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The Internet was not designed with broadcasting in mind but several companies have developed software that enable radio and television pictures to be broadcast on it.
Good quality radio and low quality television pictures can be transmitted over the Internet. Broadcasting over the Internet is sometimes known as webcasting. To receive webcasts you need to have the appropriate software and a fast Internet connection such as broadband. It is not possible to receive Internet broadcasts using a slow connection like a modem and telephone line.
Advantages and Problems
This table summarises the advantages and problems of using the Internet for broadcasting compared to traditional methods :
Advantages
| Access Anywhere
| You can listen to the radio channel or watch the TV programme that you want wherever you are in the world. You do not need to be in a particular country or town.
| Range of Programmes
| Because Internet broadcasts can be made from anywhere in the world and received anywhere in the world there is a much bigger choice of programmes to listen to/see than on traditional broadcast systems.
| Easy Set Up
| The technology needed to broadcast on the Internet is much cheaper to obtain than traditional broadcasting equipment. Small companies or individuals can start broadcasting without spending a lot of money.
This means that new channels are more likely to set up and programmes can be made for minority interests.
| Problems
| Quality
| The quality of radio brodcast on the Internet is good, but Internet television is not very good. Pictures are often small or jittery, even with a fast broadband connection.
| Skills and Hardware
| The equipment required to receive Internet broadcasts is more expensive and more complex to set up than that needed to receive traditional broadcasts (i.e. a television or radio).
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GCSE ICT Companion 04 - (C) P Meakin 2004