What is Live streaming? How does live streaming work?

In the period of digital connectivity, live video streaming is a powerful innovation. It permits users to broadcast real-time audio and video content over the web. Due to this reason, "live video is used by 35% of marketers." It empowers individuals and businesses to connect with a worldwide crowd.

Live streaming converts audio and video from a source, like a camera, into digital data. This data is transmitted through the web via content delivery networks (CDNs) to reach viewers' gadgets. Content delivery networks assist in optimizing data's delivery, guaranteeing a smooth viewing experience. The data is reconstructed into audiovisual content upon reaching the audience's gadgets. This empowers viewers to encounter the broadcast as it happens.

Live streaming has become progressively well-known for various purposes, including entertainment, education, marketing, and communication, fostering real-time interactions and engagement between content creators and their crowds. According to statistics, "Because of live streaming, 44% of individuals claim to watch less TV."

But what is live broadcasting or live streaming, and how does it work? This blog provides an enlightening overview of live video streaming, investigating its types, advantages, and disadvantages.

What is Live Streaming?

Wondering, “What does live streaming mean?” Let's understand - Watching videos in real-time is made possible through live streaming, a type of video content format. With live video streaming, viewers can witness events as they happen, and these videos can be shared to increase brand engagement.

The appeal of live streaming lies in its authenticity, as it is free from any edits. It also attracts a large audience base on social media platforms, making it a crowd-puller. Live videos allow users to experience events in their original format, which captures their attention.

Live streaming works well across all industries, from news to lifestyle and more. This is because it allows creators to devise video content strategies. As of 2023, live-streaming will generate $1.49 billion which is estimated to rise to $184.3 billion by 2027.

Examples of live streaming

1. GUDSHO

Content creators vouch for the feature-packed and powerful toolkit provided by GUDSHO for live streaming of video content. Getting started with this platform takes only a few minutes. With ultra-low latency and support for 4K videos, engaging a global audience and realizing your monetization goals become easy.

2. Vplayed

This platform enables efficient and highly effective live streaming. Content creators get a chance to broadcast live content and propel viewer engagement. You need not worry about bandwidth issues as the platform offers buffer-free streaming for an amazing user experience.

3. Livestream

Livestream helps organizations and individual content creators to launch virtual events, engage with their target audience, and fulfill their monetization goals. You get dedicated support and a highly secure live streaming platform. Features like auto-archiving, 1080p live streaming, graphical overlays, and video management enable high-impact live streaming.

4. Restream.io

This is another great option to reach your target audience via live streaming. It provides the opportunity to use a single stream across multiple platforms with its unique multistreaming concept.

Types of Live Streaming

Live streaming encompasses different types that take special care of various scenarios and preferences:

1. In-Person

This sort of live streaming includes broadcasting events or exercises that happen physically in front of a live crowd. In-person live streaming is frequently utilized for concerts, sports events, conferences, seminars, and different social events where a group of people is available at the venue.

2. Hybrid

Hybrid live streaming combines elements of both in-person and virtual occasions. It includes hosting an event with an actual crowd while at the same time live-streaming it to online watchers.

This approach permits coordinators to reach a broader crowd beyond those attending in person. Hybrid live streaming is essential in the present digital age, where it empowers businesses and organizations to expand their scope and draw in remote participants.

3. Virtual

Virtual live streaming is online and includes no actual crowd at the event scene. Instead, members and viewers communicate and connect through virtual stages. Virtual events can include webinars, online workshops, virtual conferences, live gaming streams, and more.

Virtual live streaming has acquired popularity, mainly when actual social gatherings are not imaginable. This makes it a successful method for connecting individuals from various regions of the world. That is the reason - In comparison to video on demand, live programming receives 27% more view minutes.

How does Live Streaming Work?

Let’s look at “how live streaming works” and understand the magic that brings live content to our screens.

1. Compression

The cycle starts with capturing audio and video content utilizing cameras or screen recording. Raw audio and video data can be large and impractical for productive transmission over the Internet. To address this, the data goes through compression, where it is encoded and decreased in size. Compression algorithms eliminate redundant or less critical information, making the data more sensible for transmission.

2. Encoding

When we talk about "encoding," it means transforming information into a new form. For instance, live-streaming video data undergoes encoding to be turned into a digital format easily understood by different devices. Some of the commonly used video encoding standards are:

• H.264
• H.265
• VP9
• AV1

3. Segmentation

The encoded audio and video information are separated into more modest segments during the segmentation stage. This division is vital for adaptive bitrate streaming, as it lets the streaming service switch between various quality levels flawlessly.

