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Livestream.com released its stand alone software switcher, Livestream Studio, meeting its Q1 2013 schedule. Studio is the software component of Livestream’s suitcase encoder. Livestream Studio works on the PC platform with Blackmagic Design capture cards. Studio can send a live webstream to any CDN. It retails for just under $2000.
The next comparable software, Wirecast Professional, retails for just south of $1000.00. So what’s the difference? Telestream’s Wirecast is an excellent piece of software and is relatively mature, being in its fourth version. But one thing that always rubbed me the wrong way with Wirecast was its user interface. If you have never seen a video switcher in your life, Wirecast might make sense to you. For people who are veterans of the video production business, Wirecast’s layout may seem nonsensical, while for the newbie it could be viewed as a way of lessening the intimidation factor.
Livestream Studio, on the other hand, has a beautifully laid out interface that is conducive to live production. You have multiple indications of your production’s current status and multiple ways to change that status. For example, you can switch from the preview windows, which clearly indicate green for preview and red for program (live) or you can switch from the audio table, which clearly indicates green for preview or red for program. For anyone with production experience, the interface is intuitive.
It remains to be seen how Studio will perform on customer-built systems. While the software has had some field testing as a component of Livestream’s HD500 product, a standalone software iteration is always a different story, and even the HD 500 hasn’t been in the field that long. Here, Wirecast may have the advantage because customers have gone through several versions and many of the bugs have been worked out.
From what we see so far, the Livestream Studio software is a winner. If you compare to offerings from Haivision such as Kulabyte, it’s a bargain, but compared to it’s closest and most similar competitor, Wirecast, some may find the $2000 price tag a little steep.
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