Adding Live Streaming in PowerPoint

By Benjamin Aries

You can stream video from nearly any video source into a PowerPoint slide.
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Microsoft PowerPoint is commonly used to present text and simple images to viewers. However, you can also place a live video stream into a slide. This enables you to include live footage from a webcam or other source as part of your presentation. In order to accomplish this, you first create a broadcast with Microsoft Media Encoder and then embed the stream in PowerPoint.

Step 1

Click the "Home" tab in PowerPoint and choose "New Slide." Choose one of the slide layouts from the list.

Step 2

Select the "Insert" menu. Choose "Object," and then "Windows Media Player."

Step 3

Launch Windows Media Encoder. Select "Broadcast a Live Event" and click "OK."

Step 4

Choose the device for the live stream. If you want to stream from a webcam, select the camera from the list of devices. Click "Next."

Step 5

Select "Pull from Encoder" and click "Next."

Step 6

Click on "Find Free Port." Media Encoder automatically detects a network port to use for the stream. Click "Next."

Step 7

Choose the desired connection speed for the live stream. If you are unsure, keep the default settings. Click "Next."

Step 8

Check the box marked "Archive a copy of the broadcast to file." Click "Browse" and choose a location for the archive copy. Leave this box unchecked if you do not want to archive your broadcast. Click "Next."

Step 9

Click "Finish." Select the "Connections" tab. Make a note of the address that is used for the stream. Press "Start Encoding."

Step 10

Return to PowerPoint. Right-click on the Windows Media Player object that you previously inserted into the slide. Select "Properties."

Step 11

Choose "Custom." Click the button marked with three dots to reveal more options.

Step 12

Select the box labeled "File Name or URL." Type the stream address that you noted earlier, and then click "OK."

Step 13

Play the slide show. View the slide containing the streaming object, and click the "Play" button in the Windows Media Player area. The live video streams onto your PowerPoint slide.

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