Blog Posts

This post walks through the best camera angles to use for live video streaming of sporting events. It covers football, basketball, baseball and volleyball. It's part of our series on sports live streaming.

Fans love being able to see their favorite teams play live, even when they can’t be there in person. But nobody likes the experience of watching a poorly shot game. Capturing footage that is too far from the action, doesn’t follow the ball, or is zoomed in too close is a surefire way to upset fans and keep them from watching your future streams.

In this post, we discuss the optimum camera angles for every sport. 

Note: that for some sports, we suggest including more than one camera angle. In those instances, you’ll need a video switcher - here’s everything you’ll need to know about switchers.

This post talks about how to ensure a great broadcast when you decide to stream outdoor events whether a wedding, a concert, or a festival. It's part of our series on live streaming events.

You’ve got indoor live video streaming down. You’ve mastered the sound, established where to put the cameras for the best shots, and determined when to switch angles for the best effect.

But can you take it outdoors?

In the summer, your organization might host various outdoor activities you want to stream: a wedding, a concert, or a festival. This poses a whole new set of challenges for your crew. Pulling it off will require some planning and maybe even a rehearsal or two.

Below are the challenges you might face and tips on how to overcome them.

This post is a live streaming overview for beginners. It’s the main post in our series on How to Start Live Streaming.

Back in 2013—when we started working with broadcasters—live streaming was limited and complicated. Creating great live video was a complex process and, for many organizations, the low-quality, low-impact results often didn't justify the hassle.

Now, live streaming is more approachable and more relevant for all.

While broadcasting content is easier than ever before, understanding all the many factors involved in the setup can still be overwhelming. The various hardware, software, and platform options can create a barrier to getting started.

Every day, members of our team consult on the live streaming setups of beginners and experts alike. This post condenses the internal knowledge that we've developed over the years to help those with little-to-no-experience with video or broadcasting wrap their heads around it all. It provides an overview and highlights potential pitfalls.

This post talks about the pros and cons of streaming your public meetings to Facebook Live. It's part of our series on local government live streaming.

In April of 2016, Facebook entered the live streaming world and brought new levels of attention to the online engagement platform that had been growing for years. Within a matter of months, they quickly discovered that users spend 3x more time watching live video than any other form of content. Live streaming is powerful.

This post talks about some of the best video cameras that we have found for live streaming at every level. It's part of our series on live streaming equipment.

As every broadcaster knows, the most important piece of equipment in your production arsenal is your camera. (The second most important piece is your encoder). Viewers won’t watch something that’s poorly captured, so as you develop your live streaming strategy, be sure to dedicate proper resources to finding the right camera.

We've done the legwork to make your search easier. Below you’ll find a list of our favorite cameras for live streaming at the consumer, prosumer, and professional levels.

This post is a video explanation of the differences in SDI signals like 3G-SDI, 6G-SDI, 12G-SDI, and Quad Link SDI and talks about what they are used to accomplish. It's part of our series on video encoders. 

Today we'll be talking about the different types of SDI signals. So, when I started in video production I thought that there was just one type of SDI signal. Boy you have no idea how excited I was when I found out it wasn't just that simple. I guess nothing's really ever simple is it?

This post is a video review of the Decimator MD-HX, one of the most versatile tools in a live streaming production set up. It's part of our series on live streaming equipment.

Today, I'm excited to show you the new Decimator MD-HX one of the best tools to keep handy for any event that you stream. I like to take one of these everywhere that I go because it's like a Swiss Army knife for handling video signals. 

This post talks about how to send your live stream to multiple destinations including your website, Facebook Live, YouTube, Periscope (Twitter), AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and mobile apps. The post is part of our series on How to Start Live Streaming.

Simulcasting is the name for live streaming to multiple destinations—your website, social platforms, mobile apps, smart TV apps—simultaneously.

In context, if you live stream video to your website and YouTube at the same time, we would say you are, simulcasting your broadcast to two destinations.

This post addresses the term bitrate, explaining how it relates to upload and download speeds and why it's important in live streaming. It's part of our series on HD live streaming.

Capturing live video with a high resolution and high frame rate does not guarantee your viewer will see that video in peak form.

To deliver high-quality live video to your viewers, you need to offer pipelines that can transfer your video data quickly and completely. Top-notch video requires a higher bitrate to look good.

