Vimeo now has a 'live' streaming service

[Ryan Douthit]

Livestream Studio is PC only. So it doesn't do any good for Mac owners.

[Ryan Douthit]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

However what we really do like about Livestream (apart from no limits in storage or views) is the fact that each event has it's own event page and you can create it with details and images even a year before the event and send people the link .. AFAIK no other CDN has the event page feature so for us it presents very well to the client!!

Agreed. That is a huge feature..

[Chris Harding]

Sorry Ryan

I had no idea that their software would not run on a MAC .. that's a little shortsighted from the software developers ... What is a little amusing is their new product the MEVO camera was only available to run on iPhones or iPads and much later after much crying they offered an Android app but the majority of users use Apple products still. Makes you wonder why Livestream Studio was never made for a MAC???

[Ryan Douthit]

Mac users only get the Producer software. Which means I can at least feed in cuts off our ATEM... it's basically the same as the app they provide to iPad. I agree, very short-sighted, especially since they don't allow me to use Wirecast.

[Chris Harding]

I see OBS do a Mac version of their switching software and it's free! The interface isn't quite as innovative as LS Studio but it does work well and amazingly has the best chroma keyer I have ever used! It can actually stream anywhere but still needs the producer app on the computer to be able to stream to Livestream! Have you ever used it Ryan??

[Ryan Douthit]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

I see OBS do a Mac version of their switching software and it's free! The interface isn't quite as innovative as LS Studio but it does work well and amazingly has the best chroma keyer I have ever used! It can actually stream anywhere but still needs the producer app on the computer to be able to stream to Livestream! Have you ever used it Ryan??

Never used it. I've had a Wirecast license since 2009. Currently using Wirecast Pro 8. To use it with Livestream.com you need their Enterprise package (about $8000 per year). They don't allow any 3rd party encoders on smaller subscriptions.

I just signed up for DaCast for streams where Vimeo Live won't fit. (If I need a perpetual stream address or a channel playout.) So far it's looking good -- but I've only done limited testing and haven't yet done a real event with it. Very similar to a platform called Scale Engine I used to use (they're great, and cheap, but are better for developers since they have only a very basic web interface.)

[Craig Seeman]

Wirecast (including Wirecast on Mac) now supports Livestream directly.
Livestream stopped being restrictive. Granted one may have to be an Enterprise customer.

And Wirecast supports Vimeo too of course.

[Ryan Douthit]

“Stopped being restrictive”
“Requires ($8000/yr) Enterprise Plan”

I thought I covered that exception pretty thoroughly in the previous posts. It’s the plan restriction that makes Livestream.com a hard choice to make for Mac users (unless they have a LOT of clients to justify the expense.)

I just signed up for DaCast for $2k a year with full Wirecast support and many of the same features as the Enterprise version of Livestream. Even if I blow the DaCast data cap — that $6k price difference buys a fair amount of data. Between that and Vimeo Live I’ll probably be set for 2018.

[Chris Harding]

You would have to have a massive viewing audience (and paying one) to justify $8000 a year Ryan! As far as business overheads go we like to keep them as low as we can especially as our audiences can vary from anything for 15000 right down to a tiny 10 -15 views when it comes to weddings and funerals. For us $8000 simply wouldn't be viable.

Sounds like you have the right plan with DaCast .. but sadly they seem to charge on viewers and again don't have the very convenient "event pages"

[Ryan Douthit]

Resurrecting this thread since a lot has changed since 2017.

Vimeo now offers an unlimited Premium package for $900/year with restream options to the majors, it allows for keeping a “recurring” stream (doesn’t end when done) and you can have up to three live streams coming the platform simultaneously at that level.

Also, the livestream studio software is now available on Mac and PC.

I’ve been using Dacast with Wirecast Pro but am considering upgrading my business Vimeo account to the new Premium level. One of my Vimeo accounts has the basic Live still (only 10 hours a month of streaming) though I haven’t used the live portion since early 2018. This past week I’ve given it a test and it seems to work pretty good. Much more reliable than when they launched it.

What is everyone else using these days? Anyone else do big events with Vimeo Live lately?

[David Barnett]

I only did a small event & used Dacast since all the others required annual fees/monthly billing. I think their minimum buy was only $200 or $250 & the TB lasts for a year, so I can do another with whats leftover if needed.

$900/year seems like a good rate, offhand do you know the restrictions on bandwidth or streaming hours?

I called Livestream about it last year, they were too big, but they do have 'resellers' who seem authorized & they recommended. TBH tho even they seemed to want pretty locked in rates & usage, not a one-off. Just seemed like marketing guys trying to make a buck. Essentially, they buy the minimum, the sell the minutes or whatever here & there to other people.

[Ryan Douthit]

I went ahead and jumped in with an annual Premium account on Vimeo. I already use Vimeo for client reviews and archives, as well as a second account to power one of our TV apps. So, consolidating and gettin more features made sense.

Here's what I found out since signing up last week:

- For $900 a year you get three upstreams and UNLIMITED streaming (unlimited viewers, unlimited bandwidth.) The only restriction is you are capped at a MAXIMUM stream time of 12 hours per day.

- It includes decent syndication tools, allowing to distribute the same stream to Facebook, YouTube (not at the same time as FB), Twitch, Periscope and any other RTMP destination.

- You can use the Livestream Stream Studio Application for both Mac or PC. A license is included at the Vimeo Premium tier. I've played with it a bunch this week (I also have a Wirecast Pro account.) And though it is VERY different from Wirecast, being more like a tradition broadcast workflow, it is excellent for the 5 broadcasts I've done with it. Current version on mac is more efficient than Wirecast in CPU use for similar layouts and camera feeds. I was also able to map hotkeys through my Stream Deck making single user operation pretty easy. Its also very configurable in terms of SDI In/Out and recorder configs. Has social widgets for all majors built-in too. Of course, Vimeo will also work with Wirecast, OBS, etc.

- Livestream.com is now officially Vimeo. You can no longer buy a Livestream.com account even if you wanted to. Also, the more minimal Vimeo Pro Live account on Vimeo is also no longer available to buy. There are only two live stream options from the new Vimeo Livestream and thats Premium (which is that $900 option) and Enterprise. Enterprise is a "call us and well tell you the price" level. But it also includes caching appliances, micro sites and other things that are truly specific to Enterprise clients.

- I love that I can embed a chat widget along with the video player on whatever site I want. Also, they now have both single use players, as well as reusable ones.

Ryan

[Charlie Steiner]

does anyone else have experience with Vimeo streaming? and for the price point what are the alternatives? looking for a service for embeds on a web site.

[David Barnett]

I looked into alot of this earlier this year and would just point out, almost all streaming providers are 'Monthly' recurring billing' for 12 months (ie. $99/month for 1 year)

Except Dacast. They offered an 'Event' option where you only pay for TB at a reasonable rate (I tried doing the math, its complicated but might've come out to $.07/hour per person). Anyway, the minimum buy was $200 or $250, far more than I needed or used but it was reasonable. Sales was great & helpful to speak with, and chat support sufficient. Plus you can practice beforehand for little bandwidth cost. Just enter your server into Wirecast or OBS or whatever, and they do offer embed code <script> tag & <iframe> plus FB share code and you can upload a thumbnail for the standby screen.

Anyway, it was great. If you have any questions feel free to ask or pm me.