Live Video Streaming

Social live streaming has got lot bigger in the last few months. It is mostly used to make media content viral or post some breaking news around the world, live video tools offer companies an opportunity to reach out to their audience in real-time.

So, what exactly is ‘streaming’? Streaming is a method of serving, or delivering, video and audio content over the Internet. As broadband availability has increased streaming has become a hugely popular way to publish high-quality live and on-demand video.

The basic prerequisites for live video streaming are: a form of source media (e.g. a video camera, an audio interface).An encoder to digitize the content, a media publisher, and a content delivery network to distribute and deliver the content.

Some of the most popular live video services are : Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitter's Periscope.With technology giants Facebook, Twitter and Google's YouTube in the fray, the competition seems to be on fire.

Let’s compare these hotshots on some common parameters.

Availability

Facebook Live was initially rolled out to celebrities last year.Now, Facebook Live service is also available on the web interface. It  offers live streaming video capabilities to users. By tapping the live stream icon, one can start broadcasting video live from a smartphone.

YouTube Live is so far only available on desktops. Periscope live streaming app too is available both on iOS and Android platforms.

User interface

User interface is another critical factor that decides the success of any app. Although all three tools are easy to use, once you have spent some time with them, the one that appears simplest to use is Facebook Live. It is followed by Periscope and then YouTube Live.

User base

Out of all three, since Facebook has the largest users base, its Facebook Live is likely to reach more users. In case of Google, more content consumption takes place via YouTube but not YouTube Live. Periscope lags, behind as it is completely a standalone platform.

Video archiving

When it comes to archiving of videos, both Facebook and YouTube Live offer same features. Users can live stream video, which can later be saved  on the platform or deleted as per the video creator's wish. Periscope live streams, however,can stay only for 24 hours.

Third-party camera integration

Video streamers can use GoPro(action) cameras for Periscope too in addition to their smartphones. YouTube Live video streamers can use any camera to upload it, provided they have the encoders set up. Facebook, however, lets users stream videos only from inside its platform.

So, all and all, Facebook Live seems to be the best sorted option among the three but , as they say, there cannot be ONE winner when technology is concerned, with changing times and requirements, we are left wanting for more. 

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                                                                                                                Sheetal Rathore

                                                                                                                B.tech CSE