Audio Webcasting Demystified
Unlocking the Mysteries of sound on the Web
By Skip Pizzi and Steve Church
Today, radio is a simple, ubiquitous part of daily life, bringing news and entertainment to millions. Yet early radio was frustrating and cumbersome, characterized by poor fidelity and unreliable reception. Nevertheless, no one could get enough.
In many ways, Web audio is following in the footsteps of its precursor. Given enough perserverence and enthusiasm, its balky, low-fidelity, nonportable attributes should improve over time, making it as universal and commonplace as radio is today -- but with the significant addition of interactivity.
Audio Days
Online audio has a vast range of applications. Audio elements such as greeting messages, background music, opening "stingers," and game effects can be "dropped in" to Web pages just as sound clips are used to enhance CD-ROMs.
Audio can also play a primary, rather than a supportive, role by providing a continuous stream of audio that the Web user "tunes into." Most providers of such services are radio stations or networks, who simply put their channels on the Web. About 250 radio stations now reach listeners worldwide.
Sports broadcasts not available in a listener's radio market can also be provided in a pay-per-listen or pay-channel mode. Recent experimental Webcasts of baseball games have included video as well, providing low-resolution images of the game on screen. Supportive video is also used to provide live video images of DJs at work in the studio as a radio show is transmitted.<>
