What a Webcast Service Is

Webcasting, or the streaming of audio and video files over the internet, has changed the face of media. Webcasting is possible from just about any computer with an internet connection and the necessary programs. However, when the bandwidth requirements for a webcast are too high for an ordinary computer and internet connection to handle, the streamed audio or video files might become too choppy or slow for the audience to enjoy or appreciate fully. The needed infrastructure to host streaming media files to millions of users can be too expensive for most people or groups to own. In light of this, the need for a webcast service is often apparent.

A webcast service gives groups or individuals the needed bandwidth for sustaining large audience webcasts for a required fee, under specified conditions. It will provide its customers with the needed bandwidth, infrastructure, and other related services for ensuring a smooth webcast. This service is actually an internet hosting service, similar to hosting services that host websites or not streaming files. The main distinction is the specialization that a webcast service has. A proper service will have the needed equipment, programs, and expertise to reliably host streaming media files for their customers and they will often provide services related to the same. A webcast service needs to be able to distribute streaming media files to an audience that potentially numbers in the millions.

A webcast service will need to use programs that allow the streaming of media files or perhaps live content, in some cases. Such sets of programs include StreamGenie, among others. These programs will make possible effective and efficient streaming of media files to large audiences. The service will also need hardware and equipment in order to make possible high speed streams to several computers connected to the internet. This means efficient, large capacity servers are required. A very high speed internet connection is also required, as Direct Service Line connections do not provide nearly enough upload speed for most clients, let alone a webcast service. For this purpose, a high speed satellite internet connection is most often used.

The internet boom of the past generation has resulted in the creation of many a webcast service. Also, every webcast provider will try to have a competitive advantage over its rivals in the increasingly crowded service market. This has resulted in companies targeting specific market niches in order to secure their places, and as a result, there is a webcast service existing for almost every possible need there is.

In spite of this, many things have to be taken into consideration by a webcast service as well as its customers. These considerations include internet connection speed, webcast length and target audience considerations as well as a host of many other things.

These considerations help a webcast service determine how much it will charge, as well as how much of its infrastructure will dedicate on any single customer or client. Also considered are the programs and protocols to be used to make sure that there are no hitches to any webcast.