Your DSLR or, in fact, any camera that has an HDMI port, can be transformed into an HD live streaming device, affordably, and with wireless capabilities, thanks to Brooklyn-based technology company Livestream.
Recently announced and available for purchase from the 16th of March on, the Broadcaster mini is Livestream’s newest addition to its line of live streaming encoders, and the second generation of Broadcaster products. At about ⅓ the size of the original Broadcaster, it is small enough to fit in a pocket, and despite its size, it features the specs that Livestream users have come to expect — fast and reliable 5Ghz WiFi, streaming up to 1080p, an internal rechargeable Li-ion battery, full control and setup via the free Livestream app for iOS or Android, and more, through Bluetooth.
According to Max Haot, Livestream CEO and co-founder, this “launch marks the latest in Livestream’s efforts to democratize live video and it offers a wireless solution to mobile live streaming at a more affordable price. Without having to be tethered to a wall with an ethernet cable, users are free to broadcast live from more locations, and more places within those locations”.
To operate the Broadcaster mini, the user simply needs to connect it to an HDMI camera, pair it with the Livestream app, and be ready to go live to millions of viewers on any device. Although the equipment supports most input formats it should be noted that 1080p60, for example, is not supported.
Livestream’s mission is to connect people and live events. Livestream offers event owners a complete set of hardware and software tools to share their events with a growing community online. More than 40 million viewers each month watch thousands of live events from customers including The New York Times, Facebook, ESPN, SpaceX and Warner Bros. Records. Founded in 2007, Livestream is headquartered in New York with offices in Los Angeles, London, Ukraine and India.
The Broadcaster mini, priced at $295, is available for pre-order and ships March 16th. Additionally, Livestream will soon release an update to the original Broadcaster unit, now three years old. The Broadcaster Pro will make its debut in April 2015, keeping many of the features of the original Broadcaster, with improved specs. Users can control it directly on the device, or remotely via a desktop browser on their event page or via the Livestream mobile app. It encodes H.264/AAC and can stream HD 1080p up to 5 Mbps.
The Broadcaster Pro device connects to the Internet via Ethernet 10/100 Mbps, Wi-Fi 5Ghz/2.4Ghz 802.11 a/b/g/n, or 4G/LTE via USB modem, offers full size HDMI input which allows 1080p/1080i/720p/576/489p (Pal & NTSC).Audio can be embedded via HDMI or through the line in (3.5 mm) input, power is supplied by a rechargeable Li-ion battery allowing for 3+ hours of streaming.The Broadcaster Pro also includes a headphone out for monitoring your stream audio.