 Live streaming has exploded recently, particularly in the last 6 months during the global lockdown. One report went as far as to suggest the hours watched doubled between April 2019 and 2020.  The technologies used in live streaming continue to evolve and advance, though the fundamentals remain the same. In this post, we’d like to walk through the basics of live streaming to explain the key aspects involved in getting content to eyeballs.

The basic workflow for live streaming typical includes the following key components:

1. Camera (sometimes referred to as “video source”).  This can be as simple as a webcam pre-integrated in your laptop or plugged into a computer via USB. It can be as complex as a professional grade SLR or a video camera that requires additional “capture” devices as part of a live streaming workflow. 

2. Microphone (often called the “audio source”).  Similar to the camera this could be a pre-integrated microphone in your laptop or built into your webcam. As production value increases, microphones used include high end broadcast quality microphones with mixing desks to control audio levels and multiple audio sources. 

3. Capture Card (often called “device”).  This device is not typically needed when using a webcam, but once you start to use professional cameras and microphones a capture card will likely be required. It gets the video and audio signals from the source cameras or microphones.  It’s important to make sure this piece of hardware is compatible with your cameras, microphones and encoding solution.

4. Encoder.  Sometimes this is a hardware device which in many cases avoids you needing a capture card but often the encoder is a piece of software such as [OBS](https://obsproject.com/) or [Wirecast](https://www.telestream.net/wirecast/overview.htm).  An Encoder takes the raw digital signals from the cameras and microphones, and formats them into something that is easier to send across the internet.  

5. Internet Connection.  A stable good quality internet connection is a key requirement.  For best results, this is ideally not WiFi based.

6. Transcoding.  To ensure reliable, high quality playback across a broad range of platforms, the live stream is typically converted into multiple versions to best suit the device and location the viewer might be watching from.  The transcoding service can range from a self managed hardware / software solution or a cloud based service.  Unfortunately transcoding is often quite expensive, sometimes prohibitively so.  Livepeer is focused on providing transcoding at a dramatically lower cost to allow anyone to take advantage of its benefits. 

7. Content Delivery Network.  Buffering can be a common issue with live streaming. A good approach to help mitigate buffering is to use a CDN service to help distribute the stream reliably wherever the viewer might be located.  These services are often integrated with the transcoding service and together help ensure a high quality viewing experience for your audience.  At Livepeer we offer a pre-integrate a CDN as part of our service to remove even more complexity from your live streaming workflow.. That said, if you have a CDN you’d like to use instead,  we'd be happy to   help integrate it into our transcoding infrastructure.

8. Player.  This is the final component required to complete your live streaming workflow. It is what your audience will interact with to watch the stream.  Video players can  range from software players embedded into your website, SDK’s used in conjunction with common devices such as phones and tablets, and embedded players in consoles and connected televisions.  We test our transcoding output to make sure it works reliably with the common platforms that you might expect viewers to be watching your live stream on.

We’ve taken you through a simple workflow and the typical components required to deliver a live stream at a high level. As you begin to live stream you can build on these components by integrating payment or advertising to monetize your live streams, implement analytics or promote your streaming using complimentary services.  

Livepeer.com can simplify the process of ensuring you deliver a high quality stream at an affordable price. Whether you are delivering one stream or thousands, [sign up](https://livepeer.com/register) for an account and give us a try.

Live streaming has exploded recently, particularly in the last 6 months during the global lockdown. One report went as far as to suggest the hours watched doubled between April 2019 and 2020. The technologies used in live streaming continue to evolve and advance, though the fundamentals remain the same. In this post, we’d like to walk through the basics of live streaming to explain the key aspects involved in getting content to eyeballs.

The basic workflow for live streaming typical includes the following key components:

Camera (sometimes referred to as “video source”). This can be as simple as a webcam pre-integrated in your laptop or plugged into a computer via USB. It can be as complex as a professional grade SLR or a video camera that requires additional “capture” devices as part of a live streaming workflow.

Microphone (often called the “audio source”). Similar to the camera this could be a pre-integrated microphone in your laptop or built into your webcam. As production value increases, microphones used include high end broadcast quality microphones with mixing desks to control audio levels and multiple audio sources.

Capture Card (often called “device”). This device is not typically needed when using a webcam, but once you start to use professional cameras and microphones a capture card will likely be required. It gets the video and audio signals from the source cameras or microphones. It’s important to make sure this piece of hardware is compatible with your cameras, microphones and encoding solution.

