PowerPoint

Definition: Bandwidth is how much data you can move in a given amount of time.

Real-world: If your streaming media is too big for the connection of a viewer, they see choppy and incomplete playback.

The file-to-bandwidth ratio is important when you get into developing streaming media. So before beginning to develop streaming media, a bandwidth strategy is needed (or at least understood). The goal is to provide the quality needed, work with the viewers connection speed and not overload your hardware (the server).

1. The Bandwidth Math Numbers
The problem with “bandwidth math” is that two different sets of numbers are used. There is one for data transmission (Kbps) and another for data storage (KB ).

Files are measured in “KB” – kilobytes
Bandwidth is measured in “Kbps” – kilobits per second

Note that files use kiloBYTES and bandwidth uses kiloBITS (note one is “byte” and the other “bit”). Here is the trick – there are 8 bits in a byte. So when we have a 2MB streaming media file we are not transferring the 2,048KB (1MB = 1,024KB ), we are transferring 8x’s that much (2,048KB x 8 bits = 16,384Kbps).

2. Estimating Monthly Bandwidth:
This formula makes sure you stay within your hosting plans bandwidth allotment (usually hosting plans give bandwidth in GB per month – go over this amount and you risk additional charges or termination of your account). Here’s the formula:

(Average Daily Visitors x Average # Views x Average Media Size (in KB )) x 31 days x 1.5 (this is the “guesstimate” factor that gives a 50% buffer)

As example:
(40 daily visitors x 60 views x 20,480 KB (= 20 MB ) average media size) x 31 days x 1.5 = 2,285,568,000 KB
2,285,568,000 KB / 1,024 (1 MB ) = 2,232,000 MB, which is approx. 2 GB of bandwidth per month.

– Troy @ TLC

“Streaming” means part of a file is being played while the rest of it is downloading in the background. When you click “play” on a movie, webcast, or audio file initially a small portion of the file is downloaded. While the initial portion is playing, the next portion downloads in the background. The process continues until the entire file has been downloaded.

So the big question is how do you convert a PowerPoint presentation to a streaming format that downloads the fastest? No matter what software is used, or what format is chosen, the overall goal of creating streaming media is to throw away data that is not needed.

There are lots (and lots) of variables in how to decide what is thrown away, what software to use, what format to create, etc. First, there is no one answer or way to create the “best” streaming media. The reason is developing streaming media is all about compromises. How much data can be thrown away while maintaining needed quality? What is the needed playback size? What is the best format for the intended audience? What is the connection speed of the audience? Based on the answers to all of these questions we figure out what process to develop our streaming media in.

– Troy @ TLC

There is an explosion of activity around webcasts. This year I have had a ton of webcast projects – most involving PowerPoint content. The good news is PowerPoint once again finds itself at the center of the universe. The even better news is that software to make PowerPoint presentations web-ready are continuously being added to the mix. The bad news is most PowerPoint designers know very little about streaming media and are unprepared when the almost inevitable request to create a webcast from a presentation is put forth.

So there is at least one place to go and do a quick study of Streaming media/webcasts I have put together an eight part series on the topic. Check back as we cover all the behind-the-scenes “basics” about streaming media over the next week!

– Troy @ TLC

Mike Wilson from Instant Effects has a great article that posted at Indezine last week. I have worked a lot with Mike and his developers over the past few years as OfficeFX has evolved. Even better is knowing he has spent time out of office and backstage at large corporate events to really see what the presentations need to do and how they are used.

This is a long article, so have a few minutes, but it captures a lot of the enviroment, equipment considerations and requests I work with every day. View it here.

– Troy @ TLC