This post talks about the importance of having a social media manager for your team. It's part of our series on sports engagement.

You’ve set up a great live stream and are ready to broadcast the success of your athletic teams for everyone to see. You’ve even set up ticketing to monetize your stream. But how do you market it?

When it comes to getting the word out about your live video streams, many experts will point you to social media platforms.

This article discusses why sports organizations at any level should have a dedicated social media manager who gives life to the team’s social media presence - someone who can create and post content, engage with viewers, and best represent your organization to a massive audience. 

This post is a summary of the steps that you should consider working through as you purchase new video and audio equipment for your organization. It's part of our series on live streaming equipment.

If you’re new to live video streaming, you might feel intimidated by the prospect of determining what equipment you need, especially with all the options you have for cameras, cables, switchers, etc. Finding what’s right for you can seem overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be.

The five guidelines we’ve listed below will help you break down your decision process and properly evaluate what’s best for you.

This post covers best practices and advice for lighting in your church or ministry. It's part of our series on church live streaming.

How much easier would video streaming be if those watching at home could easily overlook murky audio, poor camera angles and insufficient lighting?

But they don’t.

We’ve all seen too many movies and TV shows to let us ignore those deficiencies. Of course, the members of your church don’t expect a movie-quality production, but low-quality broadcasts take away from the viewing experience and, eventually, could lose your viewership.

This post covers the best video switchers for starting to live stream with multiple camera angles. It's part of our series on live streaming equipment.

When it's time to level up your live stream from one camera to more than one camera, your production setup adds an additional piece of equipment: a video switcher.

A video switcher allows you to bring in multiple feeds (camera, audio, presentation slides, etc) and choose which feed to send live at any given moment.

This post talks about four different ways that you can promote your live streams. It's part of our series on how to start live streaming.

Picture this. You and your team put together an awesome live streamed event. Your production looks great, but no one tuned in to watch it.

There are few things worse for a broadcaster than creating a great stream that no one will ever see. Unfortunately, viewer-less live streams are far too common. If you're struggling to build an audience, think about shifting some of your time toward making sure the video reaches your people.

Here are a few ways you can maximize the reach of your stream:

This post talks about how to improve the quality of your church video announcements. It's part of our series on church live streaming.

Have you noticed that people often don’t remember what you review during your weekly church announcements? Though you might be speaking to a room full of people who hear you, it’s quite possible that not many are listening.

That’s because, as we discussed in this post, people come to church to worship and be among their fellow churchgoers, not to listen to a monologue of church announcements.

The link between ministry and technology is not immediately obvious. In fact, it can be easy to question whether technology has any place in the church at all.

Still, as ministries around the country continue to incorporate various modes of technology into their day-to-day operations, it becomes paramount to examine God’s Word on the subject.

Below are four Bible verses that encourage techology in ministry.

This post covers the factors that influence your ability to broadcast content in 4K and the recommended bandwidth requirements for your 4K stream. It's part of our series on upload speed for live streaming and 4K live streaming.

In order to live stream video content, significant amounts of bandwidth are required. Your required bandwidth to broadcast in 4K depends on the type of compression that you use on the video.

This post talks about five easy ways to connect your church to local media groups. It's part of our series on church growth.

Have you noticed that the mainstream media outlets in your town tend to publicize a handful of congregations while largely ignoring the others?

It seems like every newspaper and TV station has a “go-to” congregation and religious leader for each faith. As a result, certain priests, ministers, rabbis and imams are quoted and interviewed over and over....and your voice isn’t being heard.

Have you ever wondered why? As a former newspaper reporter and editor who’s written many stories about churches, I can tell you how to get coverage.

This post covers the factors (including encoding, bandwidth, transcoding, playback, and device compatibility) required to deliver a 4K broadcast to your live streaming audience. It's the main piece in our series on 4K live streaming.

It seems like everything in video is now 4K—TVs, cameras, and even my iPhone can shoot 4K video. I’m sure I could record some unbelievable footage of my family, my bands, and my church. But how would all of this 4K talk translate to the world of live streaming?

This post makes the case for using lower thirds in your streaming production for your church or ministry. It's part of our series on church live streaming.

Looking to bring an extra level of sophistication and interaction to your live video stream? Consider using lower thirds.