Streaming has become a core part of everyday life for many people. For most, streaming is primarily enjoyed as a vehicle of entertainment. Rather than signing up for costly cable or satellite television packages, if you have the setup laid out in TheTechyInfo guide, you’ll often find a more cost-effective and diverse assortment of content through streaming. However, over the last few years, the next step for the technology, live streaming, has become more and more prevalent. Those who worked out how to fix Zoom issues could stream to groups of people all over the world with ease, but live streaming can be applied far beyond video calls. It’s now being deployed as a new way to connect audiences and customer bases, inspiring many to get into live streaming for their own gains. So, here’s what you need to know to ready yourself for live streaming.
Live streaming is integrated across the board- Ready for Live Streaming
Even if you don’t immediately see the benefits of taking to live streaming for a personal or business endeavour, it’s certainly worth getting acquainted with the tech. Live streaming is proving to be very popular among casual viewers and potential customers. As written in this Vimeo blog piece, audiences expect and welcome live content, with 82 per cent preferring it to social posts. On social media alone, going live has proven to be a catalyst for further engagement. Similarly, the platform Twitch has launched several careers by being a live streaming-centric platform. While you may need to remember how to change your Twitch username to get a new focus underway, the platform gives you access to a wide audience that’s excited to engage with you and your stream in real-time.
While social media and Twitch streams can just as easily be more in line with hobby activities, live streaming is also picking up steam in the world of online business. Deploying the technology to its fullest, online casinos are now offering table games through live streaming. The likes of Betway roulette games stream a human croupier at their table from a studio elsewhere in the world, and then players bet and watch the action unfold in real-time. It’s found to increase immersion, especially as players can choose between 23 variations, from Real Roulette Vintage to Real Christmas Roulette. The increased immersion and two-way nature of interacting in a live stream have also powered a growing scene of live commerce. This is more than selling via live social media videos, though, with the Bambuser platform now established to integrate live commerce onto shopping websites.
Getting prepared for your live stream- Ready for Live Streaming
If you want to do a live stream properly and present a high-grade, effective bit of content, you’ll need to get the right gear for the job. Admittedly, some do get by with just their Apple iPhone, with their particular style being quick, in-the-moment streams that achieve authenticity in that way. However, if you have the setup, your live streams can be much more appealing and professional-looking to quickly earn you more credibility. Naturally, the place to start is with a camera. You may have one on your laptop, but ideally, you’d hook up at least what Dacast terms an ‘entry-level’ video camera. These sit under the £1,000 but offer decent video and connectivity. Next, you need a microphone. You’d be amazed how much difference there is between a solid standalone mic and what comes with video and computer equipment, so look to the QuadCast mic from HyperX. Visit Here
Next up on your live streaming shopping list is lighting. You want you and your setting to be lit up to give that crisp and clear image on camera. This aspect is just as important as getting a good camera and microphone, but it is much cheaper to get right. Many like the ring or halo lights, but now, you can get almost a flat panel light that’s perfect for illuminating you if you’re streaming from in front of a computer screen. A top pick for this is the Elgato product Key Light. Using a clamp and pole mount, it also stays out of your way, which can be an issue with other studio light products. With lights, camera, and microphone ready, you’d think that it’s time to get streaming, but actually, there are some more technical bits of gear to bring into the equation.
It’s well worth digging into specific software that’s created to power live streams. With the cost of decent gear being quite high for streaming, you’ll likely want to make the most of cost-saving products where you can, which is where Open Broadcaster Software comes into play. The OBS studio is very customisable and ideal for single-set streams, but does run into some issues if you’re looking to bring in other streams or get urgent assistance as it is community-built. Still, it’s free, so you may as well download and give it a go. Back to more costly gear, you may also want to incorporate a mixer like those from the GoXLR range. While they are aimed a bit more at music, fine-tuning your voice and set sounds with a mixer can help to improve the quality of your live stream.
Live streaming looks to be the future of a lot of businesses in the online space, so if it intrigues you, it’d be worth exploring what’s already out there and preparing for your own stream with top-class equipment.