Encoder. Sometimes this is a hardware device which in many cases avoids you needing a capture card but often the encoder is a piece of software such as 

. An Encoder takes the raw digital signals from the cameras and microphones, and formats them into something that is easier to send across the internet.

Internet Connection. A stable good quality internet connection is a key requirement. For best results, this is ideally not WiFi based.

Transcoding. To ensure reliable, high quality playback across a broad range of platforms, the live stream is typically converted into multiple versions to best suit the device and location the viewer might be watching from. The transcoding service can range from a self managed hardware / software solution or a cloud based service. Unfortunately transcoding is often quite expensive, sometimes prohibitively so. Livepeer.com is focused on providing transcoding at a dramatically lower cost to allow anyone to take advantage of its benefits.

Content Delivery Network. Buffering can be a common issue with live streaming. A good approach to help mitigate buffering is to use a CDN service to help distribute the stream reliably wherever the viewer might be located. These services are often integrated with the transcoding service and together help ensure a high quality viewing experience for your audience. At Livepeer.com we offer a pre-integrate a CDN as part of our service to remove even more complexity from your live streaming workflow.. That said, if you have a CDN you’d like to use instead, we'd be happy to help integrate it into our transcoding infrastructure.

Player. This is the final component required to complete your live streaming workflow. It is what your audience will interact with to watch the stream. Video players can range from software players embedded into your website, SDK’s used in conjunction with common devices such as phones and tablets, and embedded players in consoles and connected televisions. We test our transcoding output to make sure it works reliably with the common platforms that you might expect viewers to be watching your live stream on.

We’ve taken you through a simple workflow and the typical components required to deliver a live stream at a high level. As you begin to live stream you can build on these components by integrating payment or advertising to monetize your live streams, implement analytics or promote your streaming using complimentary services.

Livepeer.com can simplify the process of ensuring you deliver a high quality stream at an affordable price. Whether you are delivering one stream or thousands, 

How to Analyze Livepeer Video Engagement Metrics with Timeplus

 Lenstube offers video on demand for both long-form and short-form videos

web3 social platform for video sharing built on Lens Protocol

 is a web3 social platform for video sharing that combines the best of traditional video-sharing platforms with the latest web3 functionalities. Whether you're a professional creator or an amateur, Lenstube gives you the ability to upload and monetize your video content with ease. Currently, Lenstube offers video on demand for both long-form videos and short-form videos.

Lenstube sets itself apart from traditional video-sharing platforms by incorporating web3 features such as connecting to a crypto wallet, enabling creators to receive tips in MATIC coins, collecting videos as NFTs, and charging membership fees for subscribers. These features are made possible through Lenstube's implementation of various web3 technologies, including Livepeer, Arweave, IPFS, and Lens. By utilizing decentralized technologies, Lenstube is revolutionizing the way creators can share and monetize their content, and provides a new and exciting way to engage with their audience.

 founded Lenstube with the goal of creating a decentralized video sharing platform for content creators. The idea for Lenstube came about after Sasi saw some of his favorite creators, who were creating and teaching web3, being unjustly removed from traditional web2 platforms. This led Sasi to understand the importance of web3 for content creators, and the significance of permanent data storage and content ownership. With this in mind, Sasi set out to create his own web3 video-sharing platform. The first step in this process was to find a video-on-demand service that transcodes and serves video from Arweave.

“I knew that creating a video delivery infrastructure and transcoding videos would be a significant challenge, and I definitely didn't want to spend all my time and resources on these technicalities, especially in the early stages of development. Luckily, I discovered Livepeer on the sponsor list of one of the EthGlobal hackathons. Livepeer provided exactly what I needed to move Lenstube forward, and integrating it into my platform was one the first, and easiest, decisions I made.”

Lenstube's partnership with Livepeer has been a vital component of the platform's success. Currently, all videos on Lenstube, whether they are long or short form, are powered by Livepeer. This means that Livepeer handles all the technical aspects of video delivery, such as ingesting, processing, and transcoding. This has afforded Sasi and the Lenstube team the freedom to focus on other important growth areas, like attracting new creators to the platform and improving user experience.

“Working with Livepeer has definitely been a great experience, and we receive tons of support from the team. Recently, Livepeer launched a feature that displays view counts beneath the video player. We were able to implement this feature pretty quickly, and the team was available to answer any questions we had. Although, most of the time we don’t really need the support, as the guides and docs for the Livepeer SDK and API are awesome.”

