The opening day of the Streaming Media West 2002 Conference features an informative beginner's seminar for those seeking a background and overview of the business and technical aspects of streaming and digital media. Designed to help conference attendees get right up-to-speed for the conference on the following days, the sessions also stand alone as an excellent educational opportunity for those looking for a cohesive introduction to this nascent industry.

Written and presented by Streaming Media, Inc’s editors, researches and consultants, the "jargon-busting" seminar incorporates time for Q&A and is held in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. Not only will you be taken step-by-step through the basics of streaming audio and video, you'll also be provided with clear explanations of the strategic opportunities and practical issues you need to be aware of when planning your deployment of streaming applications.

Streaming Media over the internet or corporate intranet is one of the fastest and most efficient communications tools available today. In this beginning technical seminar, content creators, IT people, communications directors, or anyone remotely involved with marketing or communicating with the world will learn the nuts and bolts of streaming media from the ground up. No super-tech talk here, this seminar is programmed for the first time user, but even seasoned veterans of the internet will find new information here. Topics of discussion include:

• What exactly is streaming media?
• Introduction to codecs
• What are the differences between live and on-demand streaming?
• How do streaming technologies work - from production to delivery
• What are the quality-of-service and bandwidth issues you need to understand?
• What hardware and software is needed for streaming media?
• Basics of audio and video recording, pre-production, and delivery?
• Adding interactivity to your site