Free Webcasts

Webcasting comes from the word broadcasting. The definition of webcasting is "the transmission of audio or video content over the internet". More and more people are learning how to webcast as webcasting grows in popularity. Webcasting is used by many broadcasters to provide an internet format of their service.

However many other people are getting the necessary skills and equipment to create a webcast themselves, as webcasting is being used by a large number of companies and individuals, for different purposes.

Webcasting is a form of internet broadcasting. So what is internet broadcasting? Internet broadcasting is any type of broadcasting (audio or video media) that uses internet technology.

How Does Webcasting Work?

Webcasting is the transmission of audio or video content over the internet. Webcasts are streamed, so that the person can listen to them or watch them through their internet connection. The media is captured on an audio input device or video capture device. It is then converted to a streaming format from an encoding station. The stream is then delivered either by a continuous stream or in a pull configuration, which retrieves the stream when a player connects to it.

Items Needed for Webcasting

There are many free webcasts available over the internet that are provided for your enjoyment. In order to enjoy these webcasts you will need certain equipment and software. To watch or listen to a webcast you will need:

A computer with at least 166MHz processor;
An internet connection speed of at least 28.8K or audio and 56K for audio and video.
A web browser;
The media player on which the webcast can be viewed or listened to (for example, real player, QuickTime or Windows Media);
A sound card;
A video card;
Speakers.

Most people have the computer and hardware necessary to listen to and watch webcasts. The software needed to watch webcasts can be downloaded free from the internet. Most webcasts will provide a place where the media player can be downloaded for those who do not yet have it.

In order to create your own webcast, you will need the following equipment and software:

A multimedia computer;
A high bandwidth connection to the internet;
A streaming server;
A video capture device or audio capture device;
A digital capture card (this is not necessary);
Encoder software.

There is free webcasting encoder software available over the internet. There are also many places which will show you how to webcast.

Continue to: Different Types of Free Webcasts

Hands on Guide To Webcasting
Does Webcasting Have A Bright Future?
Live Webcasting - Watch Your Favorite Event As It Occurs
Video Streaming Applications - Too Good To Ignore

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