Streaming Media - August/September 2008 - (Page 72)

writing an RFP for maximum ROI Here are questions to ask about customization: COMPONENTS OF A WEBCAST EXPERIENCE— LIVE OR ON-DEMAND Standard webcasting systems have the following: Live only: • Live video, audio, and other rich media • Can be viewed in Windows Media, Real Media, and Flash • Live Q&A Both Live and On-Demand: • Support a large range of platforms, browsers, and players • Video synched with PowerPoint slides • Table of contents • Slide zoom • Q&A • Polling • Surveys and quizzes, including different types of questions • Search content and metadata • Downloadable files • Multiple viewing options, such as Windows Media, Real Media, Flash, QuickTime, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and AVI • What aspects of the viewing experience can be customized? Templates? Reports? Lobby pages? Security features? • Is the software easily customizable for different departments that have different needs? How frequently can we update our templates? Is there a limit on the number of templates we can have? • Is customization a service? Is there an additional fee? Can you provide a wizard so my company can perform its own customization? • Can I reuse customized templates? • Can I make the viewer experience appear any way I want it to? More advanced systems include the following: • (Dynamic) screen demoing • Live switching between presenters at different locations and video sources • Ability to create custom templates (e.g., customize your event lobby, login/registration, and post-event surveys; incorporate virtually any element, including images, buttons, rollovers, PowerPoint, tables of contents, Flash, video, polls, whiteboards, and forums) • Change templates based on viewer profile (e.g., unique templates for PC versus mobile users) Viewer and Event Management. How viewers and the event itself are managed are other important considerations. Webcast viewers need to be invited and supported in each broadcast. You will want to know how easily this can be done. Research whether the system allows for different viewing formats, including mobile, distributed, and office, and whether you can have different levels of management for attendees in different viewing formats. On the event management side, you will need to know the number of people required to create and support any kind of webcast. You will also want to know the types of interactivity your solution features, such as whether presenters can immediately provide a link that allows statistics to be viewed in real time. (See the sidebar, “Elements of Viewer and Event Management.”) Here are questions to ask about viewer and event management: • What are the system requirements for viewers (in order to view the webcast and interact with the presenter)? • How does your system support viewers who may not have access to a high-speed internet connection? Does your system have the ability for the user to select a variety of video bitrates, multiple video formats, and/or an option for audio-only formats? • How does your system integrate with email and calendar functions in Microsoft Outlook and/or Lotus Notes? Is it possible to send emails from the system? • Change layout of the template any time during an event In the past, a customizable template may have allowed you to only upload logos. But today, you can manipulate a logo and place it wherever you want. With the right solution, you can take full control of your screen and place any element anywhere you want, allowing you to create a branded and unique look and feel. Furthermore, advanced systems may be able to provide you with reusable templates that can be created for various aspects of the user experience, including webcasts, event lobbies, login and registration, and postevent surveys. Ideally, your customization system will be “point-and-click,” so webcast creators can use this powerful feature without having to rely on complex programming. Remember, as your webcasting activity grows, your need for personalization and customization may increase. Your research should give you a firm idea of what customization options you may want today and in the future. 72 STREAMING MEDIA August/September 2008 Video Encoding and Distribution. Many companies use a companywide standard media player. If this applies to you, understanding the basic details about streaming output will enable you to choose a product that fits your standards. For instance, you do not want to use a system that delivers video clips on RealPlayer if every desktop in your company is standardized for Windows Media Player. Similarly, if you’d like your employees to view presentations remotely on all types of computers, then certain solutions, such as a live Flash offering, will be a more appropriate fit. If you intend to use webcasts for marketing, you may want several different viewing options to enable a greater number of viewers to see your presentations. Here are questions to ask about video encoding and distribution: • What video formats do you support? • What are the bitrates for each of these video formats?

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Streaming Media - August/September 2008

Streaming Media - August/September 2008 Table of Contents No Doubt - Editor's Note Mo’ Videos, Mo’ Money: Solving the Problem of Network Cost Why Good Design Matters More Than Ever: Just. Press. Play. Technology and Business Trends by the Numbers High-Touch Encoding With Microsoft Expression Encoder 2 The State of the Content Delivery Market, 2008 Get a Life: New Tools Put Lifecasting Within Anyone’s Reach So Many Codecs, So Little Time: Comparing H.264 Files Using Codecs From Apple, Dicas, and MainConcept Writing an RFP for Maximum ROI: Things to Consider and Questions to Ask When Writing a Request for Proposal for a Corporate Webcasting System The Patent Wars Producing Screencams in Camtasia Studio Analyze That Using Video to Communicate Change for Business Success Intellectuals’ Property Rights

Streaming Media - August/September 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.