1st Edition

Hands-On Guide to Webcasting Internet Event and AV Production

By Steve Mack, Dan Rayburn Copyright 2006
    272 Pages
    by Routledge

    260 Pages
    by Routledge

    In "Hands-On Guide to Webcasting," industry experts address the fastest-growing application for streaming media - broadcasting live audio and video on the Internet. Used in all industry verticals from corporate to entertainment, this book provides an end-to-end technical overview of the webcasting process. Providing you with step-by-step instructions from audio/video production, encoding and authoring to delivery and business issues, this guide provides both the depth and breadth necessary for mastery of the subject.

    About the Authors
    Acknowledgements
    Introduction
    Introduction to Webcasting
    Successful Webcast Ingredients
    How to Use this Book
    A Quick Word about Platforms
    Support: We're Here to Help
    Chapter 1 - QuickStart
    Getting Ready for a Webcast
    Business considerations
    Planning for your webcast
    Equipment You'll Need
    Computer Hardware You'll Need
    Software You'll Need
    Encoding Planning
    Authoring Planning
    Distribution Planning
    Crew Planning
    Your First Webcast
    Connect Your Sources
    Set up your encoding software
    Test the webcast
    Chapter 2 - Basic Webcasting Concepts
    Streaming Media: What It Is and How It Works
    The Importance of Bandwidth
    Webcasting System Components
    Encoders, Servers, and Players
    Protocols, File Formats, and Codecs
    The Webcasting Process
    Planning
    Production
    Encoding
    Authoring
    Distribution
    Webcasting Tools
    Production Tools
    Encoding Tools
    Authoring Tools
    Distribution Tools
    Platform Considerations
    Chapter 3 - Digital Audio and Video Basics
    Digital Audio and Video
    Digital Audio
    Sampling Rates
    Bit Depth
    Digital Video
    Digital Video Encoding Schemes
    Digitizing Audio and Video
    Soundcards and Capture Cards
    External Appliances
    FireWire (IEEE 1394)
    Codecs
    Codec Side Effects
    The Limitations of Streaming Media
    Chapter 4 - Business considerations
    Business Considerations
    Does it Really Have to Be Live?
    Cost Considerations
    Production Costs
    Bandwidth Costs
    Bandwidth Measurement Basics
    Real-World Bandwidth and Throughput Calculations Example
    Return on Investment
    Legal considerations
    Get the Right Clearances
    Location and Union Permissions
    Streaming and Digital Media Patents
    Chapter 5 - Choosing the Right Partners
    Do it Yourself vs. Outsourcing
    Production Partners
    Expertise
    Pricing
    Professionalism
    Distribution Partners
    Physical Distribution
    Pricing and Providers
    Marketing Partners
    Contracts
    Chapter 6 - Webcast Production Planning
    Location Concerns
    Signal Acquisition
    Dedicated vs. Shared Connectivity
    The Importance of Connectivity Testing
    Equipment
    The Crew
    Communication
    Presentation
    The Pre- and Post-Show
    Use Talent
    Technical Difficulties
    Chapter 7 - Webcast Audio Production
    Audio Engineering Basics
    Level
    Setting Up a Gain Structure
    Audio Equipment
    Microphones
    Mixing Desk
    Signal Processing Equipment
    Monitoring
    Additional Audio Tools
    Webcast Audio Engineering Techniques
    Get Rid of Ground Hum
    Ambient Microphones
    Compression
    EQ
    Chapter 8 - Webcast Video Production
    Video Engineering Basics
    Lighting
    3-Point Lighting
    White Balancing
    Warm Cards
    Video Equipment
    Camera and Tripod
    Lights and Lighting Accessories
    Video Switching and Distribution
    Monitoring
    Additional Video Equipment
    Webcast Video Techniques
    Keep Motion to a Minimum
    Video Signal Processing
    Chapter 9 - Webcast Encoding
    Encoding Basics
    Consider Your Audience
    Consider Your Programming
    Encoding Equipment
    Computer Hardware
    Computer Software
    Special Encoding Equipment
    Multiple Stream/Format Solutions
    Presentation Solutions
    Production/Encoding Hybrids
    Setting Up for Redundancy
    Webcast Encoding Techniques
    Bit Rate Considerations
    Audio Considerations
    Video Considerations
    Resolution
    Frame Rate
    Frame Quality
    Using Advanced Encoding Filters
    Cropping and Resizing
    Legacy Considerations
    Multiple Bit Rate (MBR) Files
    Push vs. Pull
    Encoding Settings Examples
    Windows Media Encoder
    Selecting Sources
    Choose Your Encoding Settings
    Adjust the Video Size
    Fill in the Stream Information
    Video Processing
    Advanced Functionalities
    Apply Your Changes, Save the Session
    Start Encoding
    Test Your Stream
    RealProducer
    Selecting Sources
    Setting up Your Outputs
    Setting up Audiences
    Video Processing
    Fill in Clip Information
    Save the Job File
    Start Encoding
    Test Your Stream
    Redundant Encoding Techniques
    Chapter 10 - Webcast Authoring
    Authoring Considerations
    HTML considerations
    Embedded vs. Standalone Players
    Standalone Players
    Metafile Examples
    Windows Media
    RealMedia
    QuickTime
    Redundancy in Metafiles
    Embedded Players
    The Microsoft ActiveX Control
    The Netscape Plug-in Model
    Building Cross-Platform Web Pages with Embedded Players
    Embedding the Windows Media Player
    Embedding the RealPlayer
    Chapter 11 - Webcast Distribution
    Distribution Basics
    Size Matters
    Equipment
    Platforms
    Distribution Techniques
    Live Server Redundancy
    Deployment Considerations
    Unicast vs. Multicast
    Live Stream Latency
    Firewalls
    Webcasting "Canned” Performances
    Server Setup Examples
    RealNetworks Helix Server
    Windows Media Services
    Log Files
    Chapter 12 - Case Studies
    X-Prize Competition
    Implementation
    Results
    ACLU Members Conference
    Implementation
    Results
    Sweet Adelines Convention
    Implementation
    Results
    Appendix A - Streaming And Digital Media Statistics
    Resources
    Glossary
    Index

