People are overloaded with responsibilities, tasks, plans on a daily basis. Today’s reality is that we can’t be present everywhere, every time. Oh wait, that’s actually false. As amazing as it is, technology has its way of meeting our needs by creating tools that would make our lives easier. You guessed it right, live streaming is one of them. So yes, you can be present at two places at the same time – in the comfort of your own home and that very important conference you have to attend. What a time to be alive!

In the past, we were all thrilled by the idea of using the Internet for watching videos, listening to music, connecting with people, and other similar things. However, who would have thought that you could be present somewhere and not physically be there, catching every moment, in real-time, anywhere around the globe? You can watch and listen to your favorite show, football match, educational conference, live, from the beach, from your bed, or from your car! With this amazing tool – Live Streaming, all these things are now available for everyone.

Nowadays, Live Streaming is growing rapidly and it is becoming one of the most used tools in the digital video world because it reaches out to the targeted audience easily and in real-time. But let’s take a step back and fully understand the process of Live Streaming, the platforms that you can use, and of course, the required costs!

Streaming process

The very best thing about the live streaming process is that you can’t actually plan it in advance because the video transmission happens at that moment, online. To successfully live stream, besides making sure that all of your pieces of equipment work perfectly well, you need to pay attention to:

Video and Audio Sources, Prime Requirements

For a good quality live stream, you need a high-quality camera. There is a variety of cameras that you can use to stream, from quality cameras such as Canon 80D, Panasonic Lumix GH4, Sony Alpha a5100, etc; to simple video cameras or camcorders. Аs for the audio source, it’s highly recommended to use external instead of built-in microphones for more professional sound. For instance, you can use Blue Yeti USB Microphone, Rode NT-USB Versatile Studio,  Razer Seiren Elite: Single Dynamic Capsule, etc.

Selecting and Inputting Encoder, a Crucial Part of the Process

The process of selecting and inputting the encoder involves a software-based solution for compressing and re-encoding a video signal for transmission with the option of playback on the Internet. Choose your software wisely based on your target group, equipment, requirements of your live streaming platform as well as budget. According to Epiphan, the most popular types of software are:

OBS

Streamlabs OBS

XSplit

Wirecast

vMix

Nvidia Shadowplay

Lightstream

You can’t stream offline, right? Check your internet connection

I know that this is common sense, but often times we forget about it. Make sure to test your Internet speed at the location you plan to broadcast, because you don’t want to end up with a blank screen, dropped audio transfer, and dissatisfied viewers. The optimal Internet speed depends on the quality of the content. Recommended upload speed is: 3 Mbps for 480p; 6 Mbps for 720p; 13 Mbps for 1080p. You can check the speed of your internet connection here, speedtest.net/.

Live Streaming platforms

As there are multiple live streaming platforms, you have to do thorough research on which one works the best for your particular project and budget. You can either opt to livestream it through one platform or use Restream, a platform that simultaneously streams live video to 30+ platforms for free. According to Streaming Video Provider, these are the most popular platforms for 2019:

Best Live Streaming Platforms For Business

source: StreamingVideoProvider

Prices for Live Streaming your Event

One thing is for certain, organizing an event and taking care of everything is not a one-person job. Planning, organizing, executing, and promoting the event is time-consuming and sometimes very costly. Indeed, the benefits of Live Streaming outweigh the costs of it, as it is considered to be the key to exposure, thus bringing you a lot of traffic and exposing your company to the world. However, if you want a high return on investment then you need to carefully evaluate whether it is cheaper to do this kind of investment in-house or outsource it. Usually, companies opt for the second one as they lack the knowledge, equipment, time, or money to do everything on their own. That’s why companies often decide to go with a video production company that is specialized in live streaming and/or an event organizer. In general, companies charge around 800-1500$ for a full day of live streaming, or an hourly rate of 100-250$, depending on your requirements and budget. It is definitely not a cheap investment, but hey, nothing worthwhile comes easy or cheap.

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