Thanks for tuning in again as we further explore the cutting edge of legal community
communications — “webcasting” over the Internet. Each month we focus on
examples of streaming audio/video from law firms and law-oriented organizations.
We have found an oasis in the world of streaming video, where it’s lovely cool and shaded
from the sun — and they even care about dialup users! That’s right, you are lucky to
be along as we explore the conflicting tides and currents of streaming video. This month we look
at the collection of seminar webcasts offered by an important legal community resource —
especially useful to those seeking CLE credit.
WHAT’S ON TONIGHT?
Practising Law Institute — with 180 employees in New York and San Francisco — is
a well-known name in CLE circles. Founded in 1933, PLI is a “non-profit continuing
legal education organization chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New
York.”
“Practising Law Institute”
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http://www.pli.edu
Essentially a producer and distributor of seminars, conferences and training materials, PLI has
explored a variety of media formats. From printed materials, to audio cassettes and CDs, to
videotapes, PLI materials are now also available via webcast.
HISTORY
In the late 1990's, as the technology jelled and the market was proven, PLI determined the
potential of webcasting as “a very powerful distance learning tool.” “We
realized that this was definitely a good way to distribute our content,” a spokesman
explains. After a few years of converting taped seminars into on-demand webcasts, they jumped
into live webcasting in 2001.
In 2003, PLI produced over 100 webcasts, mostly streaming video, a few as audio only. Most of
their programs now start as live seminars which are caught on video and encoded and webcast
‘on the fly.’ The fact that live webcasts are not edited helps to keep costs down and
reduce processing time. “We try to keep editing to a minimum to provide webcast and
on-demand users the same experience as our live customers,” explains a spokesman.
Skipping the editing phase also improves PLI’s ability to webcast timely topics, helping it
stay flexible to “capitalize on whatever seems to be hot in the market at the time.”
Presently, they produce five or six webcasts per month.
OFFERINGS
The PLI website offers numerous programs which may be attended in person (at their New York
and San Francisco facilities) or enjoyed on audio CD or videocassette. For immediate
gratification, from the convenience of your desk, a wide range of legal topics is available online
via streaming audio or video
(click ‘Online CLE’):
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over 200 ‘On-Demand Web Programs’ (taped webcasts) ranging from $79 to
$1,995.
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48 ‘Upcoming Webcasts’ (live) ranging from $149 to $2,095.
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9 ‘Online Patent Courses’ for $129 each, or $750 as a package.
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13 ‘Interactive Courtroom Online’ programs for $249 each.
(Programs range from 1 hour to 2 days.)
INNOVATIVE ORGANIZATION
Webcasting is “definitely a growing part of our business,” says a spokesman. To
get there, PLI has over the years evaluated many of the new formats for storing and playing audio
and video, including VHS, DVD, and MP3. Apparently, the firm sailed effortlessly through an
interesting paradigm shift: from recorded media (audio and video tapes sold
by mail) to broadcast media (programs available globally via webcast).
“We’re small enough to not let our size get in the way; we have around 180
employees in our SF and NY organizations.... We’re large enough that we do have the
resources, but small enough that we don’t have to cut through a lot of bureaucracy to get
things done.” A nimble organization certainly has helped in tackling their biggest
challenge — “Staying as much ahead of the [technology] curve as we can.”
DIALUP SUPPORT
Watching a webcast is certainly easier with a powerful computer and a broadband Internet
connection. But PLI support is robust and comprehensive, taking pains to include even dialup
users with modems as slow as 28.8 kbps.
PLI webcasts support both major media players (Windows Media Player and RealPlayer) and
offer users several transmission speeds:
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audio only (for dialup users),
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audio+video, and
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groupcast, a high resolution audio+video stream for big screen projection.
FEEDBACK
Though new technology always poses problems for some categories of users, “We get a lot
of positive feedback.... The online product has taken off and is doing extremely well —
much better than we would have anticipated so quickly.”
One successful tactic has been to offer users many opportunities to provide feedback.
Viewers’ comments are solicited at registration and at the end of seminars. PLI also uses
focus groups and is generally hungry for input from its customers.
TIME INVESTMENT
How much time does it take to produce a webcast? That question revealed an interesting
statistic: “Including all of our production, which involves coordinating the pre-production
before the live event, making the program happen as a live event, supporting the customers
during that live event, producing an archived version of the program, and maintaining that
archived version as well as continuing our customer service throughout, I would say about 6 to 8
man hours per hour of live webcast.”
EQUIPMENT
PLI seminars originate in well-equipped training facilities, with multiple cameras and
sophisticated multimedia control rooms. “We have several high end digital audio/video
workstations, a full broadcast-quality production studio built around our training centers in San
Francisco and New York.”
PROBLEMS
“One of our biggest problems is the lack of reliability with the Internet itself — not
being able to control point to point, not being able to control the number of hops ...”
Certainly as high speed connections proliferate amongst Internet users, and as Internet skill levels
rise, webcasting problems will ease. His big wish: “That firms make more capital
investment in their networks.”
THE FUTURE
What of the future? More webcasts, certainly, and also refinement of an older concept with a
twist: Telephone briefings via streaming audio. “Also development of more
interactivity,” a spokesman adds. “We’d like to see some more interactive
training modules on DVD. I think it’s a good medium for it.”
His advice to law firms interested in webcasting: “Keep pushing forward.”
Too many webcasts, not enough time.
If you see streaming audio or video you
think would be of interest to our readers, please
URL and description.
Has your firm produced a webcast? We want the details!
If you'd like a clickable list of the web addresses from this and past columns,
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