CHAPTER 3

Digital Audio and Video Basics

Webcasting, the latest in a long series of broadcast technologies, became possible due to two parallel developments. First, the tail end of the 20th century saw the rapid development and deployment of digital audio and video technology in the consumer market, in the guise of compact discs, video cameras, and DVD players. This provided the necessary technology that would be adapted to suit the low bandwidth environment of the Internet.

Second, the personal computer, combined with the explosive growth of the Internet, provided the distribution platform. Webcasting combines the power of a multimedia-enabled PC with the interactive nature of the Internet to extend the concept of broadcasting into new territory. ...

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