Networks reported over 100,000
downloads per day from their respective streaming media players. ebcasting, a
multicast technology that broadcasts multimedia from a single server to many users, is
expected to grow to represent over 70 percent of Internet traffic.
The major themes of multimedia networking include the following:
O 'oice, video, and data are converging on a single network in both the enterprise
and the Internet. The so-called NPN (new public network) is a convergent
network that can deliver voice and video with the same quality as the PSTN.

O Traffic prioritization, QoS-enabling features, and bandwidth management are
critical for delivering real-time traffic over packet networks (in contrast to the
circuit-based PSTN).

O Multicast provides a transport for Webcasting streaming audio and video from one
source to large groups of users. No licenses are required for Webcasting, and just
about anyone can set up an Internet radio or T' station. Examples of streaming
multimedia include live Web cameras, live sporting events, live concerts, and
distance learning.

O 'oice has a relatively constant low bit rate and can be compressed to a 16-
Kbit/sec stream and still maintain reasonable quality. Small numbers of dropped
packets are acceptable and there is no reason for the source to retransmit since
they would arrive out of sync at the destination.

O 'ideo is composed of a continuous stream of data; but because of the way
compression algorithms work, the stream may vary in bandwidth. When scenes
change, a burst of new image data is added to the data stream. Some packet loss
is acceptable.

O Some streaming data is sensitive to delay and cannot tolerate dropped packets,
such as a sensor that supplies continuous data. A QoS channel may be required.
There are two aspects of multimedia content delivery that you need to consider: 7eal-
time delive7 and sto7ed plaback (also called on-demand). In the real-time delivery
model, quality of service is essential. Packets must be delivered with minimal delay. For
live voice conversations, latency greater than 200 ms is noticeable by humans. Stored
playback transmits multimedia in a more relaxed fashion and in one direction. An
example is watching a recorded video.
Delivering multimedia from end to end over networks requires adequate bandwidth,
compatible protocols, and quality of service. Enterprise networks can be overprovisioned
to handle streaming multimedia, but bursts can still disrupt live flows, so prioritization
and traffic management may be required. Bandwidth can be reserved for scheduled
events such as videoconferences by using resource reservation protocols. Traffic can also
be classified and marked with priority codes using differentiated services techniques

Multicasting is a way of efficiently transmitting text, audio, and video on the Internet or
an internal network to a select group of people, much like a conference call includes a
select group of people. Instead of sending information in individual packets to each
recipient, a single message is sent to a multicast group, which includes all the people
that want to participate in the multicast session. While multicasting is possible on a
variety of networks, this topic concentrates on Internet multicasting.
Multicasting is a one-to-many transmission. In contrast, the traditional method of
sending messages on the Internet, called unicasting, is a one-to-one transmission. If
multicasting is comparable to a conference call, then unicasting is like a private call
between two people. Broadcasting is a one-to-all technique in which messages are sent
to everybody. Internet routers block broadcasts from propagating everywhere.
Multicasting provides a way for one host to send packets to a selective group of hosts.
The key word is "selective." Users choose to be part of a specific multicast. Multicast
packets then travel to the user from the multicast source. An important point is that
multicast packets only travel across routes where there is an end user that has
requested to be part of the multicast. This keeps multicast packets from crossing parts
of the network that do not have multicast participants. Still, on the Internet, a multicast
group is potentially huge, with members located around the world.
The trick to multicasting is that users indicate to their local router that they want to be
part of a particular multicast group. That router then indicates to the next router closest
to the source of the multicast that it wants to receive the multicast. This process
continues until a path is established between the multicast source and the person who
wants to join the multicast. The result is that only routers that need multicast packets
for end systems actually receive those packets. Nonparticipating routers do not receive
the packets, making the process more efficient.
Most multicasts are multimedia related, although a multicast host may simply broadcast
a message or an occasional news item to participants. This sounds similar to electronic
mailing lists, but IP Multicast uses special addressing and special protocols to achieve
high- performance and efficiency
Webcasting, Webinars, Web Conferencing: What`s
the Difference?
March 23, 2011 by Shaun McIver
What`s the difference between webcasting and web conferencing? And what`s a
webinar?! These have been some oI the most conIusing questions in the online events
marketplace Ior the past decade. UnIortunately, some vendors are only adding to the
conIusion. I recently Googled the keyword 'webcast and most oI the companies who ranked
highest under the paid search category were, by deIinition, web conIerencing providers!
As the world`s largest webcasting providerand aIter answering these same questions Irom
curious clients Ior IiIteen yearsI thought it was time Ior Thomson Reuters to join the
conversation and help clear up the conIusion about these terms.
A webcast is a live or on-demand presentation streamed in audio or video over the Web,
oIten accompanied by synchronized PowerPoint slides. Ideal Ior engaging larger online
audiences, webcasting is a 'one-to-many (one speakeror panel oI speakerspresenting to
many attendees) broadcast over the Internet which can accommodate thousands oI
simultaneous viewers. Webcasts are browser-based, require no additional soItware download,
and audio is integrated into the platIorm so no phone line is neededa user can listen to the
presentation through speakers or headphones. A webcast is typically a proIessionally
produced program in itselI or coverage oI a live event, streamed with almost any combination
oI interactive Ieatures, Irom Q&A tools to surveys, polls and social media sharing.
A web conference is an online meeting typically conducted by a combination oI Web
browser and telephone lines. You can share your computer`s desktop with other users to
present a demo or slide deck. Audio is captured and transmitted through your phone line or
by Voice over IP. In some circumstances, video can be captured using a desktop webcam.
Web conIerencing is ideal Ior smaller, 'Iew to Iew collaborative meetings where most iI not
all participants are communicating (i.e. collaborating) with one another. In most cases, a web
conIerence platIorm also requires users to download proprietary soItware beIore accessing
the presentation and/or share content.
A webinar is a seminar delivered over the Web and reIers to a strategic application (oIten Ior
marketing and demand generation) oI a webcast or web conIerence platIorm. Webinars are
typically used to deliver thought leadership content and include interactive Ieatures to allow
viewers to submit questions to the speaker and participate in polls. Other tools relied on in
developing a webinar include a registration page to capture audience inIormation, reminder
emails to promote attendance, source tracking URLs to monitor how users are Iinding your
program, and an exit survey to collect immediate Ieedback Irom attendees. All oI these
Ieatures should be integrated into any webcast or web conIerence platIorm you consider.


