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When presenting to a large group, with participants at different sites, you can broadcast the presentation live over the network or the Internet (including video and audio). If some participants cannot attend and want to view the broadcast later, you can even record the broadcast simultaneously (only when broadcasting over the network).

This article explains what equipment is needed both to view a presentation broadcast and to present one live to a large group, and provides tips on setting up for a broadcast. For detailed instructions on broadcasting a presentation, see Microsoft PowerPoint Help. For information about broadcasting a presentation to a small group (10 people or fewer), read Broadcast PowerPoint presentations to small groups .

What the presenter needs

As a presenter, you'll need:

• PowerPoint 2002 or later and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.1 or later.
• A Windows Media™ service provider (to broadcast live over the Internet) or a Windows Media server that all audience members can access to view the presentation (to broadcast live over a network).
• A computer video camera or regular analog video camera with a video capture card supported by Windows Media Technologies , connected according to the manufacturer's instructions, if you plan to include video in your broadcast. (Typically, you would use the camera to capture yourself, as the presenter, while you give the presentation.) Note that a digital video camera with IEEE 1394 port is not supported for broadcasting presentations.
• A sound card with a microphone plugged into it, if you want to include sound in your broadcast.
• Microsoft Outlook® or another e-mail client, to invite audience members to the broadcast.

What your audience needs

Your audience will need the following to see the presentation:

• The presentation is saved in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) format, so your audience needs a Web browser (Internet Explorer 5.1 or later is recommended).
• Windows Media Player 6.0 or later (included with Windows).

Planning ahead

In addition to making sure you have all the equipment you need to broadcast the presentation, keep the following tips in mind:

• If you plan to use a Windows Media service provider, be sure to leave enough time to sign up for an account and review the provider's procedures and guidelines to ensure that the service meets your needs.
• Do a practice run, especially if this is your first broadcast. You can broadcast with the same settings and view it on a second computer. Or, you can first record and save your presentation and review it before you deliver the presentation live. If you have time, you should do the dry run at least two days before the scheduled broadcast so that you'll have time to fix any problems.
• If you are broadcasting without scheduling, make sure you are prepared with e-mail addresses and that you remember to invite everyone before you start the broadcast. Give everyone time to receive the invitation before starting the broadcast.

Broadcasting live over the Internet

To broadcast a presentation live over the Internet, you must use a third-party Windows Media service provider that has partnered with Microsoft on the PowerPoint broadcasting feature. For help selecting a service provider, visit the Windows Media Technologies Partner Center. For detailed instructions about setting broadcast options for use with a provider, see Microsoft PowerPoint Help.

Broadcasting live over a network (intranet)

To broadcast a presentation over an intranet to more than 10 viewers, you must use a Windows Media server (Windows Media Services installed on a server). Windows Media Services are built into Windows 2000 Server. You can install Windows Media Services on a computer running Microsoft Windows NT® Server 4.0. Download Windows Media Services 4.1 from the Windows Media Download Center .

Windows Media Services (formerly NetShow Services) distributes streaming audio and video content that can be displayed on client computers by using Windows Media Player. In this case, the Windows Media encoder (on the presenter computer or another computer) turns the presentation (audio and video) into Advanced Streaming Format (ASF) content (live stream) that can be delivered over the network by the Windows Media server. The Windows Media server then broadcasts the presentation to the Windows Media Player (on a participant computer), which displays the presentation for the audience.

Step 1: Configure the network server(s)

To broadcast a presentation live over a network, it is recommended that you use two servers that reside on the same domain. One server must have Windows Media Services installed to broadcast the presentation, and one server can be used for file sharing (users will access the broadcast-formatted presentation on this server during the broadcast).

For more information about the system requirements for Windows Media Technologies, see System Requirements and the Readme for Microsoft Windows Media Technologies Version 4.1 .

Step 2: Test the Windows Media server

Before you install and configure the On-line Presentation Broadcast service, make sure that your Windows Media server is configured, running smoothly, and able to stream media on demand from the ASFROOT directory. You can test this by placing the Sample.ASF into the C:\ASFROOT directory on the Windows Media server. On the presenter machine, click Run on the Start menu. Type the following:

mms://<servername>/sample.asf

The Sample.ASF should play in Windows Media Player. If the Sample.ASF does not play, your Windows Media server is not installed or is not configured properly and you should consult your Windows Media documentation.

Step 3: Configure the On-line Presentation Broadcast service on the Windows Media server

Note  The On-line Presentation Broadcast service must be running under a domain account with administrator privileges and must have read/write access to the network share where the broadcast files are stored (the file location in the Broadcast Settings dialog box in PowerPoint).

To configure the On-line Presentation Broadcast service on the Windows Media server do the following:

For information about how to begin broadcasting, see the topics "Specify a Windows Media Server or encoder for a broadcast" and "Broadcast a live presentation" in PowerPoint Help.