How to make an online broadcast on your website - text, audio and video chat, WebRTC technology

13.11.18 IT / Misc 6388

Real-time communication may be needed in different situations, for example, for online broadcasts. Online broadcasts allow you to exchange information with an unlimited number of people. You can get small groups and broadcast your content, or you can organize large meetings.

For online broadcasting , special programs and third-party services are usually used, but it may be necessary to broadcast online on your website. For an unprepared user, this is a rather difficult task and will require the help of a specialist.

Online Streaming Content Types

Online broadcasts can involve the broadcast of various data, usually text, audio or video data:

• text chat in real time - differs from regular chats in that there are no delays, messages are delivered to the recipient instantly;
• real-time audio chat is useful in that you can talk with a site visitor, like by phone, and such a chat can be combined with a text chat;
• live video chat , in addition to text and sound, will allow the client to demonstrate the capabilities of the goods, explain how to use the services on the site, etc.

How to make an online broadcast on the site

To do this, you can use third-party services and simply connect them to your site, but this is not as effective as developing and implementing your own broadcast system on your site. What may include creating an online broadcast on the site:

• development of a interface for managing online broadcasts : starting, stopping, generating links, managing access rights, etc .;
• creating a special page or pages where the broadcast will be available. You can place a floating block on all pages of the site, clicking on which will expand the window with the broadcast;
• development of the main program code that will use the capabilities of the existing equipment - webcams, microphones, etc.;
• the transmission of an online stream can be implemented in different ways, for example, using a new technology - WebRTC.

WebRTC Technology

What is WebRTC? This is the latest technology that allows you to organize communications in real time. It is most effective for broadcasting in which two people take part. And for group conferences , you will need to use third-party servers for routing streams.

To implement large conferences on the site , you can develop your own stream distribution system or use third-party servers for this purpose, the developers of which have already solved this problem. But these features are usually paid, so it is better to spend once on the implementation of your system. This is especially true if you need to make a secure broadcast , where you need increased security - when all streams must be encrypted, transmitted and processed only by your own means.

Thus, to make an online broadcast on your site (text, audio or video chat), first of all, you need to determine the number of participants. For one or two participants, the task can be solved using a new technology - WebRTC, and for a larger number of participants, an additional implementation of a stream routing system will be required.