Hauppauge just introduced a new HD video streamer. The StreamEez hub (not yet pictured) connects to an HD camera and will live-stream events such as concerts, church masses, or other kinds of congregations. The video is compressed thanks to a built-in H.264 encoder that then allows it to stream on sites such as Ustream and Justin.tv.
Ustream has chosen to celebrate 2.5 million downloads of its Android app by planning to release the Ustream 2.0 app later this week. The current version is available (free, Google Play), and those who already have it will be prompted for an update. It most significantly brings a new option to disable the ads within the free app by buying a premium membership ($4 per month) available from the company's website or from the app itself. A recent study suggested banner ads drain battery life by up to twice as much as those from a paid apps, making an upgrade more efficient.
Ustream has released a new version of its iOS app, v2.1. The title is now a universal binary, sporting a new iPad-native interface with more simultaneous on-screen options, as well as a larger video playback area. Although the iPad 1 is supported, the app's full functions are only available on the iPad 2, which has cameras allowing people to host broadcasts as well as view them.
YouTube wrapped up its week by making YouTube Live a permanent fixture of its service. The once test-only service will now always be available and both show whichever shows are live now as well as allow marking events on the calendar to watch later. Subscriptions here work to notify viewers of streams that are coming up, not just once they've been posted.
Apple's future plans for MobileMe could involve more than just the media locker, a source rumored on Wednesday. The company would center it on a unified profile page that would merge social networks with media services. Among the plans caught by Cult of Mac would be status updates, including Foursquare-style location check-ins; it would not only host photos and videos but even offer live video streaming like Ustream or Qik.
Twitter today switched on its promised integration of in-line media playback. The feature now enables iTunes previews on Twitter from those sharing links as well as from 19 other partners, including others previously limited to native apps. Instagram will leave its iOS app for the first time and show photos shared with Twitter sharing turned on.
The FCC today proposed major changes to 911 that would bring smartphones and other devices into the mix. Officials suggested allowing text messaging but also live video streaming, automatic alarm or medical sensors and other data services that have previously been off-limits. Using these could save lives, the agency said, as incidents like the Virginia Tech shootings showed that many younger witnesses have tried to use messaging first and weren't stopping to consider voice.
Yahoo's Americas mobile VP David Katz in a discussion today promised that it would bring a version of Yahoo Messenger with 3G or 4G video chat to smartphones. Those with an iPhone 4 as well as Android phones with front cameras, such as the Samsung Epic 4G or T-Mobile's new myTouch, will have the option of a two-way chat regardless of which network they use. It uses the same transmission format as the desktop app and should let owners make video chats between mobile and the desktop.
Twitter tonight held a special event to give an early look at the new Twitter. The new page draws directly from the design of the iPad app and makes content show automatically in a second pane rather than popping out a new window. Photo hosts like Flickr, TwitPic and Yfrog, as well as video hosts like Ustream and YouTube, will have their content embedded in a format that's more helpful both to computers and to tablets like the iPad.
YouTube this morning made its live streaming plans official with word that it would start trials. The approach works through a user's existing YouTube channel and follows the same approach as a service like Justin.tv, Qik or Ustream: users need only a FireWire or USB video camera and have access to live comments for any ongoing show. It's not stated but is implied that finished shows will be archived as regular YouTube clips.
Cerevo has introduced an updated version of its social camera, which now supports Ustream broadcasting. The redesigned model, referred to as the Cerevo Cam Live, will allow users to livestream video directly from the device via 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connections or even 3G networks. Other automatic upload options include YouTube, Picasa, or Twitter hosts.
An inside report from within an Apple town hall meeting has revealed some of CEO Steve Jobs' blunt criticisms, particularly against Google. In the wake of the iPad launch, Jobs claimed the search firm's motto of "Don't Be Evil" is simply "bullsh*t" and that the new rival is fully intent on killing the iPhone with Android despite the companies' partnership on iPhone services. He similarly pointed out that the aggression was largely one-sided and that Apple hadn't entered search.
Video site Ustream has launched Live Broadcaster, a third free application for the iPhone. Whereas earlier titles have only been capable of viewing or recording video, the new app generates live streams, said to be a first for the iPhone. Feeds operate over both 3G and Wi-Fi; alternately, users can record video and upload it later.
Ustream has launched an updated iPhone app, 3GS Recorder, that allows users to upload videos from their handset. The company's previous app could only be used to view content from Ustream's website. With the addition of recording capabilities to the iPhone firmware v3.0, videos can now be sent to Ustream, Twitter, YouTube or Facebook.
A new application is circumventing Apple's anti-pornography restrictions at the iTunes App Store, claims the New York Daily News. The Ustream application, recently released on iTunes, is said to have hosted at least one adult video stream following its launch, in which a woman teased a live chat audience without actually undressing on-camera. The stream appeared to be promoting another website.
A dedicated Ustream app is in development for the iPhone, according to company head John Ham. The app will let users tap into the main features of the site, which allows visitors to not only watch live video broadcasts, but participate in chat with others. Most other details of the app are unknown, but it is likely to require a 3G or Wi-Fi connection, and Ham suggests it will be available "in a matter of days."
Google today launched the surprise addition of Gmail video chat to its webmail interface. The feature lets contacts use Google Talk to start a two-way video or audio-only conversation with anyone currently online and can be started in the middle of a text chat. Like dedicated desktop apps, the web version carries a picture-in-picture view and can be stretched out or made full-screen.
Google's popular video hosting site, YouTube, will support live streaming by the end of 2008, according to one of the site's originators. Co-founder and chief technology officer Steve Chen disclosed the information at a recent party in New York City, insisting that "We'll do it this year." The news is significant in that despite the dominance of YouTube, it has been beaten to the availability of streaming by sites such as Ustream and Justin.tv. YouTube may thus need live technology to retain market control.
Yahoo this morning took steps to up-end Google with Y! Live. The first service of its kind from a major web company, the feature aims to bring the same live recording seen from more focused sites such as Justin.tv or Ustream. Users can link a webcam or any other connected camera to the site and host live performances viewable from any Mac or PC with Adobe's Flash installed; show hosts can also interact with as many as four other primary guests as well as a much larger number of live chatters.
