Earlier this month we tackled the evolving space of online live video. In its raw form, live is a very different format when compared to recorded video. There’s no post production editing to cut out your gaffs or nab the best parts. Pushing the most interesting content in front of viewers in real time is a challenge. But there’s an audience to interact with, and that makes all the difference.
Ustream’s version 3 redesign released today is focusing entirely on the audience-host relationship. They’ve added three new interactivity features to the platform: shout meter, live polling, and a video archive widget. They are all solid additions to the service.
Shout Meter
The new shout meter is meant to solve the problem of bringing the best content to the audience. Picking the best content is a serious problem. Ustream says they produce over 3,000 hours of programming a day and deliver 25,000 hours of video feeds.
The shout meter lets users vote for the current channel’s content by clicking vigorously on the sidebar. More clicks from more users pumps up the shout bar, tipping Ustream off to something good happening on the channel. The bar on the right reflects your own shout level (red) and the crowds (yellow). There’s no word on how they’ll use the shout meter data.
It’s another take on what Justin.tv has been doing with their Tips feature, which lets viewers vote up segments of a live video stream. The top Tips are organized in a top list available on all the publisher pages.
Live Polls
Ustream has incorporated live polling into their Broadcaster Console, letting the publisher throw a few questions to the audience in real time.
Polls are on a transparent layer over the stream, so you can still see the show. Viewers point and click on the answers they want or can opt out by closing the box.
It’s a more rigorous version of simply posing a question to the chat room, or soliciting emails from viewers.
Archive Gallery Module
Ustream not only produces live video, but also maintains an archived library of past footage. Their new archive widget will let viewers flip through old shows without affecting the current video. Archived content was previously stored just on plain pages.
I’m guessing Ustream will be incorporating the “shout” feature into this module to help filter the content by date and interestingness.
Evolution amongst live video sites has turned into a kind of an arms race, as sites seek to nail down the right look, feel, and features to draw the best publishers and crowds of viewers. Live video is still out of the mainstream, even for sites like Stickam that were around during the YouTube boom. I imagine we will see even more innovation in the coming months as live finds its place in the spectrum of online video.
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Good write up Nick, these are neat additions to the feature. Would love to hear, though, about the #1 unresolved issue for this category - low quality viewer experience due to choppy transmission. That said, I think UStream is awesome and am really excited about all the possible use cases of live streaming online video. Anyone else see the CNN/YouTube debates live online, for example? Give me a shoutbox and poll overlays!
Choppy video is bad, but the fact scoble and zooomr are the best content on the service is the worst part.
Scoble, Tate and Hawk produce video content that is boring to watch, that is the real problem.
I am trying to find out what is the largest number or concurrent viewers UStream has had for one broadcast?
Garth: I disagree with you. Chris Pirillo’s show is far better than anything I’ve done on Ustream (I don’t do streaming video on a regular basis). Also John Edwards used the service on Monday to talk with thousands of people.
I have a video interview with Ustream’s CEO that I just put up too: http://scobleizer.com/2007/07/.....-features/
In the 24-minute interview Chris goes into Ustream’s business quite deeply.
Casey: in the interview Chris Yeh told me they had about 10,000 online once for a show.
Scoble can’t admit that his content is really boring just like his blog. When you only talk about Facebook and iPhone, people get bored. Seems like TechCrunch gets that while Scoble does not.
I don’t get this service……….www.cavenger.com is waaaaaay better than this
The heart of web 2.0 is in giving users more control and/or the ability to get interactive. We love the have greater control over our online experience.
Good call Ustream
Thanks for the answer Robert. Do they use their own CDN? Or someone else?
We use mixture of the cdn’s. We use some external resource when we know the next show will be a big show. Otherwise we use our servers. In the next few weeks we plan to upgrade our server park, to be faster, and more reliable.
its sad they use easydns for their DNS. they got no global infrastructure so people who wants to use them in overseas will have a hard time resolving.
Web TV will rule all TV in the future.
These new features are terrific. This is what live video is all about “enabling users” and Mr. Yeh and Ustream are doing a superb job. There are those who enjoy an evening of live theatre and those who rent a movie. Both have passionate audiences. Having a live audience is very exhilarating.
As this space continues to evolve, many of the current difficulties associated with Live, will
By the way, I have seen Chris Pirillo’s show and think it is fantastic!
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its sad they use easydns for their DNS. they got no global infrastructure so people who wants to use them in overseas will have a hard time resolving.
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I’m not sure what you feel is required for people “overseas” to be able to resolve DNS or why people overseas would have a hard time resolving this domain.
easyDNS does have overseas nameservers, I would outline them here but won’t at risk of sounding like a marketing drone, but we do have customers all over the world and no problems with member domains resolving the world over.
Also, Ustream.tv uses DNSMadeEasy for DNS, NOT easyDNS, completely different companies, but that said, I know for a fact that DNSMadeEasy *also* has servers deployed overseas and customers all over the world.
