Live streaming is big business these days. In fact, its popularity has surged significantly in recent years. This uptick seems to have begun during the pandemic with the demand for live streaming events growing by more than 200 percent at that point. The trend hasn’t faded away, though. In fact, it’s only continuing to grow. In terms of entertainment, it’s becoming a preferred choice for consumers. It has also become a crucial tool for businesses to train their employees and schools to educate their students.
In light of all that, those who produce live streaming events can draw plenty of attention and engagement with the right tools and strategies. Having high-quality live streaming equipment to work with is an important part of the process. Besides that, no hardware would be complete without the right accompanying software. Several options are available, so it’s important to compare streaming software solutions to find the best one to meet your needs and your viewers’ expectations.
Understanding the Importance of Cross-Platform Compatibility
Each type of streaming software has its own list of features and benefits. Those can range from high resolution and frame rates to built-in graphics and editing tools and beyond. No matter which options you’re looking for, cross-platform compatibility is an important factor to consider. That’s a software solution’s capacity to work with different operating systems. Those with cross-platform compatibility can give you more flexibility and have a positive effect on your video quality. They can also make collaboration easier and more effective among other advantages.
Looking at Today’s Leading Live Streaming Software Solutions
With that being said, take a look at some of the most popular live streaming software solutions. Along the way, we’ll compare some of their features, including cross-platform compatibility. Each one has its own unique strong suits, but not all of them are right for all live streaming needs.
Lightstream
Lightstream is a popular cloud-based live streaming solution. It’s easy to use even for beginners, and it has an array of built-in features. Those include tools to create different scenes and layouts and to add text and clips from other sources. It allows users to stream to a variety of sites and bring in guests remotely. It works with a range of add-ons too. Its cross-platform compatibility ranks among the best.
OBS
OBS is a free open-source streaming solution. It offers numerous streaming and recording features, and it’s available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Though it doesn’t offer one-on-one user support, it’s backed by a long list of videos, tutorials, and other resources for users to take advantage of. It also features exceptional cross-platform compatibility.
Wirecast
Also available for Windows and macOS, Wirecast offers a variety of professional-level video production features. It allows for ISO recordings and offline editing as well as streaming from multiple sources. It also has an extensive built-in stock media library for users to draw from. Wirecast isn’t available for Linux, but it does have acceptable cross-platform compatibility.
vMix
Yet another popular live streaming software solution is vMix. It’s packed with features, including built-in instant replay options and graphics tools. It’s designed for professionals and supports multiple inputs, including cameras, outside video files, and different browsers. It’s not available for Linux or macOS, and it has limited cross-platform compatibility, but it’s certainly an effective solution for live streaming.
Finding the Right Live Streaming Software for You
Those are only a few of the live streaming software solutions on the market right now. Each one has its benefits and drawbacks, but they can all meet a variety of needs and expectations. Consider the points mentioned here, and dig deeper into the available options to find one that will best suit your live streaming ventures.