What is broadcast? Learn how it works and what types exist

globalization and brought with them the spread of the term broadcast.

In 2005, when YouTube was just a “baby in diapers” crawling towards the phenomenon it is today, the word broadcast appeared in the platform’s slogan: “Youtube: broadcast yourself”.

Over time, the Internet has evolved and radically transformed the way we communicate. Today we have 4G technology circulating in mobile phones, but we can say that this progress is just beginning.

Accompanying the development of the 4G system, as well as the improvement behind connection services and the exchange of content on the Internet, is the development of some more technologies.

And in this article, we will talk about one of these technologies that has been developed: the broadcast.

Learn what this concept is, how it works and how important it is for the marketing of your company.

What is broadcast and why is it important?

Broadcast means “to transmit”: this is its meaning in English.

We can say that broadcast is summed up as the process by which information is transmitted or broadcast, at the same time, to several different receivers.

Broad can be translated as broad or large-scale; Y cast can be translated as transmission or projection. In this way, broadcast, in free translation, can be read as large-scale transmission, or .

In Internet terms, broadcasting is the same as broadcasting, be it songs or videos. Given the scale at which the network allows content to be transmitted.

Also, televisions and radios arethat we can take as an example of what broadcast broadcasting is.

Broadcast antennas send the signal from the TV broadcaster or radio broadcaster, via electromagnetic waves, to television or radio devices that capture the signal.

In this way, in short, the broadcast can be understood as the act of “transmitting multimedia content on a large scale”.

Differences between Broadcast and other terms

Some terms are considered synonymous with broadcast, but they are different concepts and therefore cannot be confused. Look at some of them.

1.Live Broadcast

The difference between a Broadcast and a Live Broadcast is that the second tries to transmit live content. It is basically the same as Live Streaming.

2. Podcasts

The difference between a Broadcast and a Podcast is that the latter includes the participation of some type of audio file in the exchange, while the former does not necessarily. It is usually a complex and well-produced program.

3.Unicast

Unicast addresses, also called unicast addresses, are used to communicate between two different machines. They uniquely identify each other. Everything that is sent to the given address is only received by the interface of the machine associated with that address.

4.Multicast

A multicast address, or also called multicast, can identify a group of interfaces, each of these can belong, in turn, to other groups. However, everything that is sent to these addresses is received by all the interfaces that make up the group.

5.Webcast

A Webcast is a broadcast design which can broadcast live audio and video, just like TV or radio shows. Webcasts connect to a server and then distribute the content to multiple users around the world.

6.Vodcast

The Vodcast, also called Video Podcast, videocast, videopodcast is a transmission that allows you to send audio and video information. To create a vodcast you need a server, a communication channel and someone who wants to see the content, in this format everything that is broadcast will reach any address connected to the internet.

Broadcast Types

There are two forms of broadcast: directed and limited broadcast. The type basically depends on the settings of the router and also on the recipient of the transmission.

1. Targeted Broadcast

It occurs when a broadcast is sent to different hosts on a specific network.

It is used to send a broadcast to local network hosts. For example, the computers of an internal network of a company that has several branches.

2. Limited Broadcast

Limited broadcast is used for limited communication to hosts on a local network. They always use the destination IPv4 address 255.255.255.255.

Limited broadcasts are not forwarded by routers. For this reason, an IPv4 network is also called a broadcast domain. Routers are edge devices, used for a given broadcast domain.

In the transmission of a packet, a network resource is used, causing the receiving hosts to process it. In this case, the broadcast traffic is limited so that there is no negative effect on the performance of the network or other devices.

How does the broadcast work?

Currently, the “mission” of the broadcast is to democratize the transmission of videos and other multimedia content.

The underlying idea is that, given the pace and scope of development and distribution of technologies like smartphones, not even the big global brands will be able to handle hundreds of millions of users at the same time and all over the world.

Democratizing technology means reducing the cost of production and distribution at a price affordable to anyone on the planet.

The world has seen this happen with and Blogger, which ended up allowing anyone to reach a global audience immediately.

The same was achieved with photos through Flickr and Facebook, and videos, through the rise of . These services generated the individualization of transmission, from a content creation and consumption perspective.

Before these innovations, when it came to broadcasting, costs were at a level where only well-funded organizations could produce and distribute their content.

High production and distribution costs meant you needed a large audience to make ends meet. As a result, you needed to produce content for the lowest common denominator.

The introduction of the broadcast changes all that. If costs can be reduced at the expense of having a smartphone and a 4G internet connection, people stream and choose what they want to watch.

Fast-forward seven years, with an increasing number of services offering easy-to-use streaming, we see people sharing everything from cute little animals to cups of coffee.

Furthermore, traditional media companies are also using new technologies to track news around the world and share it with their audiences.

However, most technologies arrive in two waves. The first wave makes technology available for use and is generally seen as having the potential to revolutionize.

But product blueprints are often dictated and limited by the technology itself, and the real impact is initially on a limited scale. The first wave depends on the capabilities of technology and lives on a promise of what is to come.

The second wave, on the other hand, is about the actual use of technology and an ecosystem. For example, in terms of live video transmission, it is necessary to address points such as processing power, the capacity of mobile networks, the cost of data and its distribution.

It is from this point that the technology matures and has the capacity to satisfy a common public and demand.

The mission of democratizing content streaming is much more than just making the technology available and accessible. It is also about valuing and empowering democracy itself to access and disseminate information.

And you? Do you want to enjoy this new reality and also start broadcasting your company’s content live?

So, find out what type of is the best for your business.