Last week, I wrote about the proliferation of live content on the internet. Today I’m going to start a short (and open-ended) series describing a few of the new applications and websites that will help you broadcast to the world over the web.

Today’s tool is Ustream.tv, a pioneer in easy and fast live streaming.

In Short

Ustream.tv is a free service for streaming webcam footage live to the internet. Ustream.tv offers a Java chat window on each “channel” (IRC on the backend, allowing for nearly boundless customisation). Used by Chris Pirillo, Zooomr, Chris Dodd, and Leo LaPorte.

Basic history

Ustream is probably the first live streaming site to hit critical mass after the rebirth of live content (started by Justin.tv). It is incredibly simple to use and delivers instant streaming results, although I have experienced some small stream issues (likely due to scaling).

Setting up an account and stream is a simple process. Simply

1. Register
2. Login
3. Click “My Shows“
4. Create a new ‘quick show’

This will create your show with default information and a title that you set. You can change all the complexities later such as a schedule (if you decide to have one), password/chatbox details, etc.

Streaming content is sort of the anti-thesis of YouTube (or at least what YouTube has become): Ustream, by its very nature, has to be user-generated. It provides the ultimate forum for webcam confessionals, amateur (and professional) radio hosts, and it is all totally original. From this aspect, Ustream and its competitors are going to provide an interesting breath of fresh air for online video.

Over the past 50 years, worldwide media has been dominated by live broadcast media. With the advent of the internet, specifically thanks to the revolutions in video podcasting, mindsets began to change, and time-shiftable content became the new black. Streams were out, downloads were in.

Then came Justin.tv. Justin Kan and his business partners began to “lifecast” – effectively providing a twenty four hour look into the life of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Armed with a laptop, camera, and a soon-to-be overworked EVDO card, Justin.tv would make live cool. It was not just Justin though, the advent of attention-demanding networks such as Twitter made instantaneous updates more popular than ever.

‘Live’ ain’t cheap, but it’s getting there

One of the biggest reasons for the rise of downloads was the inhibiting cost of streaming live video. You needed a fast connection, cameras that could connect into your computer, and decent streaming software. But that was in the nineties.

Now, the cost of streaming is falling rapidly. Connections are fast and getting faster every day – cable and DSL dominate over dial-up connections. Consumer users can now easily connect cameras into their computers. Streaming software is more stable and servers more robust, and there are a great number of fun web cam enhancers to make your images more informative and enjoyable.

Why?

The biggest question when deciding how to broadcast is “why live?” What advantages do live video delivery have over delayed downloads?

• Instant – The most obvious advantage is the instant broadcast. Your event, show, or life can be seen with no delay. No lines, no waiting.
• Communication – instant community. Talk in real time with your users by using a chatbox or other methods. Whatever you choose the benefit of realtime conversation is enormous.

Live is not necessarily the ideal situation for fictional content (though their could be some unique uses) or non time dependent content like many podcasts. It’s a matter of choosing the right tool for the job.

With shifts in costs, a number of providers have stepped up to the plate with their services, offering unique solutions for stream hosting, image manipulation, and promotion. Over the coming weeks, we will profile some of these companies here on YouMakeMedia.

We’ll also be working on a few tutorials to introduce you to streaming live. We have covered static content in the past with our (yet to be finished) podcasting series and we’re excited to help with dynamic media content too!

Similar to the Flixn widget that we discussed last year, Twango launched a webcam widget that uses Flash to record webcam messages.

Like Flixn, Twango’s widget does not require membership for use of the widget. Twango does add the ability to save video to a Twango account if you are a member though – making it a great way to easily create short videoblogs. YouTube offers a similar feature, Quick Capture.

Unlike Flixn, this is not an ad supported service. One of my personal “concerns” with Twango is that there is no evident business model (and if there is one, they aren’t putting it into action). This is the perfect opportunity to put in post-roll ads and get a bit of value off what is surely a bandwidth hogging application. Still though, a quick and easy way to get your message across to family, friends, and co-workers!

Wired Magazine has a fantastic article giving an excellent update on the LonelyGirl15 tale.

Over the past few months, LonelyGirl15 has changed from a simple “stepping stone” into Hollywood to a full-fledged international serial thriller. The story has taken on a darker theme, and it’s exciting to see this new medium fall into place. The article offers a new look at the conception of the series and gives us a look at why things are going how they are.

It’s amazing to see how the internet has so drastically changed entertainment – things are so much more interactive than they used to be. Users can simply suggest where they think the plot is going, and amazingly, the writers accommodate it. Even the sheer number of page views that they experienced moved LonelyGirl15 from a future film to a permanent web institution.

I’m definitely following LonelyGirl and its creators. This is a new media experiment that’s doing quite well for itself.

It’s been a few weeks since Vara Software released Wirecast, version 3, but I’ve finally weeded through all the chaos of our Oratos union and I’m now set to review it.

Editor’s Note: I’m using a special trial version of the program that is not feature-limited, however it will expire after three-months. The license for this special version (often provided to journalists interested in reviewing software), was graciously provided by Vara.

My experience with the software has been fantastic so far. Version 3 is a major improvement over version two, although there are several quirks in it that one wouldn’t expect. More after the jump….

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Vara Software released version three of Wirecast this week.

Wirecast is a fantastic program for creating live broadcasts of live media or pre-created media. It’s one of the few comprehensive solutions that allows for the capture, layout, and (now) streaming of live events.

The newest version of Wirecast, which is available for Mac OSX and Windows XP features the ability to stream from the built-in streaming server as opposed to one that you provide, support for High-Def video, a Windows scripting interface, and some other small improvements.

I’ve obtained an evalutation license and I’ll be reviewing this fantastic program (Version Two of which I had the fortune of beta testing a year or so ago). Look out for that either tommorow or Saturday.