Mediasite Live, $25,000. Sonic Foundry, (877) 783-7987. www.sonicfoundry.com
Communicast's Web-based presentation service provides a solution for companies that lack streaming servers and heavy bandwidth. If you make only a few presentations each year, it makes sense to subscribe to Communicast, which broadcasts from its own network operations center.
In the staging phase, the admin can upload slides to Communicast, which automatically converts them to JPEG files. Communicast also offers a good range of options for creating interactive content. Besides the conventional Q&A, picture, URL push and polls, Communicast offers a message-board mode, where users can brainstorm ideas. Communicast also offers a pro/con option, which lets users submit affirmatives and negatives to a proposed idea. The presenter can choose to broadcast all, some or none of the answers. Finally, a certifier option lets you create a multiple-choice, multiquestion test. As a Web service, Communicast has the best access control. The administrator who stages the presentation first sets up user registration. You can limit attendees, and if you want to charge users for access, Communicast can handle the credit-card billing. You can also set up a survey form, which consists of up to 10 short-answer questions.
The video and audio are captured through a Flash plug-in. If your presenter is busy speaking on a stage, you will need a second person to handle pushing out content to the online participants. The webcast admin is given a list of the slides and interactive content. Slides are not pushed to the audience until the admin clicks on one. In fact, some of Communicast's more advanced collaboration features suggest this product is a better fit for off-site interactive meetings than presentations. For example, only Communicast offers whiteboard capabilities. You can create colored arrows, lines, geometric shapes and overlay text on a white backboard. Questions and answers are sent in an e-mail-type interface; however, the viewers receive no indication that a new message has arrived. After the conference has ended, the administrator can see who logged in, the results of interactive content and all the Q&A messages.
At Communicast, replaying is still in its infancy. We had to alert Communicast if we wanted to record the presentation. However, we got a preview of a late-alpha version of "one-click archiving," slated for release by print time. With this feature, our entire presentation was recorded, and could be played back on demand. But there was no fast-forward or rewind, only pause and begin again. Communicast also offers some consulting with its services, such as training and post-event debriefings.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