The ability to webcast using cheap/accessible technology has allowed independent media to
Ilourish. There are many notable independent shows that broadcast regularly online. OIten
produced by average citizens in their homes they cover many interests and topics.


3 Factors To Consider When Choosing a Webcast or Web
Conferencing Platform
The most basic objective Ior delivering any online event, whether it`s a webcast or web
conIerence, is basically the sameto engage a geographically dispersed audience leveraging
the world-Ilattening power oI the Web. However, the platIorm on which you choose to
present your content can have a staggering impact on the success oI your online event.

When assessing whether to use a webcast or web conIerencing platIorm, there are three
business Iactors to consider (iI you need a reIresher on the diIIerence between a webcast and
Web conIerence,

The technology behind webcasting is streaming audio and video. That means RTP (Real-
time Transport Protocol) over UDP (User Datagram Protocol) in most cases. These
technologies are outlined under "Multimedia" along with related technologies


Webcasting is also called "netcasting," "Internet broadcasting," or "data broadcasting,"
although webcasting is more associated with streaming video and audio. Data
broadcasting is more about sending news, stock quotes, and related information to
subscribers using "push" techniques. Push is the opposite of "pull," which is what you do
when you access Web site. With push, Web sites automatically send you information. E-
mail is a push techniques that people use to send other people information, sometimes
without the recipient asking for it. Think of push in terms of low-bandwidth data
broadcasting (stocks, news, sports headlines). Think of webcasting as full multimedia
broadcasting.
The ultimate webcasting technology is multicasting, which is based on special Internet
protocols that deliver content along efficient paths from the sender to multiple receivers.
The idea is to send packets only along paths that lead to subscribers of the multicast
information, thus cutting down on traffic.

:dience
Is your audience concentrated in larger enterprises, smaller businesses, or home oIIices? Are
they in one country or dispersed around the globe? These questions are important to
determine how your audience will be able to access your online event.
For example, when using or viewing the application (desktop) sharing Ieature, most web
conIerencing tools require the use oI java-based soItware which presenters and audience
members must download. But in larger organizations, most IT managers prohibit employees
Irom downloading soItware which has not been approved by the corporation Ior security-
related reasons. ThereIore, application sharing may not be accessible Ior all enterprise users.
Most webcasting suppliers rely only on the soItware that is already bundled into common
Internet browsers. The intention is to remove any barriers to participating in an audio or video
webcast.