OTOH Techcrunch.com, uses easyDNS nameservers (any problem resolving it? No? Didn’t think so)
If you’re having a problem resolving our domains, you can always feel free to contact me directly and we’ll be happy to help you debug it, my email address is easy to find via google, etc.
-Mark Jeftovic (easyDNS guy)
Congrats to Ustream. They have improved tremendously since the beginning and continue to evolve.
The new site is very impressive and a great improvement. I think they are exactly right that interaction is the key to live video.
I watch Leo Laporte every weekend and really enjoy it.
Mark, according to your site the only nameserver that you have outside the states is in UK. since when that is being “global”? You are still using the 20 year old BIND that god knows how many times a year needs patching and updating. Your services are good for small and low traffic sites but noway for a media company like ustream that is trying to attract a global audience.
IGNbash: the NS6 cluster isn’t listed on the website yet (although it should be), it’s a multi-node group with two nodes in Europe. I hate speaking in terms of “coming soon” but in this case I’ll make an exception to mention that we will be turning up additional nodes on the Prolexic cleanpipe when their Asian datacenters are in production.
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Your services are … noway for a media company like ustream that is trying to attract a global audience.
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Hey, everybody’s entitled to their opinion, and these guys can use whoever they want. They aren’t on our nameservers, never have been on our nameservers, so the original poster should have checked his facts before he knocked their DNS resolution and attributed what he perceived as poor DNS performance to a company that has nothing to do with this domain.
-mark
Lucky I have iMacros to automate the clicks on sidebar
But seriously, the new site is very impressive.
Lo voy a probar
I will admit Pirillo’s show is marginally better, though only by being a little less boring than Scoble or zoooomr and in Seattle.
What is to stop someone from gaming these? Are there anti-fraud measures in place?
These features (and i would argue there are only 2, not 3) do seem highly “inspired” by justintv’s as nick states.
I think this early in the game, getting gamed is a good thing, it means that the service matters.
I imagine it will take more tweaking after the see how the feature goes.
Why would Scott Flacks, executive at Stickam, compliment Ustream’s new features?
Bullsh*t web company politeness is so retarded and insincere. “oh yeah, we think our competitor’s service is great!”.
Hey Scott, talk to your PR rep before looking like a total insincere doosh.
Ustream doing well would put you out of a job, you know it and everyone else does.
Save the diplomatic BS you learned in marketing 101 class. Why does this man still have a job at Stickam?
I agree with Krusty on this one… But i’ve seen interviews of the Ustream guys do the same thing. Is live video run by absolute morons?
Survey sayyys… DING!
I want to agree, but I heard that Stickam and Ustream might be merging…anyone in the know?
@ Krusty, Scott has a job because of his uncanny ability to recruit teenage girls willing to show skin on cam.
How can anyone compare this to Justin? That is a joke. His stupid tips thing doesn’t even work half the time.
I think what we see here is the difference between a real and serious company (Ustream.tv) and a joke (Justin).
Justin is run by a bunch of college kids looking to get famous and pick up girls. Good luck finding a date Justin….
Any Nick, not sure why you are writing this article since we all know you are trying to do you own show on Justin…
Seems like your journalistic objectivity is skewed.
As the saying goes, content is king, these properties have none to speak of. They keep beating the drum that anyone can do it, the fact is only people with the talent to entertain can. Chris Pirillo has loyal nerds who suck up to him, but that doesn’t make him entertaining. Mostly he’s boring and corny and has about 100 viewers. Ad rev will not pay for 100 viewers.
Great discussion, as usual. A couple of thoughts:
1) The Content Question
Live video is in its infancy, which means we’re all still trying to figure out the best way to create interesting content. Folks like Chris Pirillo are experimenting and forging a new kind of programming. Whether or not Chris’ approach ends up being one for the mainstream or not is still up in the air, but I think Chris is very happy with the results he’s seen so far.
Ultimately, live content on sites like Ustream is going to be a very different proposition than watching normal TV. I have digital cable, which means I have about 500 channels. Despite this fact, I often find that there’s nothing on that I want to watch. And that’s with an entire industry feeding content into it.
The strength of live video will be micro-broadcasting–the creation of thousands or even millions of niche shows with audiences in the 100s or 1000s that focus on what folks really care about. You could never create and economically operate an iPhone channel on traditional television, but you could on Ustream. And you could probably get some decent sponsor dollars for that show too.
2) Civility and Cooperation Within The Industry
Ultimately, there is no secret deal between the various players in the industry, just a recognition that in a nascent and rapidly expanding field, it’s less important to win share from competitors than to try to expand the industry as a whole.
I have a lot of respect for the other folks in the industry. It’s good for all the companies to have viable competitors who can help develop the overall market. Of course we still hope that Ustream will be the biggest winner, but there is room for several winners in this market.