3 Things to Know Before Buying Live Streaming Equipment

Live streaming through various platforms is another effective way to build a customer base or to publicize news and an organization's activities, because we can communicate with the target audience instantly and can also prompt the target audience to want to do various things. Live streaming can be done by yourself; you only need a smartphone and earphones to live stream. But if you want the live stream to have even better picture and sound quality, you must use higher-quality equipment. There is therefore equipment made specifically for live streaming, which comes in a wide range of quality, so much so that some people who are about to start live streaming become confused about what to buy. Today we have some considerations for buying live streaming equipment as a guide for you. Let's see what they are.

The Video System

The picture is one of the important parts of live streaming, because good visuals help make the live stream more interesting. The quality of the picture depends on the camera used for the live stream. For getting started, you can use the camera built into your smartphone, because it is easy to find, not very expensive, and nowadays the quality of pictures taken from smartphone cameras is quite sharp. But if you have a high budget to invest and want the live stream picture to be more detailed and sharper, you should use a digital camera such as a Mirrorless or DSLR. The advantages of a digital camera are that it provides a sharper picture, the lens can be changed to suit the job, and the perspective of the picture has more dimension. Or if you want production-level visuals with multiple camera angles, you should use OB cameras or VDO cameras with a Switching OB system, which provide the picture and sharpness of major productions such as events, seminars, or live sports broadcasts.

The Audio System

Another core element of live streaming is the audio system, because we need sound to convey the feelings of the host and guests in what they are doing, and it is what draws viewers to watch our live stream. The quality of the sound also depends on the microphone you use. For those starting out with a limited budget, we recommend using what is close at hand first, such as the microphone built into your smartphone, which has fairly clear sound quality. But if you want clear sound that captures voices accurately and cuts out surrounding noise, you should use a microphone as an accessory, of which there are many types depending on the use.

Accessories

Producing quality picture and sound for live streaming requires a great deal of computer resources, to the point that the machine and picture can stutter. Therefore, there are accessories such as a Capture Card or Switcher to help solve these problems. For those who live stream through a smartphone camera, these accessories may not be very important. But for those who want to make a quality live stream in both picture and sound and reduce the burden on the computer's resources, these accessories are something that should not be overlooked in live streaming, because they help add enjoyment and features for the viewers.

As we know well, live streaming uses a lot of computer resources, reducing the quality of the picture. A Capture Card helps reduce the computer's workload, so we recommend choosing the most up-to-date Capture Card that supports HDMI, which is best. In the case of using more than 1 camera and wanting multiple camera angles, you should have a Switcher, which is used to cut and switch between picture and sound, making it easier to control the live stream. Nowadays, Switchers come in many types, and you should choose one that is easy to use, such as one with a Plug and Play system that is ready to use immediately, supports the use of many types of cameras, and is compact so it is convenient to move for use off-site, and can have a Video Capture Card built in.