Viewing video on the Web is popular. This article introduces Webcasts, and gives advice on how to get around some of the problems you might encounter when viewing them.
In its early days, the World Wide Web was a static, almost lifeless place.
You only had text and graphics, with the occasional bit of animation thrown in
for good measure. Then, someone came up with the bright idea to add video to
the mix. The only problem was that you generally had to download each video you
wanted, and play it offline. This took longer than the video’s running time,
and the whole process was an overall disappointment.
But you no longer need to wait for video to download before watching it,
although you still can if you want to. Today, you can view rich visual content
through for webcasting. Webcasting is the use of the Web to broadcast
video, whether pre-recorded or as an event is happening. The video you see is
as varied as the people producing it, and can range from the nightly news to
live feeds from a film festival or press conference.
How It Works
Webcasting differs from the traditional click-and-download that you’re used
to. It relies on push technology. Push technology sends (“pushes”)
content to your Web browser when you click a link. It’s sort of like changing
channels on a TV. The information is there, and is waiting for you to tune into
the right station to view it.
What gives a Webcast its flexibility is the ability to stream
information. Streaming sends data so that your computer can deal with it in a
stable, continuous flow. Unlike downloading, streaming starts playing Webcast
before all of it reaches you. It's the next best thing to viewing content in
real time.
The only drawback of streaming is that your computer must be able to gather
the information and present it to you as it arrives. If it can’t, the computer
and the software you’re using to view the Webcast must be able to buffer
the video. Buffering saves the data you haven’t viewed in memory until your
viewing software catches up with the video stream.
Formats
As you can expect, there is no single file format for Web video. While the
situation isn't as bad as it is for graphics (with literally hundreds of
types), there are two major video formats used for Webcasts. The first is
RealVideo from Real Networks, which is the de-facto standard for online video.
RealVideo is a well-developed format that is designed especially for streaming.
It offers superior picture quality over different connection speeds. The other
is the Windows Video from Microsoft that apes many of the features of
RealVideo.
Three older formats, which were around during the early days of the Web, are
also used for Webcasts. These formats are MPEG, AVI, and Apple QuickTime. MPEG,
AVI, and QuickTime files are larger than RealVideo and Microsoft formats. If
you add sound to the files, you'll see their sizes balloon dramatically.
Viewing Webcasts
Viewing Webcasts is easy. You simply have to point and click a link with
your mouse. Once you click the link, the software that plays the video format
being used by the site opens. After a delay of a few seconds or so, the show
starts.
Of course, all of this doesn’t work without the proper software, called a media
player. To play RealVideo, you need the RealPlayer. This is a freeware
application for Windows, the MacOS, and Linux. There’s also a version available
for $29.95 (U.S.)
that contains a few features lacking in its free counterpart, including
powerful full-screen video capabilities. You can view Webcasts in Microsoft’s
streaming video format using the Media Player that comes bundled with Windows.
Media Player can also open AVI files, and you can download a QuickTime player
from Apple's Web site.
Some sites, like the Cable News Network and the BBC, do away with the need
for launching a separate viewer. They embed the video in a Web page and play it
on the page. The content of the Webcast appears as a graphic would, but with
controls for playing, stopping, and rewinding the video. However, you still
need the appropriate viewer installed on your computer.
Hardware Requirements
Your computer hardware will affect the overall quality of the video you view
off the Web. Webcasts, and video in general, gobble a lot of your PC's resources.
If your computer can’t buffer a large amount of the information that you’re
receiving, the video will look choppy. To deal with Webcasts, your computer
needs a fast processor, a good video card, and a good deal of memory.
So how much is enough? Average system requirements are often pegged at the
following:
500 Mhz Pentium processor
64 MB of memory
A video card capable of
16-bit color (65,536 colors)
These are recommended minimums, and (except for the video card) have little
basis in reality. You can use older Pentiums with less memory, but expect the
video to come in with glacial slowness. Optimally, your computer should have as
much memory and the fastest processor possible. A video card capable of
displaying 24-bit color (a whopping 16,777,216 colors) is the icing on the
cake.
Cutting Edge Gear
One piece of hardware you should seriously consider upgrading is your video
card. It’s easy to ignore this vital component, but a video card can make or
break your Webcast experience. Video is buffered in the card, and if the card
lacks sufficient memory, you’ll run into problems. Most new computers come with
a decent video card, but such cards aren’t generally optimized for the types of
tasks many users have in mind. They’re just good enough for basic work and Web
surfing.
If you can afford it, you should look into buying a new video card. Look at
some of the mid-range or high-end offerings from companies like ATI and Diamond
Multimedia. Both companies make excellent, powerful video cards. The better
ones are more than adequate for viewing Webcasts.
If you can’t afford a new video card, consider updating your card’s driver
software. You can download updated drivers from the manufacturer’s Web site.
This option isn’t a good as getting a new card, but you will notice an
improvement.
Questions of Quality
Two of the biggest complaints about Webcasts are that they're choppy and the
quality of the images is poor. Some of this has to do with the video itself.
The video might be compressed to decrease the file size and, therefore,
decrease the time it takes to transfer. But there are a number of things you
can do to ensure you get the best quality possible from the Webcasts that you
view.
One aspect of Web video you may overlook is the size of what you’re seeing.
You view most video from the Web in an area only a few inches square. Most
content providers do this so that the video is clear and so it transfers to
your computer faster. If you try to increase the size of the viewing area, what
you see becomes distorted. Using your media player in full-screen mode can make
the video unwatchable. So, unless you have a good reason to do otherwise, you
should keep the video at its original size.
Net Troubles
Get the fastest connection to the Internet that you can afford. High speed
Internet, either through a cable modem or DSL, is your best bet. These
connections can transfer data up to 100 times faster than a phone line. The
only problem is that high-speed access can be expensive.
Another reason for poor reception is high amounts of Net traffic. A large
number of people could be using the Web, and connecting to the same site
hosting the Webcast you’re viewing. This can slow the server down tremendously.
You might find that trying to visit another site while watching a Webcast can
slow or stop the transmission. Real Player, for example, will display an error
message attributing the problem to "Net congestion." It will then try
to restart the video stream. More often than not, though, the video stream will
hang and to get it started again you must shut down the player.
Software
You might also find that applications running in the background, like an
e-mail client or a word processor, can affect the quality and buffering of a
Webcast. You should shut down any programs you aren’t using. You'll be
surprised at the performance boost. Finally, keep your media player software
current. Newer versions of the software have added features, and contain fixes
for any bugs in the previous edition of the application.
Webcasting is rapidly maturing. There’s quite a bit to see
on the Web, and more is always on the way. Who knows, maybe one day your
computer will replace your television!