Best Live Streaming Software: Why Having the Right Solution is a Must

The many live streaming software solutions on the market today are the key to unlocking your opportunity to reach the universe of viewers watching video on their smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other devices.

Industry market research consistently shows exponential growth in the volume of IP video traffic being streamed over the internet, as well as a steady rise in the quality and resolution of that video. One reason for this surge is that video is a highly effective medium with the power to deliver news, information, and entertainment in a way that leaves a lasting impression on viewers.

Social media platforms, such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Twitter, Twitch, and LinkedIn Live, now serve as next-generation TV channels that enable users to blast their own live video creations directly to viewers, as well as notify and interact with them.

Live streaming via social media is usually free and readily available to anyone who accepts the platform’s usage rules. It’s important to upload video that complies with the platform’s video quality and format requirements. And, depending upon the social media platform’s rules, you can stream live video to multiple social sites simultaneously, as well as via media players on websites.

Getting Started

So, with multiple distribution channels readily available, what do you need to get started? Well, step one is to have clear creative goals about what you want to share with the world. If it’s live video, is it entertainment, a live event, a worship service, corporate training, or online education? Producing and streaming live video is more demanding than just uploading a pre-recorded video.

If you’d just like to turn on your phone’s camera and start streaming that video to a particular site, you don’t need live streaming software to do that. But if you want to use multiple cameras or embellish the video with titles and graphics, fancy transitions, custom branding, and other engaging elements, then you’ll need to find a package that can elevate your production standards.

First, determine your unique production goals, budget, and technical workflow. And bear in mind that these factors are intertwined; the more you want to do, the greater the production capabilities, tech savvy, and computer set-up involved.

If your live video will just be a one-time thing, consider outsourcing it to a turnkey service that can handle everything for you—shooting, mixing, and streaming—for a fee. But, if your project involves an on-going streaming campaign, such as video podcasting, an online college course, a public affairs series, or high school football games, buying your own solution ultimately offers the best return on investment. And you’ll retain creative control over the look and quality of your video deliverable.

In your online search, you’re sure to find many free, open standard live streaming software solutions that have integrated production features and capabilities. However, the risk is that these products likely don’t have any technical or customer support, are difficult to get up and running, or do not issue new releases regularly enough to fix bugs and expand the features and capabilities.

Wirecast Live Streaming Software

Telestream stands behind its proven Wirecast live production and streaming products, including Wirecast software and Wirecast Gear, which is a self-contained hardware appliance that comes preconfigured with Wirecast software. You can read more about Wirecast Gear in a previous blog post.

What distinguishes Wirecast from competitors is its inherent, high-quality encoding, and the efficient way it processes and streams video to multiple, popular online destinations simultaneously. And Wirecast has a customer support team to answer questions and to help solve problems. Wirecast live streaming software gives you a deep, broadcast-grade toolbox, including multi-camera switching, the ability to add fun and engaging backgrounds, advanced audio mixing, text and graphics, plus reliable encoding, and streaming, that will greatly benefit your next streaming media production.

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