Several decades after its introduction, the television or TV set has definitely and arguably become the primary source of information and entertainment for many people around the world. Yet, despite the growing popularity of the television, there is one drawback in its use—regular TV shows have scheduled airing time and can be only viewed on demand. Tele-viewers who are always on the go would definitely find this limitation very frustrating. It is good enough that there are videos of these shows and movies that they could readily playback.
The advent of 3G or 3rd generation GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) had produced some innovations that snowballed and culminated in the development of better technology. Using mobile devices like smartphones or tablets loaded with appropriate apps or software, people can now readily watch TV shows, movies, sports, and news on demand, anytime and anywhere. Likewise, with the current communication technology, people can now communicate, study, work, conduct business, advertise, sell, and buy whenever and wherever they choose. Moreover, by installing a video streaming software on their mobile devices, many people could now broadcast and share their views, beliefs, experience, interest, and knowledge online.
Understanding Video Streaming
Not so long before, broadcasting was still an exclusive domain of radio and television networks. Ordinary individuals could only watch or listen to what was being broadcast by these television radio networks. Gone were those days however because the introduction of video streaming had indeed radically changed the broadcasting setup. At present, anybody can broadcast by creating a video footage that could be uploaded online via video streaming using nothing but a smartphone. Video streaming likewise has rapidly become a widely-accepted means of spreading information online.
Streamed videos first came to public attention through streamed movies and other video presentations on the internet. Many people then quickly realized the potential use and value of a mobile device as broadcasting tool using video streaming, and at present, more and more people are sharing events, pics of awesome locations, festivities, and experiences by streaming live these files on social media sites like the Facebook or YouTube. Moreover, many people immediately saw the potential of live video streaming in spreading beliefs, ideologies, and interests. Additionally, streamed videos do not need to be stored. Streamed video likewise can be viewed instantaneously soon after the video file is played.
With the emergence of media streaming device, streamed videos can now be viewed from a smart TV by simply plugging the streaming device into the TV’s HDMI port. Some media streaming device however already have built-in video streaming software; hence, they are already smart devices and can readily access the internet without using a mobile device or a computer.
The flexibility to transmit video file via video streaming has also been seen by television networks as a supplemental, if not an alternative, to electronic news gathering or ENG. Many TV news stations nowadays are already employing a number of “auxiliary” journalists in place of specialist news-gathering teams. Equipped with nothing more than a smartphone, these “auxiliaries” can readily stream any important event or news to their central news studios.
Product Manager @ LiveU, a video streaming software provider. Visit us at: www.liveu.tv
