March 2020 Summaries

This guide explores various iOS apps for live streaming to an RTMP server, providing insights into their usability, cost, and features such as support for RTMPS and portrait orientation. The author, who has no affiliations with the apps, emphasizes the importance of security through RTMPS, which Facebook now requires, though many apps surprisingly lack this support. Wirecast Go and Larix Broadcaster emerge as top recommendations, with Wirecast Go praised for its production capabilities despite lacking RTMPS support, and Larix Broadcaster lauded as the best free option, supporting both RTMPS and portrait mode. Other apps like Broadcast Me and It's My Live offer varying features and limitations, such as the need for account creation or lack of portrait mode support. The guide also notes the challenges with some applications, including technical issues and hidden costs, while prompting readers to share their experiences with different apps.

The author has spent the last year attending and participating in various video industry events around the world to keep up with the latest trends and developments. They emphasize the importance of these events for learning from others, including competitors and big players like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Understanding the approaches and requirements of major companies is crucial for success in the streaming media space. The author also discusses their own talks at various conferences, touching on topics such as open ABR technology, machine learning applications, video APIs, live streaming events, and low latency live streaming specifications. They mention some emerging trends like deep fakes and 5G, but note that the latter has not yet made a significant impact in the industry. The author also talks about their plans to attend more diverse general developer conferences in 2020, with the aim of making video streaming more accessible to all developers.

Online conferences have become increasingly popular, and this guide provides a step-by-step process for creating a custom experience using Zoom and Mux. The setup includes multiple presenters broadcasting live from different locations, with the option to simulcast to social channels like YouTube Live, Facebook Live, and Periscope. A branded overlay can be added, and recordings of the broadcast are available for on-demand playback. Additionally, a live chat component can be incorporated using various methods or by creating a Slack community. The final setup allows attendees to view the conference on a website without needing to download Zoom, with options for reduced latency and watermarking.