September 18, 2009
Justin.tv launches live video streaming app
It doesn't broadcast, but it does deliver a smooth interactive live video experience.
Justin.tv launched a live video viewing app for the iPhone today, and it’s smooth.
The app does not allow for broadcasting from the phone, but the image quality is impressive (provided the broadcaster has good bandwidth). From my 3G iPhone, there was about a 45 second lag between action and viewing, compared to the 15 second lag I get when viewing online with an ethernet connection. The app also allows for chat, which updates in real-time and is simultaneous with the online connection.
Live-streaming apps aren’t new. Ustream launched one over a year ago, though that is not currently available in the U.S. App Store (it’s not clear when it became unavailable and I haven’t seen any news about it being pulled. I’ve reached out to Ustream for comment. Qik and Kyte live video viewing apps are also conspicuously absent). Update: Ustream's viewing app is back up in the app store. Marketing rep Shari Folds tells us simply that "We heard it was down for a period of time but it's back up."
Justin.tv VPs Evan Solomon and Caleb Elston said the app will automatically switch between a 200kb/sec stream and a 64 kb/sec stream depending on the bandwidth available (this, they think, is the only live streaming mobile app that does this). The pair also said they are working on new features, including push notifications to tell users when their friends have started broadcasting—this function will be submitted tomorrow morning to the app store—and a categories filter. They also said the app would be coming to Android soon.
Related Companies, Investors, and Entrepreneurs
Kyte
Startup/Business
Joined Vator on
Kyte is a white-label, cloud-based publishing platform for live and on-demand video. The Kyte Platform reduces the cost and complexity of delivering social video experiences to websites, mobile and connected devices. Kyte powers online video for top media companies and brands, including ABC, Armani Exchange, Clear Channel, ESPN, Fox News, MTV, Monster Energy and NATO.
UStream
Startup/Business
Joined Vator on
Ustream.TV is the live interactive video broadcast platform that enables anyone with a camera and an Internet connection to quickly and easily broadcast to a global audience of unlimited size.
In less than two minutes, anyone can become a broadcaster by creating their own channel on Ustream or by broadcasting through their own site, empowering them to engage with their audience and further build their brand. Click here to start a broadcast now or learn more about broadcasting.
Ustream's one-to-many live interactive video encourages broadcast-to-viewer and viewer-to-viewer interaction, empowering a much more engaging experience for everyone involved.
With Ustream's interactive broadcast functionality, viewers can personally interact directly with whoever is broadcasting -- including personalities like their favorite musician or politician. Ustream viewers can watch specific broadcasts, explore our networks ranging from music, talk shows, sports and politics to discover a world of interesting new broadcasts, or review our past broadcasts.
Ustream opens up a new world of possibilities and experiences to broadcasters and viewers alike, which the pre-recorded static video that's predominated the Internet to date just can't provide. Today, people are Ustreaming everything including:
Justin.tv
Startup/Business
Joined Vator on
Justin.tv is building the destination site for broadcasting and watching live video online while chatting with friends. Justin.tv tears down the walls of traditional video and social networking sites by enabling viewers and broadcasters to interact and exchange ideas in real time through chat and live video.
In the past, live broadcasting was only available to large media corporations who were willing to spend millions of dollars. Today, Justin.tv has democratized live video by shrinking all of the functionality of an expensive TV satellite trunk into a simple laptop or desktop computer.
The Justin.tv live video network is powered by Python Media Server - a custom built live streaming video server cluster. The network can support thousands of live broadcasts and over 100,000 simultaneous viewers and is 100% owned and operated by Justin.tv.
The Justin.tv chat system is powered by the JTV Twisted Chat Server - a custom built chat server that implements a wide variety of filtering and moderation techniques and relays well over a million messages a day.
Justin.tv has hundreds of thousands registered users and receives millions of uniques and tens of millions of pageviews per month.
Qik
Startup/Business
Joined Vator on
Qik is a little piece of software that enables you to stream videos directly from your phone to the Web. Use it to stream engaging videos to your friends in Facebook, Twitter, etc. or as your camcorder to capture entertaining and special moments. Qik enables you to share moments of your life with your friends, family and the world - directly from your cell phone!
Keep your world in the know, share a laugh, tell engaging stories. Just point your cell phone and stream video live to your your friends on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, etc. OR use your cell phone like a camcorder and stream hours and hours of video without worrying about storage on your cell phone.
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