What is Streaming?

Streaming platforms are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to TV, Radio and other media. While video streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and the more recent Apple TV, offer video on demand, such as old TV shows or movies, streaming platforms like YouTube, Twitch.TV, and Ustream offer a broader selection of content. With the established services, you can for instance watch media files in your web browser or listen to music on an internet radio channel. But Twitch and Ustream are set up primarily for users streaming content only.

On these platforms, basically anyone can present content in real time. Showing live Gaming Sessions is of course possible but you can also find home improvement attempts, or even users trying out their skills as a chef. The main attraction of these platforms is their ‘live’ nature, audiences can watch live events, just as they would watch live sports on TV.

Becoming a successful and famous Streamer is not pure fantasy, but something anybody can hope for. The first steps are quite easy: create content and stream it live to one of the afore mentioned platforms. Even by just distributing your Games sessions among your friends can be a good start to a professional career. To start streaming from your PC doesn't require any special gear, just a solid and stable internet connection should be enough. However, uploading live video to the internet will require a capturing device like a Capture Card.

Stream Media like a Pro - with the right gear!

Once you’ve got started making content, it is natural to feel like improving it – for this reason you should take a look at Streaming Gear! While a powerful Gaming PC is a must for streaming gameplay, it also helps with editing captured content. By recording your Twitch live stream and editing it for YouTube, you create not just additional content, but potentially a second revenue source. Professional Gamers often play on one PC - or Game Consoles - and upload it with a second PC. Using a separate dedicated PC as the primary streaming device helps you preserve your main Gaming PC’s performance since its resources can be devoted purely to Gaming. Dedicated PCs with streaming or capture devices provide a high quality experience for both you and your audience.

Streaming decks make it easy to react to your audience by playing pre-programmed reactions at the touch of a button. You can also you these pre-programmed recordings or text-strings to highlight special achievements while you are playing. For recording Audio most professional Streamers use a desk microphone. Most streamers also use Webcams, Key Lights and even Green Screens to record themselves while playing. This way the audience directly sees your reactions to what happens on screen.