    Biography

    Steve Mack has spent the last eight years at the forefront of the streaming media industry. He is a partner at LUX Media, a firm specializing in all areas of streaming media, including large-scale live event production, a/v production, authoring, encoding, hardware and software implementation, training, original music composition, and script writing. An accomplished author, Steve wrote The Streaming Media Bible for Hungry Minds (published Spring 2002) and wrote an article for the 1999 Wiley and Sons Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering entitled Broadcasting on the Internet. He has a monthly column in Streaming Magazine and regularly contributes to various web publications. Steve has produced some of the largest and most prestigious Internet broadcasts, including U2 live from Notre Dame (Yahoo Internet Magazine's "Top of the Net for 2001"), the Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon tour, Elton Johns Oscar Party, the WOMAD festival, Bumbershoot, the Tibetan Freedom Festivals, The New York Digital Club Festivals, the MTV Europe Awards, President Clintons Inaugural address, and the first ever public live Internet broadcast of a Seattle Mariners game in 1995. Steve is a popular and sought-after public speaker, having has presented and given workshops at the National Association of Broadcasters, Internet World, the the RealConference, Streaming Media East and West, and South by Southwest. He also chaired the Internet Audio Workshop at the 105th Audio Engineering Society conference in September 1998.
    Dan Rayburn has thirteen years of high profile experience launching and growing successful technology companies specifically in the streaming and digital media sector and co-founded one of the industry's first streaming media webcasting production companies. He is recognized as "the voice of the streaming media industry" and is Executive Vice President for StreamingMedia.com, a diversified news media company with a mission to serve and educate the streaming media industry. He is a sought after speaker, writer, publisher, consultant and industry entrepreneur to corporations and industry vendors and his work has been featured in print and online by nearly every major media outlet. He provides economic, financial, and business strategy consulting to law firms, corporations, and government agencies regarding litigation cases involving video over IP and digital media patents and provides independent, unbiased, industry specific data on key investment sectors in the digital media, IPTV and wireless industries to institutional money managers.

    "All in all, we think the book is well done and will make a great addition to the library of those who are interested in Webcasting." - Camcorder and Computer Video

    "..the layout of the book is clean and well designed. Screenshots are large and clearly legible, so it's easy to follow along and get a preview of the screens you'll see when you produce the Webcast." - Camcorder and Computer Video

    "The series serves as a great reference resource in streaming and digital media-based subjects for industry professionals." - HiTech Review

    "It is very well-organized going through webcasting in the order that events occur and is divided into sections that correspond to the different components of a webcast." - HiTech Review