NewsCamera, technology, livestreaming, livestream, 4k camera, jesse hertzberg, Movi, 9 cameras in 1
Jan 06, 2016 08:02 PM EST
Live streaming was one of the most popular activities to do in 2015. Now in 2016, the Livestream company will be releasing hardware to help those personal directors capture their moments with even better ability. Livestream's Movi single camera can act as nine virtual cameras each from a different angle, for $399.
The Movi, used in combination with its iOS app, allows the general consumer to achieve professional level results without the need for multiple cameras or professional editing software. The camera itself is 4K, but the output is 720p. The remaining pixels are used to allow for those eight other virtual camera angles that you can transition between.
The camera itself is small, at a quarter of a pound and 2.5 inches tall by 2 inches wide. The cylinder contains a 150-degree lens in its side, with a battery that will last around an hour. The live feed is stored on the included 16GB SD card or on your iPhone.
Even though the camera officially ships in April, for those already interested, Livestream is offering a $200 price for pre-orders. And then for $9 per month, you will also gain a subscription to Livestream's network, allowing you to post your feeds over the camera's built-in 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi.
Mashable pointed out that there were some small drawbacks to the Movi. Even though there is a microphone "array" included, there is no external port for a mic. Also, the Movi Pro accessory can extend the 1-hour battery life for 10 hours of recording.
Movi's iOS app controls the camera and what editing you want, in real time. The app will track the faces of the people on screen, allowing the user to create a specific camera on that person if wanted. From there, the user can set the fixed shots and can control the pan direction and speed by the movement and pace of their finger on the app screen.
If the user is too busy with other tasks to focus on editing the live stream, the app is also able to go into an "auto pilot" mode, focusing on the person speaking like other video conferencing software.
Jesse Hertzberg, Livestream's CEO explained to The Verge the appeal of the Movi. "Every conference wants to look like TED, every product launch wants to look like Apple, every keynote wants to look like Steve Jobs, but lots of businesses don't have the resources."
Sadly, according to PCWorld, a compatible Android app version to go with the Movi isn't in the works anytime soon. Hertzberg explained that the company focused a lot of effort into making the iOS app into what it is.
Typically, amateur live streaming is a static shot that may pan between presenters or the screen. At the professional level, live streaming involves cuts and different angles, getting close-ups of the presenters or the screen while the audio runs in the background, but it's an expensive enterprise. With the Movi, almost any consumer can reach professional live streaming quality with just one camera and the use of a smartphone app.