Guide to Streaming Video

The Way to Share Memories

Capturing special events and occasions (like weddings) on videotape is not new and has been a favoured method since the price of the videotape recorder became affordable by most consumers. What is new is being able to put these videos on the Internet with streaming video technology! Streaming video gives you the opportunity to share your most important moments with friends and family. It can be done inexpensively and will delight those who can't be with you during the event itself.

What is streaming exactly? Streaming promises quick access to crucial audio and video content without the aggravating wait for files to download. Downloading requires that files be sent to the user's PC in their entirety before they can be played; MP3 audio is a perfect example of this. The files then remain on the user's machine until they are deleted. Streaming continuously sends these same files, which have already been digitised, to the user's PC while the user is listening or watching. When the stream is ended, no data is left behind on the user's machine.

In this stream, the mother of the bride surprised her daughter and her husband by arranging with the DJ to play a special surprise request right after the father/daughter dance. This is a memory well worth capturing. It will be shared over and over again with friends and family both near and far.

A tape that is done by a professional photographer/videographer should pose no problem when your streaming vendor prepares it for the Internet. If someone other than a professional is doing the taping, he/she should follow some guidelines to insure that the presentation will stream smoothly.

The next step is deciding which portion(s) of the presentation you'd like to have streamed and selecting a streaming vendor. (Your photographer/videographer may already have someone in mind.) If you don't have a personal website, the vendor you select should be able to offer you a personal page on which to place the stream and be able to host it for you. Almost every streaming vendor can accept your presentation in several readily available videotape formats such as VHS and Beta.

Your streaming vendor now takes over! They will do the necessary encoding and processing and place the stream on the Internet.

Now your fun begins. You can now have your wedding all over again! Make up a guest list. Include everyone who couldn't be there on that special day or those you couldn't invite. Ask everyone who did attend to come and see the highlights. Keep in mind that anyone with an Internet connection can attend. (No budget restrictions this time!) Send our your invitations via E-mail with the URL of your private page. Remind people that they can share your happiness when it's convenient for them. Your web page will be there for them to see no matter what their time zone or location - courtesy of the Internet.

You might want to put a whole video album online. Let your imagination be your guide. You could start with video highlights of your courtship and engagement party. Have a clip or two from your bridal shower. Include scenes from the rehearsal dinner. (I don't know about the bachelor party!) Show some of the activity going on before the ceremony. Make sure to capture some scenes with the older members of your family; those will be special to you in later years. The possibilities are endless.

After you see how much enjoyment you've given to your family and friends, you'll probably want to share other high points from your family's life. You can stream a video of your new baby, your children's major milestones, a special anniversary celebration - any occasion that's memorable.

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