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1.07.09
Test for the Professor!
10.22.09
Two New Sites for DLMWeb
A couple of interesting projects
10.22.09
Marshall Crenshaw - Live Webcast - Friday, October 23, 2009 12Noon EST
Keep listening to 98.1FM Red Hook, NY WKZE
More..
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Livestream.com Fails to Make the Grade
10.01.09
Sorry, I hate to be negative, but damn, I am not happy with this one.
My friends, Lizzie and Baba started using Mogulus (ugh, that name really sucked) early this year for their weekly webcast, and I tried and tried to figure out the damned user interface. But even a stubborn webbie like yours truly couldn't make the record function work, or even to get a simple test webcast going. Now this is in contrast to Ustream.tv, which I had discovered, and had been using in "combat conditions" (webcasting weekly from a music club with all the hazards that beer toting patrons, garrolous kibitzers, and flakey wi-fi connections can throw at you).
Ustream never really failed me. I would screw up, have issues, but in the dark, late at night, with a couple dozen distractions going on all around me, it proved its usability, time and time again.
Well, I was recently challenged to upgrade some of the webcasting services I offer, and thought that maybe Mogulus's renamed Livestream.com would be worth a try.
WRONG.
What a major disappointment. And what a waste of my time. The first sign that things weren't going to work out in this "relationship" should have been apparent to me when I really needed to open it up in something other than Firefox (dare I confess to trying it in IE7?) to SEE all the damn buttons on the "studio" page. Not good.
But I tried, folks. Uploaded clips to run "on demand", figured out their "storyboard" syntax, waited patiently for hours for a 10 minute clip to get processed for ondemand.
But today did it. After the 5th crash as my webcam came online (it sort of stopped crashing if I disabled my Logitech's software, but not quite), I went to good old Google and searched for "livestream.com problems" "livestream.com crashes", etc. and come away realizing that a whole shitload of people have lost time with this buggy piece of shit.
Here is the short version. Run away. Use Ustream, or Justin.tv, or spend some money for real enterprise solutions (like store your data at amazon, and use a proprietary flash player from Longtail or some REAL solution)
Looks to me like their biz model is twofold. Sell this backpak portable streaming video device (which looks archaic already, and is targeted at who knows, but has a $2500 monthly RENTAL), ANSD to soak subscribers (who want to get rid of the intrusive ads, and the impossible to administer chat function) a FORTUNE to buy into the real level of their service, and minimum $350 a month ad-free service.
Well, guys, tell ya what. No thanks. How could I expect the paid services to be any better than the ad-supported frustration you throw at us poor suckers.
I expect that I will be finding sponsor money for ad-free streaming when a couple of my clients get ready for the next step. And those dollars of my client's dough will not go to these guy
1/3/2010
I agree that there are problems with Livestream, but so far they're the only service that allows you to switch from live camera to a pre-recorded video as far as I can tell. That function is essential to what I do (live talk show with pre-recorded comedy segments. As far as I can tell, Justin and Ustream can't do that...is there any other service besides Livestream that can?
74.59.82.249
1/3/2010
rephrase: is there any other FREE service that can do that
74.59.82.249
1/3/2010
I don't think so, Jason...for what it is worth my friends Lizzie and Baba (lizzieandbaba.com)have been using Livestream for just that reason (and seem to have better results than I have experienced)...But then I am a crotchety and grumbling old webbie and they are the essence of youthful energy and creativity.
Let me know if you find any better alternatives to the "big little three", and I will try to give Livestream one more shot as I ramp up for 2010's DLMWebcasts.
dlm
66.30.140.241
3/2/2010
I tried operating a 24/7 streaming station for many months, but Mogulus/Livestream/whatever-they-want-to-call-themselves continued to mess with things, the service has become worse IMO. Uploading and importing pre-recorded content has become a great pain and because of that I no longer use it. Unfortunately I've not found a replacement, either.
76.177.94.63
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