Making Webcasts A Bit More UniformMaking Webcasts A Bit More Uniform

Amid mounting concerns about business travel, Webcast company E-StudioLive is rolling out a service version of its upgraded CommuniCast hardware and software. CommuniCast combines audio, streaming video, applications like PowerPoint, and graphics. Webcasts conducted via CommuniCast also can be stored on CDs.

The new product is an enhancement over previous E-StudioLive products because Microsoft Office apps can be imported rather than manually converted to HTML. Perhaps just as important, the new version enables users to choose the bit rates of Webcasts. Heterogeneous infrastructures can make the production of uniform Webcasts difficult. "A Japan office could have ISDN, but a California office might have T3," says Greg Howard at consulting firm HTRC Group LLC.

CommuniCast stands out in a crowded field, Howard says, because it combines streaming video, audio, and graphics--and gives customers the option of buying either a combined product or service.

Do-it-yourselfers can buy CommuniCast for $35,000 to $45,000 for the CommuniCast 1000 series, which includes software for Webcast creation, production, and deployment; and dual Pentium-processor PC running Windows NT-based PC and hardware that gives Webcast presenters the ability to do things like switch camera shots. For those with more sophisticated needs, the 7000 series--which ranges from $68,000 to $120,000--incorporates a high-end broadcast production switcher with a broader range of video effects.

The CommuniCast service, through a partnership with Digital Island, starts with a setup fee of $5,000. E-StudioLive CEO Steve Crummey says customers pay $7,000 to $8,000 for four Webcasts.