What Is Live Streaming?

These days, most people know what podcasts are. But for various reasons, the process of streaming can be a more elusive concept for many. So, we’ll briefly unpack what streaming means and talk about its significance with respect to content creation. We’ll also outline the kinds of equipment you may need to get a live stream started.

Streaming as a General Term

Streaming, in its broadest terms, means delivering content, such as music, video, and live broadcasts over the internet in real time. Many people are used to thinking of streaming with respect to the way we watch videos on Netflix or play songs on Spotify. Typically, with these types of platforms, we don’t have to download entire media files to our device to enjoy them. Rather, the stored filed is transferred to our TV or phone in small, continuous portions, allowing us to start watching or listening to the content while the rest of the file keeps loading. 

What Is Live Streaming?

In the world of content creation, live streaming is when content is recorded and streamed over the internet, again in real time, but without first being recorded and stored as a file. That is, the content is coming to you as it is being created.

While live TV broadcasts and concerts may be more obvious examples, many content creators, businesses, and influencers (and gamers) have gravitated towards live streaming as a powerful and exciting way to sell their message, skills, and brand. Whether you’re sharing your views on a trending topic, demonstrating a product, or hosting a webinar, having immediate connection with your audience can have obvious advantages.

Benefits of Live Streaming

There are several benefits to live streaming over prerecorded media. As mentioned above, the most apparent advantage is that you can engage with your audience in real time. For example, social media platforms, such as Instagram, allow viewers to post questions and responses to the live streamer for immediate response and interaction. As a result, you not only increase audience engagement, but also get valuable feedback from your viewers/listeners in real time, allowing you to adjust your message or answer questions. 

The other advantage to live streaming is that the content doesn’t have to be trashed once it’s streamed. It can be recorded and stored to your own hard drive. So, while a viewer may not catch the live event, the stream can become evergreen material for future consumption.

How Does Live Streaming Work?

Once you capture data via video and audio input, the information is compressed, encoded, and then separated into smaller files before it is transferred to CDN (Content Deliver Network). CDN is a distributed network of servers that speed up the delivery of web content. 

Once stored, small portions of this data are continuously sent to users who are watching the stream. The data is cut up into pieces, rather than sent out all at once to save bandwidth so there is no traffic jam. While there is often a slight delay between the moment that the creator sends the video and the moment that the user receives it, the goal is to complete the entire process within milliseconds.

Popular Live Streaming Platforms

Some of the most popular streaming platforms include YouTube, Facebook Live, Instagram Live, TikTok, Twitch, and Twitter (X). Depending on your preferences and the type of content you’re streaming, certain platforms may be preferable to others. For example, one of the factors that makes Instagram Live so popular is that users can live stream directly from their smartphones, making the platform easily accessible and beginner friendly. Instagram also appeals to a very wide audience, making your content viewable by a diverse range of followers. That said, if you’re focusing on a specific topic that’s more community driven, like gaming or sports, you would benefit from a platform like Twitch, which is a dedicated interactive live streaming service that requires you to classify your content to reach a target interest group.

Equipment Used for Live Streaming

Generally, to live stream content, you’ll at the very least need a camera, microphone, computer, and internet connection. That said, these days, the most popular streaming platforms allow you to stream directly from your phone. If you’re not looking for professional results, the camera and microphone on your smartphone will often be sufficient, and you won’t necessarily need a computer. But if you’re planning on doing a more professional live stream from your home studio or streaming in a loud setting, you will want to think about adding more equipment to your arsenal. The types of equipment to consider include:

• An external microphone

• A camera

• Lighting, such as a ring light

• Backgrounds or green screens

• A tripod

• Headphones

If you’re venturing into more advanced streaming territory, you may also want to invest in the following:

• An audio interface to interact with your computer or a mixer, such as the RODECaster Pro II to mix together separate audio signals, like speech, music, sound effects, etc.

• A live stream switcher, such as the Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Pro, that lets you switch between scenes and incorporate other media types. Another example is the RODECaster Video.

Hopefully, you now have the basic gist of what streaming is, as well as a general idea of how to get started should you decide to go on your own live streaming journey. Given all the easy-to-use streaming platforms available and the plethora of beginner-friendly streaming equipment on the market, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be on your way to creating great live content for the masses.

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