Re: webcasting

[hmglaz@webtv.net (H Glazer)]

Dan Billings writes:

<<This is actually a big problem on the web. Many web pages are created
using the latest technology and all the bells and whistles don't work on
the older browsers ...>>

A heartfelt "amen" from the lowest of the Internet low -- in some eyes
- -- the WebTVer. WebTV has no access to MS Media Player and only supports
RealAudio up to version 3.0. Many stations accommodate us by making
their RA 5.0 feeds back-compatible, but the "big kahuna" of webcasting,
broadcast.com, does not. And now a raft of Boston stations I'd love to
hear down here in CT have hitched their wagons to the MS system. 

This device hasn't been the smash hit many thought it would be, but
there are still 800,000 subscribers. Add that number to the millions of
Mac users and users of other noncompatible browsers and you see that
many webcasters are shutting out potential listeners. Does anyone know
just how much more it would cost WROR to provide a companion RA feed, or
how much more it costs an RA 5.0 station to make its feed
back-compatible with 3.0?

Or, since nobody has figured how to make money off webcasting, are
stations adding streaming audio simply as a "me too" thing, not really
caring what percentage of users can listen?


Howard

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