With the advent of the internet, video hosting has become more popular than ever. People are turning to streaming platforms like YouTube or Vimeo for audio and video content. But when it comes down to getting your video content in front of an audience, you have a variety of choices. What makes up the best streaming software? Read this article for some advice on various video hosting options.
Online streaming is how we consume media these days. It has become an integral part of our daily lives. There is practically no social gathering in America without watching sports or entertainment related content online. And, with live streaming increasing in demand, many entrepreneurs and businesses are looking to capitalize on the growing popularity. Luckily for you, I’ve done all of the research and found out what software that will not only stream online video in high definition but provide full control over all that happens on your channel with video analytics and live traffic.
StreamYard
StreamYard is a live streaming studio in your browser. Interview guests, share your screen, and much more. Stream directly to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other platforms. StreamYard makes it easy to broadcast your live show to all audiences on multiple platforms at once. Interview guests, sync comments, and brand every broadcast. Better yet, our backup servers make sure your livestream runs smoothly no matter what—because the show must go on.
GoBrunch
GoBrunch allows you to organize unlimited webinars using its unique interface that mimics in-person events. It gives you an option to select your seat, profile, and turn the camera on or off. With GoBrunch, you can have up to 120 participants per live session and three rooms or breakout sessions.
The live streaming software gives you full access to moderation controls for mics and cams. You have the option to choose virtual room layouts that provide a realistic user experience and make the sessions more engaging.
During the session, you can share your screen with sound, raise hands, and vote. You can also record one session in the free version, download it, and then generate a shareable link to make it accessible afterward for people who weren’t able to attend the session.
GoBrunch does not require installation and can be accessed from your browser. The software offers phone and chat support.
Wirecast
Built by Telestream, the Wirecast live broadcasting software enables live streaming to any RTMP destination. This software also supports recording streams locally.
Wirecast software is compatible with a wide range of capture cards, devices, and camera inputs. This encoding option includes live switching, picture-in-picture composition, titles, audio delay, and other similar features.
If you need to use pre-recorded video within your live broadcast, Wirecast makes this aspect easy, as well.
Wirecast supports a range of other technologies, including:
- Support for multiple video capture and live inputs simultaneously (USB, Capture Card, NDI, Wirecast Go, Webstream IP sources)
- GPU-accelerated encoding
- Pro Audio FX Built In
- RTMP, RTP multi+unicast
- Multi-channel audio ingest
Compatibility:
Wirecast is compatible with both macOS and Windows.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use, user-friendly platform
- Compatible with most popular operating systems
- Fully loaded with valuable features
- Green screen
- Instant replay
Cons:
- High price point
- Many features locked in the “Studio” version
- Consumes a lot of computer memory
Pricing:
The latest version of Wirecast is 14.3.3. It is the newest full version and was released on October 4th, 2021. It features several enhancements and fixes, regarding bugs and other technical mishaps with the previous version, and includes FBLive polling, re-written WebStream plugin, and Virtual Camera improvements.
vMix
vMix is a highly powerful encoder and was developed by StudioCoast. The latest version of the Windows-specific software is 24.0.0.72 and includes an upgrade to a free 60 day trial of vMix PRO for download. While vMix 24 is for Windows only, the software can be installed on a Mac via Boot Camp if the machine has a Windows partition. Like Wirecast, vMix software supports a wide range of inputs. These include:
- Video cameras (supported capture cards) at up to 4K resolution
- NDI: send and receive HD low latency video and audio
- Video Files: AVI, MP4, H264, MPEG-2, WMV, MOV and MXF
- Audio Files: MP3 and WAV
- Web Browser, RTSP, PowerPoint, Photos, Solid Colour, and more.
- Webcams, DVDs, playlists, PowerPoint, and other sources
vMix includes native support for multi-bitrate streaming, which is very useful for professional broadcasters who highly value user experience.
Additionally, this software supports the Network Device Interface (NDI). NDI sends your secure video upload over gigabit ethernet networks and green screens.
vMix also includes a built-in titling tool that includes animation support. Additionally, it offers an instant replay and slow-motion feature.
