Communicast's per-user, per-minute pricing structure makes it economical for companies that plan to do only a handful of webcasts. A single, hourlong webcast, with 10 participants, for example, would cost $594 ($0.99 per minute, per user). By the time you reach a dozen yearly webcasts with 50 participants, the $14,040 fee ($0.39 per minute, per user) falls into the range of Accordent's and Sonic Foundry's prices, even though the minutes-per-user figure drops substantially. Keep in mind that Communicast's pricing includes bandwidth costs. For webcasts with a large number of participants, Communicast may still be cheaper when you factor in renting or purchasing additional bandwidth from your ISP or a content-delivery service.
Communicast 3.0, priced by the minute, per participant starting at $0.29 per minute, per participant. Communicast, (800) 446-2071, (703) 435-8033. www.communicast.com
MICHAEL J. DEMARIA is an associate technology editor based at NETWORK COMPUTING's Syracuse University's Real-World Labs. Write to him at [email protected].
CD-ROM and DVD-ROM distribution will get your PowerPoint presentation out there, but it won't get you an immediate response. Webcasting lets you make a live connection with your audience. And it's interactive: Participants can have a dialogue with the presenter and even respond to real-time polls.
We tested three webcasting products--one hardware-based, one software-based and one service provider. Accordent Technologies' PresenterPro Enterprise Edition software took our Editor's Choice award for its post-production editing capabilities, access control and reasonable price. However, we would feel comfortable recommending the other two products, Communicast, a Web service, and Sonic Foundry's Mediasite Live appliance, based on users' needs. Communicast's pricing structure, in particular, may make sense for companies that need to do only infrequent webcasts.
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