II your audience is geographically dispersed, a webcast provides one common link to the
same event no matter where the audience is located. A web conIerence, on the other hand,
oIten relies on a teleconIerence bridge as the medium through which collaborators
communicate. This means that a web conIerence may require multiple toll-Iree access
numbers to provide local dial-in in each jurisdiction. This adds to the potential Ior conIusion
and audience Irustration.
As a rule oI thumb, web conIerencing is ideal Ior smaller, interactive working sessions with
up to ten people, especially iI you require real-time collaboration or document-sharing. With
a larger audience, you may want to consider a webcast. Webcast participants can still enjoy
the Ilexibility oI real-time dialogue with presenters through Q&A and polling; it`s just
managed in a more moderated, controlled environment. And because webcasting is a
broadcast Iormat, it scales to nearly any audience size.
Presentation Q:ality
How important is the quality oI your presentation? OI course, you want every presentation to
go oII without a hitch, but some presentations are simply more important than others. A
collaborative team meeting between two remote departments oI the same company will have
a much greater tolerance Ior mistakes than a CEO publicly disclosing a controversial
acquisition to investors and analysts.
Presentation quality can be impacted in three ways:
Whether you present in audio or video
The importance oI promoting your brand
The reliability oI the medium delivering your content.
:dio-only or Video: Both webcasting and web conIerencing oIIer video integration. With a
webcast, the quality can be vastly superior because content can be captured by broadcast-
level equipment and encoded Ior the Web while a web conIerence will typically rely on a
local capture source such as a webcam. Though webcams have improved, the end result relies
a great deal on production value and operator experience. A video webcast is usually a
'produced event, meaning it has, as in television, a producer assigned to manage the shoot
as well as proIessional lighting, sound, and camera operation.
The way video is handled by webcast technology diIIers signiIicantly Irom its handling by
web conIerencing technology. Webcast technology was developed speciIically Ior video,
whereas web conIerencing uses an audio tool with video as an add-on.
Branding: Branding is seldom a concern Ior small internal meetings, but can be critical Ior
public, high-proIile presentations. Most clients hosting large one-to-many events are very
particular about promoting their brand. Webcasting always oIIers more options Ior
customizing branding elements and layout to match a speciIic style guide. The look and Ieel
oI a webcast end-user interIace oIten perIectly matches the company website to the point
where they are indistinguishable.
Platform Reliability: Since a web conIerence typically relies on content captured Irom the
presenter`s computer, system perIormance is always in question. The presenter`s computer is
probably used Ior many other day-to-day applications, which increases the risk oI a crash.
Also, the presenter is oIten sitting on a network somewhere behind a Iirewall on a limited
bandwidth connection. II there is any interIerence on that connection whatsoever, quality may
suIIer or, worse, the event may Iail.
Webcasts are usually created in a controlled environment on machines designated exclusively
Ior delivering webcast events. These machines are regularly tested and backed up Ior
redundancy. Moreover, dedicated network connections are oIten used to deliver the encoded
stream to a highly-reliable Content Delivery Network (CDN) Ior redistribution. This
dramatically reduces the possibility oI degradation. Again, the decision comes down to how
much risk you are willing to tolerate and the impact caused by a Iailure.
B:dget
Though web conIerencing can be purchased under various licensing models, the most
common model is usage per participant. In other words, the more participants, the greater the
charge. There are charges Ior the audio bridge plus the web conIerencing application, which
are oIten bundled. The result is that it becomes very diIIicult to budget in advance Ior web
conIerencing events because the cost always varies. A webcast, on the other hand, is typically
charged at a Ilat rate Ior a maximum number oI peak concurrent attendees, making budgeting
much more predictable.
Cost can also vary signiIicantly between both mediums, especially Ior larger presentations
that target larger audiences. Let`s assume you`re hosting a one-hour online audio event
targeting 200 participants. II you decided to use a web conIerence to reach this audience, a
reasonable price might be 35 per minute (including operator assisted bridge and web
conIerencing platIorm) Ior a North American audience only. That brings your total cost to at
least $4,200. The cost oI enabling global participants to join the event can be signiIicantly
greater. Additional per participant Iees may be incurred to access the archived presentation.
Instead, you could webcast that same event Ior halI oI the cost. In Iact, iI double that number
attended the webcast Irom anywhere in the world, the cost would probably not change due to
the Iixed-price nature oI webcasting. Under some circumstances, you could host a video
webcastoIIering superior quality and level oI engagementat the same price as the audio
web conIerence!