Looking to turn your PC into a live video production studio? Ustream has just launched a new desktop application to help make that happen. Today, the company is launching a new desktop client called Ustream Producer that boasts high video quality and editing tools that can help give your streams an added layer of polish. The application is available for both Mac and PC, and you can grab it here.
Now, you’ve always been able to broadcast to Ustream via your web browser, which uses Flash to access you PC’s webcam. But Ustream says that the desktop client offers both increased video quality (you can stream in HD and H.264), and perhaps more importantly, it allows you to create broadcasts that can be far more complex than just a single stream from your webcam. The application includes support for Picture In Picture, which means you simultaneously show two streams at the same time. The premium version of the app lets you use multiple cameras from the same setup, while the free version lets you include additional Ustream streams that are being broadcast from other computers. You can also integrate previously recorded video, and share your desktop screen.
Ustream is offering a free version of the producer, which includes more than enough features for casual broadcasters. But if you’re looking to make your broadcasts look more professional, complete with graphic overlays and multiple camera angles, you’ll want the premium version, which costs $199.
This isn’t the only way to broadcast live video from your desktop, though. Competitor LiveStream has offered a similar production tool called Procaster since last April. And there are third party applications like Wirecast that allow you to stream to multiple livestreaming services, like Justin.tv, Livestream.com, and Ustream.
If you’re looking to get a feel for what can be done with the new software, the company says that Trace Cyrus and Mason Musso will be using it to broadcast a new song from the Alice in Wonderland soundtrack tomorrow at 4PM here.
(Via TechCrunch.)
YouTube has just launched a complete redesign of its video pages and its video player, emphasizing simplicity and video discovery, including the removal of the five-star video rating system. Currently the new design is opt-in, but over time it will become the default.
We had the chance to learn more about this new redesign in a conference call with YouTube earlier today. First, though, here’s a full screenshot of the new design, a screenshot of the old design for comparison and details about what has changed:
– The first thing you’ll notice is that this thing is really stripped down. Many menu items and options have been removed.
- The video description has been moved from the right-hand side to under the video. You can click on the description to bring up the full text.
- Emphasis has been placed on ‘finding more great videos to watch.’ You subscribe to a channel above the video and can bring up a ribbon with videos from that channel with a single click. The right-hand column is a long list of related and recommended videos.
- The actual player has changed as well. No longer is there an ‘HD’ button, but the option to choose your resolution, from 480p to 720p or 1080p HD.
- There is no longer a five-star rating system. There is now a ‘like’ and a ‘don’t like’ button, which YouTube says better reflects how users interact with their videos.
- Many of the options are now under the video. You can save items to playlists, share to your social networks and flag the video.
- If you click on the viewcount, YouTube video analytics will appear below. This was available before, but a lot more people should find this feature.
- Comments have been simplified and cleaned up.
- The ‘Broadcast Yourself’ tagline has been removed from the logo, although the final decision on whether to remove it has yet to be made.
The philosophy behind the whole redesign is that, in the past, there were way too many things competing for your attention, which hurt click-through rates, video views and time on site. The new design focuses on getting you to watch more videos, no matter what.
For example, search has been dramatically altered, and for the better. When you perform a search on these new video pages, you will not be taken to a results page. Instead, your video will be minimized (without being interrupted) and the right-hand column will display search results. It makes perfect sense and makes the search experience seamless.
I asked YouTube about whether past videos will keep their five-star ratings. The answer: No, although it’s not yet determined just how the ratings will be transformed. Most likely, the ratings will be transformed into ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ based on the old votes.
In the beginning, YouTube will make this opt-in as it adds new features and optimize current ones. As it gets more user feedback, it will get closer to a full rollout of the design, which YouTube hopes is in a timeframe of weeks, not months.
If you want to change your YouTube account over to the new design, visit this video (Note: You must be logged into YouTube). You can always change back to the old YouTube with a link that appears on the top right corner.
(Via Mashable!.)
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