The pandemic transformed every home in a live studio and made everyone a broadcaster, paving the way for the development of innovative solutions and tools. Now, for distinct reasons, many want to continue broadcasting, and affordable solutions are in demand. BoxCast claims it has one more: Producer. With this new tool there’s no need to download an app or invest in expensive equipment — just use your web browser as an encoder and stream with a webcam or capture device.
Producer is a new step in an adventure that started in 2009, when Gordon Daily, Justin Hartman, and Ron Hopper set to work and create fully automated, reliable live streaming hardware and software to empower broadcasters to connect with viewers anywhere. One year later a patent for the first product was filed: the BoxCaster, a revolutionary, pocket-sized encoder that streams live video from anywhere with internet. In 2013, one year after having sold its first branded BoxCaster to Case Western Reserve University, the company was founded, in Cleveland, Ohio, as Gordon, Justin, and Ron quit their day jobs to focus on their start-up company full time.
With BoxCast Flow and BoxCaster Pro launched in 2018 and 2019, the company made it to 2020, when its technology became a must-have for organizations as they recognized the value of hybrid events. The following year – 2021 was a groundbreaking year for the company: it enabled users to produce over a million broadcasts, resulting in billions of live streamed minutes of live streams watched. Meanwhile new features were added to the company’s products.
We’re in 2022 and Producer was just announced. BoxCast claims it is “a powerful solution allowing users to live stream from a browser, where you can host virtual events, produce podcasts, and more” and do it to multiple destinations simultaneously. The differentiator here, BoxCast claims, “is the algorithm in our proprietary streaming protocol — it’s adaptive to your network and maintains the highest-quality possible streaming connection even if your device or internet is spotty.”
Producer users can take full advantage of the BoxCast Dashboard, the company’s flagship software that manages and schedules broadcasts. With Producer, users can:
- Multistream to numerous destinations simultaneously
- Share a device screen during a broadcast
- Compose camera and screen feeds in multiple formats including picture-in-picture and side-by-side
- Apply customized branding assets, lower-thirds and gifs to a live stream
- Record and produce a podcast
- Encourage comments and engagement during a broadcast with Viewer Chat
Producer is available now for free with any BoxCast live streaming plan. Users can sign up for a Free plan, or enhance their broadcasts with more advanced, professional features by upgrading to one of four additional streaming subscription plans starting at $99 per month. Anyone can start live streaming in minutes with Producer for free at boxcast.com.
For those who need some help starting, BoxCast launched recently The BoxCast Academy, a one-stop shop for learning. Visit the page to start your own BoxCast 101 course that will teach you everything you need to know about live streaming using BoxCast! The course guides you through the following:
- Select how you want to stream, and choose an encoder.
- Learn the BoxCast Dashboard and how broadcasts work.
- Setup and configure social media destinations for live streaming to more than one place.
- Schedule your broadcasts and set up recurring broadcasts for easier event management.
- Learn to leverage the power of the BoxCast Player embed code and Smart TV Apps for AppleTV, Roku, & Amazon FireTV.
The BoxCast 101 course will give you the necessary knowledge to explore live streaming and the new tool Producer. BoxCast says that “however you decide to stream, Producer makes it quick, easy, and enjoyable to express your creativity and communicate your message through live video” and invites users to “take a look at our Producer walkthrough for tips on getting started. You can also learn how to stream a slideshow presentation in picture-in-picture mode. If you want to expand your setup beyond your computer, check out our external webcam and microphone recommendations.”
“In a world where virtual and hybrid events are a necessity for all organizations, Producer makes it easy to begin live streaming and host events in just a few clicks,” BoxCast CEO and Co-Founder Gordon Daily said. “Producer eliminates barriers many people new to streaming have, allowing them to reach their audiences wherever they are.”