computer science

OpenBroadcaster

OpenBroadcaster is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand OpenBroadcaster rather than just read about it. In short: OpenBroadcaster is a web-based, open-source system to run community radio and television broadcast transmitters with a simple web interface. History The initial concept was to develop a web based radio system to run emergency messages and public service announcements for export to Africa by using a windup radio designed by Trevor Baylis. .

OpenBroadcaster — illustration

Key takeaways

OpenBroadcaster belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect OpenBroadcaster to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of OpenBroadcaster from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

OpenBroadcaster is a web-based, open-source system to run community radio and television broadcast transmitters with a simple web interface.

History The initial concept was to develop a web based radio system to run emergency messages and public service announcements for export to Africa by using a windup radio designed by Trevor Baylis. . It was part of a Yukon College innovation project originating from Tagish Yukon Territory Canada. On Labour Day weekend, 1997 CFET-FM 106.7FM was launched, for the benefit of communities in Tagish, Johnson's Crossing and Marsh Lake, YT. It was a one-man operation, but local volunteers could record material for sending to the station via the internet for broadcast. The system was used for the community's local emergency population warning for instantaneous relay of Yukon Forestry Service alerts for Wildfire situations. 2004 CFET-FM Radio began using OpenBroadcaster for User Generated Radio followed by CJUC-FM forming a Yukon network of radio stations. Similar models of indigenous community radio networks are supported nationally for language revitalization.

Version history

Components OBServer: HTML5 AJAX web application for uploading content, creating smart playlists, managing users, assigning users to timeslots and for scheduling music. Decentralized file storage with centralized cloud computing management. OBPlayer: Linux application with GUI for logging and managing devices connected to transmitters, digital screens and supported devices accessible through a secure http(s) admin panel. Supports Audio over IP Ravenna (networking). Mobile: Cross platform application written in PhoneGap to allow users the ability to pitch electronic money to performers and artists in real time.

Practical Uses

Audio Source client for Icecast Shoutcast streaming media server, LPFM and under regulated radio, Smart music scheduling system to microbroadcast theme based music segments for restaurants and public spaces, Tourism Radio with Audio tour GPS coded triggering for multicultural visitor experience, tourist information and highway advisory radio, User Determined Music Discovery Service, Dynamic Podcast assembler, Logging and archiving, Community radio Campus radio and High school radio networking, Special interest multicultural media in Canada broadcasters, syndicated in store advertising and public address distribution, Music on hold for telephone systems, Computer DJ Crowdcasting Community Jukebox, source for interplanetary Active SETI, RDS and Datacasting to remotely control Addressability devices with Crisis mapping, Song Requester 100% user-controlled radio.

Video Low power Community television, under regulated TV service, User generated Community channel (Canada) on Cable TV, User Generated Adult Entertainment Channel Digital signage and visitor information, Analogue and Digital source material distribution and archiving for display in museums, Video on demand with podcasting utilizing digital rights management, Out-of-home advertising via shopping mall directories and digital menu boards with point-of-purchase promotions.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OpenBroadcaster

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OpenBroadcaster claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to OpenBroadcaster before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about OpenBroadcaster ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of OpenBroadcaster

In research: OpenBroadcaster appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses OpenBroadcaster in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: OpenBroadcaster is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Broadcasting, Community radio organizations, Emergency management software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OpenBroadcaster outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study OpenBroadcaster in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OpenBroadcaster means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain OpenBroadcaster out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OpenBroadcaster in simple terms?

OpenBroadcaster is a web-based, open-source system to run community radio and television broadcast transmitters with a simple web interface. History The initial concept was to develop a web based radio system to run emergency messages and public service announcements for export to Africa by using a…

Why does OpenBroadcaster matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study OpenBroadcaster?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on OpenBroadcaster.