Meet the app that turns your iPhone into a live-streaming webcam
What is it?
A free iOS app (www.periscope.tv) that lets anyone, anywhere broadcast (‘stream') live video on the web. and lets anyone, anywhere watch it. Its creators (getting carried away as tech entrepreneurs tend to) said they wanted to build "the closest thing to teleportation". Despite this daft hyperbole, many web experts are predicting a live-streaming "revolution".
Will that happen?
Probably, because the app’s potential is huge. Twitter, who bought Periscope for a reported $100m earlier this year, says that over one million people signed up within 10 days of Periscope launching in late March, livery one of these could be streaming their lives as we speak.
But what if I don't want to stream my life online?
We wouldn't blame you. There are too many annoying exhibitionists online as it is. But you shouldn't worry too much about what you will stream. As with many things online, you're more likely to use Periscope as a consumer than as a producer - in other words, as someone watching video rather than creating it, just as there are more people reading blogs than writing them.
So what kind of videos can I watch?
That's the key question. 1 here's no doubt that Periscope will eventually pull in attention-seeking celebrities with little to say. Russell Brand will probably start ranting on it soon. No doubt politicians will follow suit if Periscope becomes a way to reach young people who no longer use “traditional" media.
Are you trying to put me off it?
Well, we're just being honest about its pitfalls before coming to what it does brilliantly - which is broadcast live news. Just think: any event that happens anywhere can now be instantly streamed live online, as long as a bystander has an iPhone (an Android app is coming soon). Periscope has already been used this way. In March, a fire in New York was streamed online, while a month later people at the Baltimore riots broadcast them live. When used in this way Periscope does justice to the app's slogan: "explore the world through someone else's eyes".
And not all celebrity use of Periscope would be irritating drivel. Jeremy Clarkson, for example, could bypass TV completely and review cars direct from his front room. Stephen Pry could read passages from his last autobiography. David Dimbleby could broadcast behind the scenes at Question Time.
Can videos be streamed privately?
Yes. Unlike its rival Meerkat (http://meerkatapp.co). Periscope has a private mode that lets you broadcast to a select group of people. Families and friends can use it to share special moments, such as weddings and birthdays. While on holiday, your children could share with you a stunning sunset as it happens, in all its orangey glory.
That sounds better. So how do I find out what's being streamed?
By installing the app on your iPhone or iPad then tapping the TV icon, or by clicking any of the Periscope links on Twitter. You can watch any recording made in the past 24 hours.
Is broadcasting video on Periscope actually legal?
Yes, as long as it doesn’t infringe copyright. Periscope has already banned people it caught live-streaming programmes as they were being shown on their TV. The Premier League and Sky Sports must be worried because a football fan at a match could broadcast it live online. Video quality would be poor, but it’s better than nothing.