The Live Events Channel

In addition to offering movies, trailers, and special shorts and features, Contoso Movies Online will present live events. This is another way the site owners plan to keep the site alive and fresh. Along with a live event, the site will run a chat which will be run by the event producer. The goal is to offer at least one live event per month. The owners realize that this is an ambitious goal, but they also see the competitive value of live events. Live events would draw many interested end users and help build the reputation of the site as a movie fan portal.

Unlike events on commercial television, the events on the live events channel can run as long as an event runs. The types of events will include movie premieres, special interview chats, and Hollywood parties. For example, to promote a movie, a production company could have one or more of the stars engage in a live chat from the set, which would include live audio and video.

Live television events can be expensive to produce. However, live events using streaming media can be done relatively inexpensively, because the technical requirements are often not as restrictive. And it would not be out of place to have part of the expense be absorbed by a production company. For example, a simple event could be done with one inexpensive digital camcorder, a fast laptop computer, and a broadband Internet connection. The only other expenses could be the production team, which may include a producer, camera operator, and someone to moderate the chat.

To view the event, end users will click the Live Events Channel link, which takes them to the Live Channel page. The page will include text and images to frame the page, and embedded chat and Windows Media Player ActiveX controls. The end user will be able to view the event, and perhaps log in to the chat room. In chapter 12 we will explore the Live Events Channel in greater detail.

To implement the Live Event Channel on the site, we will need the following components:

• Source

• Hosting service

• Web design

• Production equipment and staff

• Encoding computer

• Broadband connection to Internet

Content Source

The nature of the source will depend on the event. Not all events will be produced entirely by the Contoso team. Many can be produced by other companies and sent to Contoso as live audio and video. Then the Contoso team will encode the signal and send it to their hosting service. For example, a television station might produce a live premiere for Los Angeles viewers. Contoso could make a deal with the station to pick up the signal from a satellite and encode it with one of their production workstations. Another event might require a combination of teams and encoding on location. Each event will have to be planned individually.

Hosting Service

The service will receive the live stream from the encoder through a broadcast publishing point. The stream can be sent to the service using a dedicated frame relay connection, a broadband Internet connection, or even a dial-up Internet connection. To prevent Internet users from connecting directly to the encoder, Contoso will use encoder security to allow access only by the host server.

Web Design

A Live Event Channel page will be created that contains the embedded Player and chat controls. The Player will include playback controls, so the end user can start or stop the Player, or expand the image to full screen. Before or after the event, the Player will be black. At those times, the page can show event times and other information.

Any live event can be streamed simultaneously to the publishing point and to an archive file. After the event, the file can be made available to end users for viewing on-demand. The live event page will also include a link to view these archived events.

Production Equipment and Staff

If the production will be handled by the Contoso team, a producer or director will need to be assigned or hired, and plans made to gather the necessary equipment, supplies, crew, and connections. Then a production schedule will be created. The simple camcorder and laptop production can be expanded to include multiple cameras, a remote production truck, and a large crew, depending on the need and budget. For example, a studio may see the value in helping with the cost of a production as part of their marketing effort.

Encoding Computer

Regardless of the size of the production, one or more encoding computers will be required to convert audio and video to a digital media stream, and then send it over a network. Although one laptop can encode a live stream, if a large budget is on the line, it is always better to have redundant, reliable encoding computers. If you want to offer the stream at a number of different bit rates, you can encode an MBR stream. However, encoding MBR streams in real time requires a fast, reliable computer with abundant RAM. Rather than encoding with MBR, you can instead encode streams on multiple encoding computers.

Broadband Internet Connection

The most reliable and cost-effective means of getting the live stream from the encoder to the server is over a dedicated connection. Frame relay can provide adequate bandwidth and reliability. ISDN connections are also often used. If setup time and cost is a factor, you can use a broadband Internet connection, such as DSL or a cable modem. However, you should be prepared with a backup communications channel, such as a dial-up connection.