dc: A Live Webcast Control System

by:

T.P. Yu, D. Wu, K. Meyer-Patel, and L.A. Rowe,
Computer Science Division - EECS
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-1776

Abstract

Internet webcasting pioneers have overcome the technical hurdles required to produce streaming media programs, but the content quality of the programs can be improved. Current webcasts underutilize the capabilities of the Internet. A typical webcast is composed of a single stream sent from one source to many viewers similar to a television broadcast using one format and a single data rate. Yet the limitations of broadcast do not apply to the Internet, which can support programs composed of multiple streams and interaction between viewers.

Some producers already generate multiple transmissions to support viewers with different capabilities (e.g., client software and access bandwidth). Simulcasting the program increases the potential audience. Producing and controlling an interactive webcast composed of multiple streams and transmissions is a complex operation. The Director's Console (dc) provides a manual interface to solve some problems. It provides an intuitive GUI interface based on a flexible control infrastructure to simplify creating and managing a multi-stream and multi-transmission webcast. The challenge is to improve webcast programs without increasing the cost of production. Dc has an open architecture that adapts to a changing environment. Automation will be added to the system in the future to further simplify webcast production and reduce the cost of production.