Top 6 Live Video Streaming and Broadcasting Services of 2009

Dec 20, 2009 by Anurag Bansal    10 Comments    Posted under: Android, Apple, Apps & Software, Reviews, Web & Social

2009 has been a great year for Live Video Streaming and broadcasting services. We saw a boom of these kind of services that allow users to stream live videos to a wider audience using Webcam, iPhone and other mobile devices.
A lot services focused on Live streaming through Twitter too. But they were just small projects of the big services like Justin.tv, Livestream etc., Camtweet, Twitcam and all if you are familiar with the names.
So in this post we are looking at those services which made an impact in this market. These are the services which were talked more often than others. They were managed to grab a wider user base and hence are very popular. Let’s have a look:

1. Ustream.tv: Ustream is the live interactive video broadcast platform that enables anyone with a camera and an Internet connection to quickly and easily broadcast to a global audience of unlimited size.  Attract and build your own brand by creating an account, a channel and a topic for your broadcast.  You can link your Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and other networks with Ustream.
   With the latest iPhone app, Ustream Live Broadcaster, it becomes even more accessible to more users even for iPhone 3G users.
2. Livestream (formerly Mogulus): Livestream is another platform that enables you to quickly broadcast to a global audience.  The desktop app Procaster is really a must have to give cool effects to your broadcasts.  If you want to create something like you see on television, then Livestream is the service you would want to try.
3. Qik: Qik is relatively small player as compared to Ustream and Justin.tv.  Qik is one of the favorite services on Knowliz.  If you have ever used a webcam to talk to your family and friends then you can use qik the same way.  Extremely easy to use, fast, reliable and with a multitude of options to link your various networks.  Qik iPhone broadcaster app is still pending to be approved by Apple.  But if you have a jailbroken iPhone, then you can install it from Cydia now. Qik iPhone app called ‘Qik Live’ is now available in Apple iTunes Store. (iTunes Link) Check out the below video for quick qik introduction.
   
4. Justin.tv: Justin.tv is another service that lets you broadcast easily through webcam or mobile phones.  Surprisingly there is no iPhone app is yet available for Justin.tv though the service seems to very popular and appears second after Ustream.tv in popularity.
5. Bambuser:  We covered Bambuser yesterday when their iPhone app went live in iTunes store.  Check out our review for complete details.  It is a relatively new service and hence very less users currently know about it.  Their iPhone app is worth trying though.
6. Flixwagon: Flixwagon is a similar service though it is apparently not known to many users and the mainstream media.  The service is apparently being used for casual video sharing with family and friends.  You can use it on a jailbroken iPhone through Cydia.  With Flixwagon, you can broadcast live video from your phone to the web, keep videos for later, stream to your blog, notify your friends and more.

If you got a chance to try any of these services then please vote for the best service in your opinion below. Let us know in comments why do you like them and what was the reason to chose that. If there is any other service you would like to share with other readers.

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Update (12/24/2009) at 4:29PM : Qik iPhone app is officially available in iTunes Store.

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