Connect, Record, Share
Benefits of MediasiteThe tangible benefits of Web-based rich media have been well documented. In the case of online training, for example, keeping employees off airplanes and out of hotels results in savings that companies can clearly measure. But what about the intangibles? It’s much harder to quantify the ripple effect of using rich media to communicate with greater clarity, frequency and convenience than ever before.
Mediasite’s Windows-based dual-pane viewer provides an optimal viewing experience of synchronized video and visuals, giving audiences the full benefit of high-resolution rich media presentations. Furthermore, because Mediasite offers on-demand functionality, employees enjoy greater flexibility in when and how they access information.
Companies that use Mediasite for their one-to-many communication needs report a transformed workplace where a culture of rich media usage begins to develop. Oftentimes, although they began providing Web presentations for one specific application, they soon identify other areas within the company that could benefit. Meanwhile, people in the field or at a satellite office feel more connected to corporate headquarters, and all employees quickly become accustomed to going to the company’s Intranet for rich, timely information. Users also report experiencing the concept of time shifting, as utilization of on-demand presentations is 400-700 percent greater than live events—clearly illustrating the preference for convenient anywhere/anytime access.
On the Verge
It seems the use of streaming media has been poised to explode for years now. While it is becoming more commonplace, it’s still typically reserved for special events like quarterly CEO webcasts at large companies. Sonic Foundry believes that’s about to change. Although relatively new to the business environment, rich media presentation recorders that feature audio, video and supporting collateral show great promise to become a powerful, routine communications vehicle.
As technologies matured and network infrastructure improved, the final piece for enabling the growth of rich media is a highly automated, self-service product like Mediasite that seamlessly fits into business processes. Mediasite frees communicators to work more efficiently while extending their reach and the value of their content. They don’t have to learn new software, modify their business processes, or schedule the capturing and encoding of the presentation in advance. Simply plug into the system and present as usual. No special skills required.
On–the-fly capture is important because it allows the person delivering the presentation to be as spontaneous as he or she wishes and even customize the presentation based on the live feedback from viewers. It also means there’s no pressure to finish the slides or other collateral in advance of the presentation, allowing subject experts to communicate their message and move on, instead of waiting for a specialist to perform all of the pre- and post-production requirements.
Think back before PowerPoint software was available on practically every desktop in the company. It wasn’t that long ago when creating a business presentation was the responsibility of the graphics department, required specialized tools and skills and, even then, was only done on special occasions. Today, most business professionals can create their own presentations using PowerPoint, but the thought of putting that presentation on the Web, with synchronized audio and video of the speaker, remains daunting.
By and large, even the businesses that have progressed to the point of putting their rich media presentations on the corporate network or Web do so only for special events. The reason for this is perfectly clear when one considers the processes they use. It’s usually a multi-day production job for the company’s already-taxed audio/video and IT departments, or the company outsources the project to webcast production specialists, where they pay top dollar for the time, service and equipment.
However, just as people now create PowerPoint presentations at their desktops without giving it a second thought, it won’t be long before business users will routinely use rich media presentation systems like Mediasite to create and communicate to anyone anywhere on the Internet.
In summary, Mediasite provides customers with unmatched performance, flexibility, and graphic capabilities. While most Web presentation systems limit users to PowerPoint, Mediasite’s unique dual-channel RGB recorder gives presenters the unprecedented capability to use any kind of sophisticated graphics. Everything is automatically captured, synchronized, and streamed in real time. No authoring. No pre- or post-production. No streaming- or seat-licensing fees. No worries.