Talk:Low cost and low bandwidth webinar software

Martine Koopman, 2009/9/18

Hi everyone,

I like to find out if anyone can recommend webinar software that could work in a low(er) bandwidth situation for video seminars, live questions and chat. Is there good working open source software available that you can integrate on your site? Or is linking to another page working better?

Please let me know.

Kind regards,

Martine Koopman Officer Knowledge Sharing International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)

Reinier Battenberg, 2009/9/18

Hi, The most advanced package i have found (but never installed) is dimdim: http://www.dimdim.com/opensource/dimdim_open_source_community_edition.html For chat (and low-bandwidth), you can use an xmpp server. There are a few web-based xmpp clients, jwchat is one. There is also a Drupal xmpp framework that ties in quite nicely with Drupal user management and the notifications platform. (So what you could do is to send members of a mailinglist that are currently online a chat message with the link to the article, instead of the whole email.)

A somewhat more advanced XMPP client is called Cocinella, it does not have video (video and low-bandwidth just dont go well together), but it does have a whiteboard, location function and some other minor features you dont find on the average XMPP client. http://thecoccinella.org/ off-topic (or somewhere near) Sometimes when you google, you come across amazing stuff. When I tried re-googling dimdim, i came across a project called Kaltura. It is an online platform to edit video, compiled from either youtube, myspace & other sources, or your own uploaded material. Collaborative video editing > VideoWIki. Quite interesting form of KM i'd reckon: http://osflash.org/kaltura

rgds,

Reinier Battenberg Director Mountbatten Ltd. www.mountbatten.net

Keith Berner, 2009/9/21

We had recent success using WizIQ with 80-some participants worldwide. This tools has the added benefit of being free!

Keith Berner IT Projects Manager IREX International Research & Exchanges Board

Romilly Gregory, 2009/9/25

At Oxfam we recently evaluated webinar products and found that Elluminate worked best over low bandwidth connections. We are now using it widely and are very happy with it. You can set up small scale3 person meetings for free.

Romilly

Romilly Gregory Enterprise Architect Oxfam GB

Nancy White, 2009/9/25

We've been using http://www.vyew.com for a current workshop and our participants in Kenya have had pretty good luck. The applications/screen sharing features does slow things way down, so I use that sparingly. We don't use the built in VoiP but have been instead pairing it with a conference calling line that allows both Skype and land line call in because we have some who can't use VOIP in their workplaces.

I have also had pretty good luck with Elluminate and like the product.

Caitlin Bentley, 2009/9/25

What's the conference calling line that allows both Skype in and land lines? Do you mean that some just Skype out (to call in)? Or is it the same as a Skype to Skype i.e. free ?

Nancy White, 2009/9/25

It is actually a paid service http://www.hidefconferencing.com -- but the sound has turned out to be the best I've been able to find for international calls, you can record, etc. And the ability to both skype in and call in is a dream!