University of Texas embraces ViewCast encoders and streaming technology

University of Texas fans are enjoying a new way to watch and replay their favorite Longhorns sporting event via the Internet. The innovative university has embraced streaming technology from Viewcast to further advance its collegiate athletic programs and broaden its reach to a much larger audience.

The University of Texas has implemented ViewCast Niagara encoding systems and Niagara GoStream portable streaming encoders to capture and stream live video from any location with Internet access, as well as enable archived video for later video-on-demand (VOD) viewing. The program has expanded its coverage to 20 different intercollegiate teams, including football, baseball, soccer, women's volleyball, and many more. To catch a Longhorns sporting event via the Internet or watch replay of captured events, viewers visit the university's online athletics media center at www.texassports.tv. 

ViewCast streaming equipment has enabled University of Texas athletics to evolve its video content delivery model from a subscription-only service to free streaming content for live sporting events, as well as an extensive sports video archive, all funded by sponsorships. Jim Sigmon, manager of media production for University of Texas Intercollegiate Athletics, said, "Since we switched to ViewCast, the quality of our streaming video offerings has increased considerably and so has the audience- which has enabled the program to become self-funded." 

With such an expansion of interest and activity, the university's production team needed multiple units to be available at multiple locations, often simultaneously. Rack-mounted ViewCast Niagara encoders housed in the university's mobile broadcasting vehicles enable the production crew to stream audiovisual content from up to three live events simultaneously. The portable Niagara GoStream encoders allow them to capture high-quality, live action sporting events on location from a variety of venues. 

Since the university began employing ViewCast equipment, its streaming uptime reliability, customer satisfaction, and user experience have dramatically increased. "With our old configuration of streaming equipment, our failure rate was 40 percent or greater, and it was not unusual for us to lose audio or video during an athletic event," said Sigmon. "Now, the Niagara and GoStream encoders give us well over 90 percent reliability at a truly competitive price point." 

ViewCast streaming encoders provide a wide range of video and audio inputs, as well as flexibility by including multiple bit rate and format (codec) settings. This broad array of capabilities ensures that the production crews can capture the rapid-paced action of a game and deliver a high-quality viewing experience to the fans, regardless of the Internet connection speed or viewing format they choose. 

"These systems provide plug-and-play encoding functionality that gives us everything we need to begin encoding right out of the box," said Sigmon. "We don't have to be experts in that area to make this work. Our production crews simply plug their cameras into the ViewCast encoders, connect to the Internet, push a button, and start streaming. The most novice user can stream if they've got this user-friendly technology." 

"The University of Texas is a great example of an organization that has been able to leverage our streaming technology to maximum benefit by providing a rich array of live and archived video content to sports fans," said Gary J. Klembara, senior vice president of sales at ViewCast. "The university listened to its fans and responded with the high-quality, on-demand content they were asking for, and Niagara GoStream provided a cost-effective and reliable solution."