If, like many
others in the entertainment field, you're wondering what
impact the Internet is going to have on television down
the line, you may have thought of putting some of your
programs on the Web, just to test the waters… and
hedge your bets, just in case the computer monitor
happens to triumph over the TV set, becoming the
entertainment medium of the future.
What exactly is
involved in turning your TV-friendly fare into ones and
zeros, and how do you get people on the Web to watch it?
One person who is uniquely qualified to address these
questions is Tommy Emerik, v-president of lookradio.com,
the company at the forefront of computer broadcasting.
Lookradio.com won't be alone on that front for long, with
companies like CBS, Dream Works, Pop.com, InterVU,
Disney, NBC and ABC entering or looking to enter the
promising young field of Computer Broadcasting. The
lookradio.com web site offers more than 2,000 hours of
on-demand, 24 hour video and audio programs. Before the
turn of the century, lookradio.com plans to provide more
than 20,000 hours of Computer Broadcasting: a necessity
to prove-up the reasons as to why the computer
broadcasting industry now exists as part of the radio
television scheme of things.
Computer
Broadcasting
is the next
trend in both the Internet and television industries.
Since Quick Time 4 was introduced to the consumer in
September 1999, (Quick Time is the program that allows
video (like LookRadio) to be streamed through copper
wires) -- the quality of Computer Broadcasting has
improved so much, some Mac lovers considered Quick Time
the rebirth of Macintosh. The quality of a low-bandwidth
Webcast (transmitted via 28.8 kilobytes per second (kbps)
modem) is still poor compared with that of a home that
uses a DSL line modem, the experience of seeing a video
program on the computer screen is exciting, almost
addicting.
At the end of 1994, NBC and TV
Finland quietly began to broadcast a live video signal
over the Internet, using Xing Technology. The image
quality was very poor, but the concept was there: "moving
images" delivered to the Internet in real
time.
After a few years and numerous
efforts by software houses and tech companies, the
Computer Broadcasting atmosphere is still cloudy. And it
is difficult to compare Computer Broadcasting with
television. The viewing distance and the screen size are
different in the two mediums. The average Computer
Broadcasting window is
10 to 20 times smaller than the
average TV set. In addition, even with a large amount of
bandwidth, the picture frame rate of a Webcast can't
match the standard frame rate of a television broadcast
(29 frames per second). Another difference lies in the
mediums' ability to handle image effects: tilting,
panning and zooming are all no-nos for Internet video
production.
Before being
Computer Broadcasting,
a video signal must be
converted from analog to digital. Then it must be
compressed (encoded) sufficiently so that it can be
viewed in real time. Modem baud rate and the power of the
user's computer also play important roles in terms of the
quality of the final product.
It is important that people
begin to produce and shoot specifically for the Net.
People assume that, since the final outcome is jerky, the
video itself doesn't have to be top of the line; but they
should remember that the better the input, the better the
outcome.
Two years ago, there were
several Computer Broadcasting players on the market
(Stream Works, VDO, Vextreme, Vivo, RealMedia and
Microsoft). Today, it would be fair to say that only two
of those players remain in the picture: RealNetworks and
Microsoft. Both companies are directing their efforts and
energies to improving video and audio compression and the
use of encoding tools.
However, Quicktime, Media
Cleaner, QDisign, Heuris, Sorenson and ASTARTE's
DVDirectors which in July 1999, showcased their software
streaming media delivery system through TVI's
lookradio.com firewire test site, seems to be winning the
battle.
Qdesigns M3 audio technology
features better-quality audio and new capabilities that
improve video quality through the use of its plug-in
partners Quicktime, Media Cleaner, QDisign, Heuris,
Sorenson and ASTARTE's DVDirectors. The Terrans Media
Cleaner also offers the new kids on the block, an easy
way to compress jpeg programming to Quicktime, which also
allows one to stream audio and video with synchronized
multimedia and animation to be broadcast through the
web.
A prediction: In the future, all
of today's broadcasters will be streaming video online,
over the Internet. This rebroadcasting will ensure that
programs are never lost or forgotten.
Another
prediction is that -- "the faws in most Internet
architecture software -- will allow cyberspace vandals
known as "crackers" (malevolent hackers) -- to alter the
parmeters of a domain name server. This could let the
intruders eavesdrop on conversations, deliver mail to the
wrong address or engage in a host of other pranks -- now
going on."
. . . Computer
Broadcasting
Let's say a TV station wants to
simulcast its 6 P.M. news on the Web, or your company
wants to Webcast its seminars, or German TV wants to
broadcast the U.N. TV Forum "live" on the Internet.
Streaming media can make all of that possible, and more.
However, right now it is important to take some steps to
boost the image quality of the final Computercast. The
following guidelines should help get the job done:
1) Camera movement.
Always use a tripod, so that the camera stays steady.
Otherwise, the resulting movements will require too many
frames (and too much bandwidth) to reproduce. Try to
focus the camera manually. Autofocus features sometimes
take a few frames to adjust and can significantly affect
the look of the final Computercast. In addition, allow
some space around the edges of the image, as you will
need to crop a few pixels from the frame in order to get
the standard 160 pixel by 120 pixel image size.
2. Image layout.
The image should include as little information as
possible. A flat background a limited palette of colors
would be the best choice. The ideal shot for a quality
Webcast is a close-up. If the frame must be changed, a
clean cut is the best option.
3. Lights.
Try to minimize shadows. A uniform lighting design, a
little brighter than the normal TV standard will produce
the best results.
4. Audio.
For the optimal audio outcome, it is a good idea to
use an external microphone instead of relying on the
microphone incorporated into the camera. During
compression, audio and video signals can lose up to 40
percent of their initial quality.
5. Connection.
A professional-quality live Computer broadcast
requires a T1 line and a DSL line: one for sending out
the stream and a second for monitoring the quality of the
Computer Broadcast, making changes to the site and fixing
anything that goes wrong. The line used for streaming
generally includes content encoded (compressed with a
Quicktime Plug-in, RealMedia or Microsoft Windows Media)
into a 28.8 kbps audio-only stream, a 28.8 kbps audio and
video stream. These standards cover most of the Internet
users interested in receiving live content.
6. Encoding.
The new Macintosh G4 Firewire (IEEE 1394, no SCSI
slots) computer is recommended for compressing jpeg audio
and video for live broadcast. For encoding audio only, a
computer of at least 100 megahertz will get the job done.
7. Outcome.
You must have a dedicated server with enough
bandwidth to carry the desired number of simultaneous
streams. Once the Computer broadcast is over, the content
can be posted on a Web site, like TVI's "lookradio" then
viewed on demand.
Except for regular ISP fees,
computer users don't have to pay anything to watch
lookradio.com programming. Once again, quality is the
key: to appreciate lookradio in all its glory, viewers
need a least a 56 kbps connection.
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com/troycoryhdtv
