Video streaming

Video streaming refers to the transmission of video content over the internet in real time. Nine things to know about video streaming are listed below.

  • Allows organizers to broadcast video content like presentations, speeches, performances, etc. to online viewers. Replaces in-person attendance.
  • Requires encoding live video into a compressed digital format and transmitting it over internet via streaming protocol.
  • Popular streaming protocols used include RTMP, HLS, WebRTC, RTSP, etc. These handle video packet transmission.
  • Video players on attendee devices receive the video stream and decompress it in real time for viewing. Common players like Flash, HTML5, etc.
  • Streaming services like Wowza, Azure Media Services provide cloud encoders, CDNs for scalable streaming delivery.
  • Streaming quality dependent on factors like internet speeds, bandwidth, compression rate, video resolution etc.
  • Features like closed captioning, sign language insets can make streams more accessible.
  • Interactivity can be added via chat, polls, Q&A, or by taking live feed of virtual audience reactions.
  • Allows for monetization via pay-per-view access, sponsorship, ads, subscriptions.

Video streaming enables virtual events to deliver engaging video content to online audiences globally, though requires robust technical infrastructure.