WWW5 is broadcast live with interactive audio and video over the MBONE
The Fifth International World Wide Web Conference in Paris used the MBONE to multicast live interactive audio and video to remote Internet participants.
Historical context
The MBONE was an experimental multicast network layered over the Internet and had become a major testing ground for real-time audio, video and conferencing. Tools such as VAT and VIC, together with IP multicast and the newly standardized RTP architecture, made multi-party Internet broadcasting technically possible before commercial broadband existed.
What happened
Following a test broadcast on May 6, public conference sessions beginning May 7 were multicast from the CNIT conference center in Paris. Remote participants could receive live audio and video using Internet multicast tools and, for selected sessions, participate remotely rather than only watch passively.
Consequences
WWW5 demonstrated that a major international conference could support live distributed participation over the Internet. The event helped establish technical and social patterns later seen in web conferencing, virtual conferences and interactive livestreams.
Sources
- WWW5 Conference: Conference BroadcastWorld Wide Web Consortium
- Creating a Clinical Video-Conferencing Facility in a Security-Constrained Environment Using Open-Source AccessGrid Software and Consumer HardwareAMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings / PubMed Central