Compatibility:
vMix is only available for Windows PCs. However, it is possible to run it on a Mac using a certain technique. While vMix cannot be installed directly on OSX, the solution when using a Mac is to install it on Windows via Boot Camp.
Pros:
- Some limitations on compatibility
- Plans for every budget
- 60-day risk-free trial
- Users rave about switcher functions
Cons:
- Streams in relatively low bitrate
- Some “bugginess” (which users suggest could be fixed with software update)
Pricing:
vMix is available in five different versions, ranging from Basic HD to Pro, and the software comes with a free 60-day trial. Each version supports a different number of inputs, your purchase never expires, and includes the following versions:
- Basic (free), which supports 4 (up to 2 camera/NDI) inputs and video up to 768 x 576 resolution
- Basic HD ($60), which supports 4 inputs (up to 3 camera/NDI) and video up to Full HD 1920×1080 resolution
- HD ($350), which supports 1,000 inputs, adds vMix call functionality, 4 overlay channels, and supports full HD video in 1920×1080 resolution
- 4K ($700), which supports 1,000 inputs, 4K resolution video (4096 x 2160), PTZ control, 2 recorders, instant replay, 4 SRT outputs, and much more
- Pro ($1200), which also supports 1,000 inputs, includes all 4K features and 2 records, plus up to 8 callers, up to 4 cameras for instant replay, and 4 SRT outputs
Hopin
Hopin enables you to create, host, and manage live events. The event length can be up to two hours, and there can only be one organizer that has administrative access. Hopin allows you to register 100 users per event.
You can design your registration form and optimize it with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to bring it up in search ranking. By making your registration page SEO-friendly, it becomes more visible to people and increases your reach to a wider audience. The live streaming software allows you to launch a ticket system, wherein tickets can be free, paid, and private. You can also track the event referral traffic.
In terms of the attendee experience, Hopin provides event-wide and private messaging capabilities, a professional backstage, 10 language support, and a virtual welcome lobby with an event schedule. The software also offers in-event integrations to provide you with more options to make your event engaging.
Hopin offers email and chat support. There is a mobile app for Android and iOS devices.
Livestorm
Livestorm enables powerful, yet pain-free video engagements at scale. Our end-to-end video engagement platform enables organizations to create professional video engagements that can be easily managed in one place. It’s a browser-based platform that doesn’t require a download, or setup. You can use Livestorm for on-demand, live, or pre-recorded meetings or events.
Boro
IPTV, OTT, DVB video quality monitoring software. Boro provides effective control of content delivery networks and ensures localization of common violations. Boro probes can be distributed across the entire network: at head-end station, at input streams monitoring points and after transcoding, multiplexing and encrypting modules. They provide continuous non-stop monitoring & analysis and instantly notify of any ETSI TR 101 290 errors or HLS events via Email, SNMP, Webhook, PagerDuty, Telegram.
OBS Studio
The Open Broadcaster Software Studio is like a gateway software for those new to live streaming. It’s free and compatible with a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can also customize OBS as much as you like.
On the downside, OBS Studio is open-source, which means it offers no official support. There is a large and engaged community that can help you out instead, but that’s not the best solution for everyone.
Streamlabs OBS
The Streamlabs version of OBS, also known as SLOBS, performs like a more user-friendly version of OBS Studio. SLOBS is also free, offers support, and comes with features that make it especially attractive to gaming streamers.
But not everything’s gravy in the SLOBS camp. For example, the platform you want to stream to may not come with native support in SLOBS. Also, be prepared for the occasional bug.
Conclusion:
Streaming is becoming an important part of our lives. The activity allows us to enjoy what we want instantly, whenever, wherever. Moreover, streaming has become an effective tool for marketers. It can be used to promote products or anything else, or it can simply be used for entertainment. Not everyone wants to use the Internet all the time but if they want to enjoy some fun streaming activity, then they need a reliable online video streaming software that will allow them to do that without any hassles.