Example of Segmentation:

Assume a live stream is separated into 10-second sections. Each section contains a particular content that can be individually transmitted and decoded. This permits the streaming service to change the quality based on the viewer's web speed without interfering with the playback.

4. Content Delivery Network (CDN) Distribution:

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a network of geologically distributed servers that work together to deliver content efficiently and reduce latency. CDNs guarantee that the live-streaming content is delivered from the server nearest to the viewer's area, optimizing performance.

Example of CDN Distribution:

Let's say a live game is being streamed universally. The CDN recognizes the geographic areas of viewers and directs them to the closest CDN server to get the content. Viewers in Asia will get the stream from a server in that region, while viewers in Europe will get it from a server nearer to their location. This limits the distance data requires to travel, decreasing buffering and providing a smooth streaming experience for users worldwide.

5. CDN Caching:

To further optimize content delivery, CDNs use caching. Caching includes storing frequently requested content on servers distributed all through the network. When numerous clients demand similar content simultaneously, the CDN delivers it from the cache. This reduces the load on the source server and improves response time.

Example of CDN Caching:

Imagine a well-known live show being streamed to a vast crowd. As viewers demand segments of the show, the CDN caches these segments on its servers. When subsequent watchers demand similar segments, the CDN can deliver them straightforwardly from the cache. As a result, the source server will be under less stress, and viewers will get content more quickly and effectively.

6. Decoding

Upon reaching the viewer's gadget, the segmented and encoded content should be decoded into original audio and video formats. The decoding process uses the same codecs utilized during compression to guarantee the content's quality is preserved.

Example of Decoding:

Suppose a viewer is watching a live gaming event on their PC. The media player on their PC decodes the compressed video segments utilizing the appropriate codec (e.g., H.264) and renders the decoded video on the viewer's screen. Simultaneously, the audio segments are decoded utilizing the corresponding audio codec (e.g., AAC), and the resulting audio is played through the viewer's speakers or earphones, giving a real-time streaming encounter.

As technology advances, live streaming will likely evolve. It will provide viewers with ever more engaging and interactive experiences.

Advantages of Live Streaming

1. Real-Time Connection

Video monetization platforms used for live streaming separate distance barriers. It brings individuals together from across the globe. Statistics say, “Live streaming is usually viewed by 63% of persons between the ages of 18 and 34.” Whether it's an energizing sports match or a heartwarming charity event, the magic of real-time connection cultivates a feeling of unity and shared experience.

2. Increasing Awareness Of The Brand

Live occasions are a great chance to extend your expert network and generate new business leads for your organization. It furnishes an opportunity to unite with affiliated companies and online influencers to contact more potential clients.

3. Broad Audience Reach

With live streaming, the world turns into your stage. It opens the way to an immense crowd, breaking free from the constraints of physical venues. A worldwide crowd means more opportunities to feature talent and spread thoughts. Plus, it is a perfect chance to expand businesses. As per numbers – “Live content is viewed by 23.7% of social media users.”

4. Improve brand loyalty and build trust

As a business owner, establishing a solid customer identity is fundamental. Engaging with them through live video can give an extraordinary experience that forms their trust and knowledge of your business. Offering helpful content, for example, sneak peeks or instructional materials tailored to their requirements, can keep your ideal clients returning for more.

Disadvantages of Live Streaming

1. Quality Worries

Maintaining consistent audio and visual quality on live video streaming services may take time and effort. Factors like bandwidth limitations and technical setups can influence viewer's experience, affecting engagement and retention.

2. Technical Glitches

As thrilling as live streaming is, technical errors can overshadow the experience. Internet blackouts or hardware malfunctions can disrupt a live stream and cause disappointment among creators and viewers.

3. One take show

Unlike pre-recorded content, live streams miss the mark on the luxury of retakes and edits. Once you hit that "Go Live" button, there's no way back! Any slip-ups or mistakes are out there for the world to see. This vulnerability can be overwhelming for some, yet embracing imperfections can add a touch of authenticity and humanity to your broadcasts.

Key takeaway

Now you know “what is live streaming,” which has changed how content is shared, permitting real-time engagement and interaction worldwide. It offers different benefits, like accessibility and cost-effectiveness, but also comes with challenges like technical issues and content moderation.

As innovation continues progressing, platforms for live streaming will probably stay as a noticeable method for sharing experiences and events with the world.