To many students, graduation is the #1 most important event of their entire school experience. It’s an event where families, friends, and the entire community come together to celebrate their students’ success. Schools want to capture this moment in the best way possible, and what better way than to live stream it?
Wilmington University is a non-profit undergraduate & graduate college based in New Castle, Delaware. Every year, WilmU puts on stellar commencement ceremonies for their graduating class, with a focus on providing high-quality live coverage for viewers at home.
“We have over 8000 students who earn 100% of their degree online, and over 12,000 who take at least 1 online class. Naturally, we have a very big international student population. But graduation is a chance for all of our students to come together with their families, faculty, and fellow students to commemorate their achievements, and we want to bring that joy to all of their families around the world. With live streaming, we want to show that we have a solid school community where every student matters.” - Russ Lichterman, Director of Educational Technology and Multimedia at Wilmington University.
The Right Internet
This year, WilmU needed to produce four Spring 2019 commencements. The challenge is having a solid internet connection that won’t encounter any latency issues during the shows. Each ceremony can last up to 3 hours, so it’s critical that Russ’ team kept the broadcast smooth and consistent all throughout.
Here’s what they used:
VidiU Go is a live streaming encoder that allows you to stream high-quality video from just about any location. What makes it unique is its 2 USB ports for connecting 4G LTE modems, Ethernet and WiFi, with a network bonding feature that combines all of its internet sources into a single, robust pipeline for streaming. You can stream in remote locations, congested areas, or at any event where a solid internet connection is critical.
Each camera fed video to the Datavideo SE1200mu switcher where Russ’ team mixed in graphics and other effects. Then the video was sent to the VidiU Go, where the final program was live streamed to WilmU’s Kaltura platform.
“Failure is not an option for our students and their families, so we use only the most reliable encoder for our productions: VidiU Go. With built-in cellular bonding and data-saving HEVC compression, we never have to worry about getting rock-solid Internet when we go live. We can stream high-def video wherever the action is.”
Why We Live Stream
“The value of a professional-quality video is more than just providing a good visual experience for viewers. What you produce represents your school in marketing, recruiting, student retention, and prestige. If possible future students see your video content and the quality is lacking, it reflects poorly on the school.”
“The live streams we produce here give families and potential future students the confidence that we invest in our community and provide nothing but high-quality experiences. We want to present a wonderful face to the world, and our live streams reflect that. It’s something that we’re very proud of.”
Are you an educator or administrator looking to add live streaming to your school? Check out our Teradek For Education page for some insights on getting started!