Not that long ago, the idea of providing a live video stream on the Internet of an event (say, for instance, a Billy Graham crusade) was a very costly and very ambitious endeavor. I know, because I worked on a few crusade webcasts for The Man (most notably the 2000 Nashville Crusade that started it all). We’ve come a long way, baby!
Last month, Yahoo! launched a new video streaming platform called Yahoo! Live, which they’re calling an “experimental release” (read: it may crash your computer, you’ve been warned!). 
What is it? Basically, live video sites, such as Yahoo! Live, offer users the ability to stream video from a webcam hooked up to their computer, over the Internet, to countless millions (or, at this point, dozens) of viewers. Think of it as TV 2.0.
According to the Y! Live blog, “Y! Live was dreamed up as a way to make it possible for anyone to create their own live video experience.” In a word, “Lifecast.”
The early review from TechCrunch was not overwhelmingly positive, “[Yahoo! Live has] a ways to go with features — videos are not archived for playback, for example, meaning once it’s broadcast live, that’s it.”
Yahoo! is also not the first kiddie in the live streaming pool. The other major player in this space seems to be Ustream.tv, which is dubbed as “a live video community for everyone.” Ustream has been going since March 2007 and has attracted several tech celebs such as Robert Scoble and Chris Pirillo.
How does it work? Ustream’s set-up page shows you how you can be webcasting in five easy steps. All you need is a webcam, an Internet connection, and an account to one of these live streaming services.
Already nearly 200 listings come up on Ustream under “church,” and Ustream has embraced the faith community as a content provider by placing a “Religion” tab right on the homepage.
Why wait? YouTube is planning to join the live video field sometime this year, and that could be the gamechanger. With millions of registered users, viewers, and Googlebucks behind them, YouTube might be the platform worth waiting for. If you decide to dive in now, I’d suggest you try Ustream, keep an eye on the performance of Yahoo! Live, and wait for the big announcement from YouTube. Post a comment with your “channel” link and let us know if/when you join the live video revolution!
—Steve Knight, International Communication Coordinator for SIM (Serving In Mission) and Kingdom Journalist
welcome to the team Steve! You're a natural addition to our group and the world will benefit!
Posted by: stephen shields | March 10, 2008 at 04:20 PM
one issue with those sites is having to send people to them in order to see your church service. unless you can seamlessly embed a live streaming video into your own church website, i can't see this taking off in any meaningful way. control of content, especially music, would be another major hurdle.
Posted by: Brendan | March 11, 2008 at 09:17 PM
I believe UStream lets you embed onto your own site.
Posted by: Joe Suh | March 12, 2008 at 01:03 AM
I use helloWorld to live webcast. I even have my own Live webshow! It is easy to use and lots of fun.
Posted by: Henry DelAngelo | March 13, 2008 at 03:36 PM
Yeah, Joe is right, Ustream offers an embed code (like you would have for a YouTube video) that you can then place your "live" streaming video right into your church/ministry website.
Posted by: Steve K. | March 17, 2008 at 09:28 AM