Periscope, Meerkat and YouNow: A new generation of live streaming apps turns the smartphone into a TV studio
Smartphone owners are used to being on the move with little computers in their pockets. However, most of them probably do not know that their telephones are mini-format television studios that they can use to put their lives on the internet in the form of a live documentary. This is made possible by a range of innovative apps such as Periscope, Meerkat and YouNow.
However, there are a few things that you should consider before you start broadcasting.
Apps such as Periscope and Meerkat are fundamentally different from YouTube in just two areas: The videos are transmitted and received live, and the smartphone is the primary technical base, instead of a laptop or a PC. Apart from that, the services have certain things in common with YouTube: Anyone who satisfies the relevant technical requirements can participate, there is no hard and fast programme or broadcast schedule and a few ‘stars’ have already emerged, even though the streaming apps are just a few months old. One of them is a young American who goes by the nickname of Mr Cashier. On YouNow, users can see how he spends his days at a checkout counter of a little shop in New York.
The service, which is especially popular with children under the age of 15, also provides a view of nurseries and classrooms. Periscope, which was acquired by the social media giant Twitter and launched in March 2015, is somewhat more grown-up. The application could, for example, make it possible for you to view a live stream emanating from the roof of a skyscraper in the neighbourhood of Hell’s Kitchen, New York. You don’t necessarily have to agree to all this, but this is what the new world of social media looks like.
How To Stream Your Own Personal Documentary
We’re using Periscope as an example to show you how the new live streaming apps work. Meerkat can also be used in a similar manner.
The first thing you need is an iOS or Android device. The minimum system requirements for Periscope are Android 4.4 or iOS 7.1. Apart from that, you should also have a Twitter account, which you can use to register with Periscope. Now, this isn’t exactly a requirement, as you can also register using your mobile phone number. However, a Twitter account makes it easier to find other Periscope users and disseminate your broadcasts. You should therefore allow Periscope to use your Twitter app. This will also enable you to post your live streams on Twitter.
Seeing And Being Seen
After installing the app, it will navigate you to an overview menu, where the most popular live feeds are being shown. Clicking the preview window starts the video. If you want to search for specific persons or providers, you can select the group symbol in the top bar. In addition to popular Periscope users, this will also recommend the accounts that you are already following on Twitter.
The magnifying glass at the bottom right of the screen makes it possible to run a targeted search for more users. If a user who you are following goes live, you will be notified of current broadcasts via push messages. The stream will also appear in the watch overview, which can be accessed through the TV symbol. After you have activated a live stream, you can simply view the stream or communicate with the broadcaster. You can do this in two ways: You can write out a comment in the line at the lower edge of the screen, or you can send him hearts by tapping any random point on the screen. The messages and hearts appear on the broadcaster’s display in real time.
If you want to transmit a live stream of your own, you should switch over to the global menu or the watch menu. Now, click the red camera icon. The app will then show the broadcast set-up assistant. The upper left portion of the screen lets you specify whether the stream is to be public or private. A public stream can be viewed by anyone who possesses the link or has a Periscope account.
Theoretically, anyone who can access the internet could follow your stream, since the link can easily be forwarded. If the stream is private, only followers who have been authorised by you in advance can watch and listen to the stream. The section underneath the target group settings allows you to assign a title to the broadcast. The three buttons underneath the title allow you (from left to right) to disclose your location, limit the comment function to your followers and post the link to your broadcast on Twitter. Clicking the “Start broadcast” button lets you go live on air.
The bottom right portion of the screen tells you how many people are watching you. Click the symbol in the upper right portion of the screen or double-click the display to switch over from the rear camera to the frontal one. To guarantee an optimal level of quality, you should be connected to a WLAN during the broadcast. When you’re on the move, you will need at least a 3G connection, otherwise Periscope will not work. Apart from all this, you should also keep an eye on your data usage:
According to our observations, Periscope uses about 3.0MB per minute when it’s broadcasting information. In order to prevent your TV channel from turning into a data hog, you should ensure that you do not stream data using a mobile connection too frequently.