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In the Classroom and Beyond: Get Started Live Streaming for Education

By on April 18, 2019
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Not all of your university’s stakeholders can be at the same place at the same time. That’s why live streaming is not just a perk offered by the biggest universities in the country – it’s becoming an expectation at schools of all sizes. Some examples of ideal times to use live streaming for education include:

And these are just a few of the most common times your university might use live streaming. The possibilities with live streaming are limited only by your imagination –– and setup.

Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of setting up a live streaming system to broadcast your university’s classes and events. Here’s you can get started live streaming for education now:

How to prepare to live stream classes and other events

Once you’ve identified how your university will use live streaming, here’s how you can prepare to make it run as smoothly as possible:

Invest in hardware and software that is right for your school

The server and platform on which you stream your video is just as important as the live stream itself. To get the video stream from the camera to the web for viewing, you need a video encoder.

Media and technology departments at universities often use live streaming encoders like Open Broadcaster, Matrox Monarch LCS/HD, WireCast or Videon Greylock HD to stream their content to a platform like Ensemble Video.

Ensure the things you can control are set up properly

You can’t control the quality of the connection from which a student, parent or other stakeholder streams their video. However, you can control many elements of your video until it gets to their device, including the camera and microphone you use to record and the network you choose to stream on.

Don’t underestimate the importance of audio. When first getting started live streaming, some media professionals focus on the video quality and stream itself and neglect to use the right microphones for the job.

Be prepared for everything

Try to think ahead to every possible situation that is within your power to fix. If you’re choosing to live stream your university’s graduation, guest speaker or other event through a WiFi connection, are you prepared to connect with a hardwire if the WiFi fails? Do you have a backup microphone if your initial setup stops working?

It’s important to test your live stream at least an hour ahead of your school event to leave yourself time to smooth out any potential complications.

If something doesn’t go according to plan during your live stream, remember even the biggest events in the world ––  the Super Bowl, the Oscars, even the Olympics –– run into challenges when live streaming.

Make the video available for VOD

Maybe a student, parent or other viewer was unavailable to watch during the time of the live stream, or lives in another time zone that made viewing difficult. This is an easy challenge to overcome. When the live stream is over, make the recording available to stream on demand through your university’s video platform.

Live streaming for education is easier with Ensemble Video.

Ensemble Video offers, on-premise, cloud-based and hybrid platforms, allowing you to stream, capture, manage and publish high-quality live video all in one platform.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help you set up and perfect your university’s live streaming system, don’t hesitate to reach out. We want to show you what Ensemble Video can do.

About Scott Nadzan

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