Noted: Elgato’s control pad is a livestreaming sidekick

Live streaming is exploding in popularity and this the could help your live streams look as professional as possible while making it all bit easier on you. This is like having your own switcher like they have at traditional television stations. Punch up whatever video, slides webcams, you want with the touch of a button. Available May 15, 2017 — Douglas

Subscribed 53: GenerikB – The Gaming Hermit

Originally published as part of the “Subscribed” series on my New Media blog and podcast, Careers in New Media


GenerikB – The Gaming Hermit

 Subscribed 53: GenerikB - The Gaming Hermit

When I first thought about including GenerikB in the Subscribed series today, I thought for sure that I had already linked to him for his Minecraft videos on YouTube. We have been watching — and greatly enjoying his channels for quite a while now. More recently, we have begun tuning into his live stream via Twitch.TV, too. The live stream is a different feeling, almost like watching a live show on television. You can also interact with GenerikB and other viewers in the on-going chat stream on the Twitch site.

GernerikB is a member of the Mindcrack server, whose many members we also follow and watch on a regular basis. He often collaborates with BDoubelO in the hilarious hijinks of the B Team. They work together so well, they recently launched their own Minecraft server and mod pack called “Attack of the B-Team” along with several other Minecraft YouTubers.

In the real world, GenerikB recently relocated to Sofia, Bulgaria to be near his wife’s family, so we have seen a glimpse of life in Eastern Europe with vlogs about their move and around scenic sites of the city. Since Bulgaria is about 10 ours different from Los Angeles, the live stream works well as mid-morning entertainment for us as he streams in his evening in Bulgaria.

GenerikB is a prankster, a truly funny guy, and a great entertainer. He also seems like a really nice guy, which is so important for the people I watch. I don’t need to fill my entertainment time with trolls and nasty people, so it is always great to find someone like GenerikB to keep the day light and entertaining.

Subscribe to GenerikB  on YouTube

Watch GenerikB live on TwitchTV 

Watch live video from Generikb on www.twitch.tv

 

 What are some of your favorite Subscriptions? Share them here in the comments!


Previously highlighted on Subscribed:

Subscribed is a Careers in New Media series  highlighting the Podcasts, YouTube Channels and Blogs that I follow on a daily basis. Check out this entry, and past entries, for some great New Media Content — Douglas

Video: 2011 Live Reading of A Christmas Carol

For your holiday enjoyment, I present this live video recording of our previous 2011 Live reading of Charles’ Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Christmas carol 2011 thumb

 

Dog Days of Podcasting – Day 19 – Video: Container Garden Update Live – Recorded Version – Episode 39

As part of the Dog Days of Podcasting (http:/dogdaysofpodcasting.com) I am showing off a wide variety of podcasting styles and methods.

Today, I will be streaming my weekly series, Container Garden Update, LIVE using Google+ Hangouts on Air.

Join us at 7pm EDT/4pm PDT, using the links below, to watch and interact live.

Agn container live thumbnail

 

Watch live and ask questions via Twitter, Google+ and more. I will embed the video on A Gardener’s Notebook blog page, (http://welchwrite.com/agn/) too, so you can watch directly from there.

Come join in the fun!

Elsewhere: Jim Long on The How and Why of Live Web Video Streaming

Streaming live

Jim provides a great article on live streaming, what to use and who to prepare. Check it out!

The How and Why of Live Web Video Streaming

While live video broadcasting is within the reach of anyone with high-speed broadband, “live” poses unique technological and performance challenges.  Senator Marco Rubio’s parched, water break delivery of the GOP response to the State of the Union will be remembered as a short-lived Poland Spring internet meme.  But what it really demonstrates is just how difficult it can be to connect to millions, in the solitude of a dark empty room through the unforgiving, unflinching lens of the live TV camera.  Live web video streaming can be equally daunting.  In this post, we’ll look how it’s getting done in the real world and how you can make it work for you.

Read the entire article

 

More about Jim?

“I’m a veteran, Washington, DC based, network news cameraman currently working for one of the original three broadcasters.  I’m also an entrepreneur and I started Verge New Media, LLC because I see opportunity where others see challenge in the media industry.  Verge New Media is my “side hustle”, something any savvy legacy media worker should have.”

See Jim’s full bio

LIVE: Watch and donate to Child’s Play Charity Today and this Weekend!

