ipod InfoComm 06

Orlando was the setting last week for the annual audiovisual confab called InfoComm. Despite high temperatures outside and the show’s emphasis on projectors and traditional audiovisual gear, several cool streaming media and webcasting product enhancements were launched at the show.

三家富媒体唱片公司, located in different parts of the Orange County Convention Center, introduced podcasting as part of their rich media recording workflows. 三家公司——一致, Anystream, and Sonic Foundry—all noted high demand from their educational customer base for the addition of podcasting.

"Educational users make up almost half of our established customer base,达林·库尔森说, Sonic Foundry全球业务高级副总裁, "and these educational institutions are embracing podcasting and ‘anywhere learning’ for both traditional and non-traditional students. We see this as a natural extension of our MediaSite recorder and server line."

One example Coulson gave of a customer who was already using podcasting is the University of Pittsburgh.

“到目前为止, 我们通过Mediasite的截图手动创建了播客,尼克·劳达托说, associate director of the Center for Instructional Development and Distance Education (CIDDE) at the University of Pittsburgh. "Sonic Foundry’s new automatic podcasting of Mediasite content will help us to efficiently provide both faculty and students with the convenience of using popular hand-held entertainment systems to enrich their educational experience. 现在, 他们可以访问在线课程内容的音频版本, 任何时候, 通过他们最喜欢的MP3播放器."

Accordent also stressed the use of podcasting to help reinforce more traditional learning methods, 无论是在教室还是在会议室, and added podcast compatibility to both the Capture Station and PresenterPLUS presentation authoring solutions.

"Our educational customers have definitely requested podcasting,杰里米·皮茨说, 雅高的销售和营销副总裁. "But the need for podcasting reaches beyond institutions of higher learning to our corporate 培训 and human resource customers. Many clients want to make presentations available in an easily-accessible audio format, 可以设置为RSS源吗, 因此，播客对这些客户来说是一种天然的媒介, 太."

While Sonic Foundry and Accordent announced audio-only podcasts that can be used on any MP3 player, Anystream, whose Apreso product line uses the same RGB frame grabber board as the other two companies, also announced an iPod-centrice podcasting capability that utilizes the still image and chapter marking capabilities of the iPod and iTunes.

"Anystream showcased audio podcasting at last year’s InfoComm,马克·琼斯说。, Anystream教育产品副总裁, "and our customers have shared with us studies that show the measurable impact on student learning outcomes. 今年, we’re showing the next step in enterprise podcasting—the inclusion of still image frame grabs at key points in the podcast. This allows students not only to review the audio portion of a lecture but also to see visuals such as formulas or documentation written on a whiteboard. 我们的客户要求这个附加功能, 是什么让我们的产品与其他产品区别开来."

我在一个30GB的iPod视频上观看了apresso播客的样本, 还有图像, 虽然小, 出奇地清晰. Anystream’s Jones notes that the Apreso system used for podcasting doesn’t have an editor like Accordent or Sonic Foundry to remove unwanted images or reposition images to better align them with key points in a lecture, but he feels that the Apreso scene change-detection algorithm compensates for the lack of an editor.

Sonic Foundry and Accordent also provided glimpses into upcoming products.

Accordent showcased a laptop-based version of its upcoming Accordent Capture Station 2.0. Using a PCMCIA card and an outboard PCI card expansion chassis, the mobile rich media capture station was shown recording a rich media session on an HP 2.6GHz P4系统. Accordent noted that a 7200 RPM drive would be required to maintain data throughput when the mobile version is launched in the next few weeks, 同时补充说，客户对手机的需求, 独立录音系统继续增加.

Sonic Foundry’s Coulson says that backend server capacity and scalability were key to the upcoming Mediasite 4.0版本.

"We feel comfortable that we’re meeting the needs of our current and potential customers when it comes to rich media recording devices,库尔森说。, “所以我们将注意力转向强大的可扩展性. We now have several customers who are outputting 60-100 Mediasite recordings per week, which means the need for scheduling and serving content also increases exponentially. 我们终于达到了行业的临界质量, with one recent Mediasite-enabled broadcast reaching almost 150 countries and anticipated to be viewed by 1 million live or on-demand viewers by month’s end."

accorent的首席执行官兼联合创始人, 迈克•纽曼, agrees that the adoption of rich media presentations has reached the tipping point, and that podcasting compatibility is the next logical step.

"We are seeing rapid adoption of rich media presentations for eLearning, 培训, 以及企业沟通,纽曼说。. "It’s essential that these presentations reach beyond the traditional desktop experience to allow users to access content wherever they are."