Today, Lenstube is thriving and making significant strides in its development. The platform has reached notable milestones, such as surpassing 10,000 video uploads in December 2022, averaging more than 1,000 daily sessions, and reaching more than 50,000 average monthly users in January 2023. These milestones demonstrate the effectiveness of the Lenstube team's efforts and the growing appeal of the platform among content creators and viewers alike.

Lenstube boasts a user-friendly interface that includes all of the features commonly found on traditional web2 video sharing platforms. The front page prominently showcases the most recent and popular short-form (Bytes) and long-form videos hosted on the platform, which can be filtered by video category for easy browsing. Users can log in with their Lens handle on the top right corner of the page. Additionally, various exploration tools can be found on the left-hand menu bar for easy access.

Bytes are short-form, vertical videos that are similar to TikToks and YouTube Shorts. Users can scroll through a feed, like and dislike videos, subscribe to channels, and share Bytes via URL or embed videos directly on websites. Additionally, Bytes can be easily shared on Lenster, Twitter, Reddit, and LinkedIn.

Sasi and the Lenstube team have recently made a concerted effort to develop the Bytes feature. This effort was motivated by the increasing popularity of short-form videos on web2 platforms. Not only do short videos have high user retention rates, but they also provide creators with an effective way to capture an audience and lead them to content on other platforms.

“In my opinion, short-form videos are one of the most effective ways to share content with a wide audience, and they offer creators greater opportunities for engagement. We predict that the use of short-form videos as NFTs will become a popular trend in the web3 community."

Do you want to build your own web3 short-form video app? Disrupt TikTok with this 

 walking through the key components of building a social app with quick, bite-sized video.

Lenstube also enables creators to upload long-form, horizontal videos that are similar to standard YouTube videos. In addition to features found on Bytes, these long-form videos also include view counts, video descriptions, and a comment section.

Every video hosted on Lenstube is equipped with a variety of web3 features. These features not only enable content creators to earn revenue from their videos, but also provide fans with a way to support their favorite creators. This is what sets Lenstube apart from traditional web2 video sharing platforms. Some of the web3 features that Lenstube offers include:

Mirroring across Lens, with custom referral fees

Default sharing of all Lenstube videos across Lens ecosystem apps

Lenstube’s frontend was built using Next.Js, an open-source React framework for web applications. Lenstube uses Apollo Client to manage local and remote data, and to fetch data and do mutations through the Lens Protocol’s GraphQL backend.

Middleware is like a “software glue” that acts as a bridge between different technologies, tools, and databases so they can be integrated into a single system. Lenstube uses Lens Protocol’s indexer for its middleware, and this indexer streamlines data between Lens contracts and viewers. The Lens indexer is a GraphQL server that listens to events from Lens contracts and stores the data into a database. This indexer enables viewers to quickly and efficiently access video data, which leads to a better user experience.

Lenstube’s backend consists of four main components: Livepeer, Arweave, IPFS, and Lens

Lenstube uses Livepeer to process and play back video. Livepeer is a protocol built on Ethereum that distributes video transcoding work throughout its decentralized network. The protocol provides cost efficient, secure, and reliable infrastructure. Livepeer's mainnet launch took place in 2018 and the network now processes millions of minutes of video each week.

Lenstube stores its video files on Arweave and IPFS, web3 protocols that offer data storage on decentralized networks. Arweave and IPFS offer permanent and immutable data storage, and anyone can store data in the networks or offer storage space, without there being a centralized point of failure.

Lenstube uses Lens for its social graph. The Lens social graph is fully composable, open source, and decentralized. This helps transfer full rights and complete ownership of content into the hands of creators.

Sasi intends to improve the Lenstube platform by adding new features, with the primary objective of providing exceptional user experience and boosting user engagement on the platform. Furthermore, Sasi is currently building a mobile application that specifically caters to short-form videos, which will be released soon. This further solidifies his belief that short-form videos represent a rapidly expanding area in the video industry and is positioning Lenstube to capitalize on this growth potential.

If you’re a developer that would like to build your own web3 video app, check out these 

 to get started. If you have any questions about building, 

Lenstube is a web3 social platform for video sharing that combines the best of traditional video-sharing platforms with the latest web3 functionalities. Whether you're a professional creator or an amateur, Lenstube gives you the ability to upload and monetize your video content with ease. Currently, Lenstube offers video on demand for both long-form videos and short-form videos.

Live Streaming Workflow