A couple of my favorite Minecraft YouTubers are spending the weekend live streaming their gameplay for Child’s Play Charity — raising funds that provide games and toys for hospitalized youth.

Watch Live Here

Watch live video from Juicetra on www.twitch.tv

“How to Live stream?”question and answer session via email

One of my posts from 2010, “What do you need to live video stream your event?” is one of the most popular posts on my web site, according to my stats. This post also leads to a large number of emails from folks with questions about live streaming.

I had a great question and answer session via email with a reader the other day and wanted to sure my answers with all of you. I hope that this is useful to you and answers some of the questions you might have about live streaming.

The reader’s questions are in bold below, with my answers below each question. — Douglas


First, let me say that I am a big proponent of starting to stream in any way possible and then building up the quality of your streams as you go. This allows you get some of the benefits of streaming while still learning and building up your equipment. Perfect is good, but done is better. I recommend jumping in and just “doing” it — even as practice. You will learn so much.

1.  What type of cameras do we need?  We were going to start with 2 (2 different angles), but we don’t know what TYPE of cameras we need.  What do they need to be equipped with?

You can use anything from the built-in webcam on a laptop, an external webcam (check out the Logitech C920 for an HD one), a Firewire-capable camcorder or high-end “TV” cameras. I am not an expert on the high-end stuff, so I will have to leave that to more knowledgeable folks. That said, anything you can get a video signal from can potentially be used for streaming. You may need to run analog cameras through some sort of switcher or analog-digital convertor to connect it to your computer, but if you have a video source, you should be able to stream it, 

2.  We need a switcher, yes?   We’ll be switching from 1 angle to another during the stream.

If you want to have multiple cameras, yes, you will probably need a switcher. That said, on a very low-end scale, you could also have 2 webcams and then switch which input is being used by the streaming site at any time. This is a pretty low-end way of doing it, but it works and would allow you to experiment a bit first.

If you are looking at video mixers, here are two examples from Amazon.com:

 Roland V-4 4-Channel Video Mixer

 

3.  We were told we also need a streaming encoder.  Do we?

A streaming encoder is used for higher-end situations. Basically it is just a locally run piece of software the pre-encodes the signal before sending it along to the streaming site. For most free streaming setups, this encoding is done by the site. You may not need this initially. 

4.  Can a switcher and an encoder be part of the same equipment?

Yes, there are a couple of systems that have been introduced lately that are basically rack mounted streaming “systems” that include switch, encoder, a PC with network/wifi, etc. 

 Here are two systems I have seen recently:

 

5.  We are NOT looking to TAPE the concert for later viewing.  Do we still need a “capture card”?

Most streaming sites will also record and archive your show for later watching, but you can also capture a copy locally yourself. In this case, your local copy will always be of higher quality than the streamed version, due to bandwidth limitations, etc. I think archiving your streams is a great idea as you will always have many more views from the recorded versions that you will from the live stream. Live streams require people to be in a particular place at a particular time and so limit the number of people who can “attend”. Recorded versions can be watched whenever and wherever the person might be, so more people view it. This is not to say you can’t charge for access to these recorded versions. You don’t have to give them away for free. 

6.  How LARGE a computer do we need?  What type of capacity does that computer need to have?

You want the fastest computer you can get, with plenty of memory (4GB-8GB) and several large hard drives (1TB+) Audio and video files can grow very large and you need enough space to hold each show, archived shows and editing space, if you want to edit or convert the files.

7.  How do we get the live feed onto our website?

When using a streaming service like uStream.tv, etc, they provide you an “embed code” that you simply copy and paste to your site or anywhere else you want the stream to appear. It is just a small snippet of HTML that should work nearly anywhere.

8.  How can we sell tickets on their website via Pay-Per-View?

Sorry, that is outside my knowledge area, unfortunately. 

9. We want the best quality — HD — that we can get, although we’re on a very strapped (i.e., small) budget.

Surprisingly, even a consumer camcorder can take quite decent 1080p HD video. The streaming software/equipment/service/bandwidth will always be the limiting factor for the foreseeable future.

I hope this has helped a bit. My knowledge is more at the level of the “beginner” live streamer, so I am not sure what more I can offer. 

Over — Watch me LIVE on PodcastU now! Starting at 7pm PST/10pm EST

Watch this space for a recorded version of this show in a few days! — Douglas

 

Richard Cleveland is having me as a guest on PodcastU this evening. Join us live!


Live video for mobile from Ustream

 

Learn about podcasting equipment and more!