Q_A_RFI.docx

RFI-WP-Streaming-01 Questions and Answers

1. Are there examples of archived audio video webcasts we can look at?

Yes. You can find links to samples of both the audio and webcast recordings on this page.

2. What is the current bit rate and codec being used?

Our audio feed is currently produced at 96 Kbps. Our video is broadcast via the Adobe Connect webinar service which "can only display two video file formats: FLV and F4V. These are the two Flash video formats, and they use the On2 VP6 and H.264 encodings, respectively."

3. What are the make and model of the cameras currently being used?

Our cameras are Sony BRC 300 within a Vaddio WallVIEW system.

4. Is all of the existing equipment currently SD?

Yes.

5. Do you use the AMX touch panel control system to switch the cameras?

Yes.

6. Do you use any graphics or on-screen text such as lower thirds during the webcasts?

Not currently but such a capability may be desired in the future.

7. How is captioning currently handled?

Our captioning is generated by a vendor via our webcast and/or internet audio stream. The captions are delivered to the public in two ways: in a caption pod (webinar) and a stand-alone browser link (everyone else).

8. Are portable solutions presently in use?

No.

9. How often do the meetings/webcasts occur?

About three times per month.

10. What is the typical volume or webcasts per month?

Webcasts vary in length from 15 minutes to six hours. A typical monthly volume would be around 12 hours.

Per year?

About 25 separate events will be broadcast during 2015 for an average volume of around 150 hours.

11. What is the typical bandwidth used per webcast?

Currently each webcast connection requires roughly 600k on average with a peak of roughly 900k.

12. How many viewers do you prepare for live viewing? How many per month for archive viewing

If you mean 'how many viewers do we anticipate for each live viewing', the answer varies. For commission meetings, live viewership averages around 15–20 viewers with a current ceiling of 95 maximum viewers. For outreach webinars, we generally host 50 – 60 live viewers with the same ceiling of 100. Ideally we would like our broadcasts to be available to as many viewers as wish to see them.