How I learned how to record a Periscope live stream, part 2.

Update May 2015: It appears that the app I used (Shou) no longer works on my iPhone. I will be testing other apps to find an easier way to record Periscopes. Stay tuned for an update.

On Tuesday after work I spent a couple hours trying to figure out how I could record a Periscope/Meerkat live stream. I wanted to find a way to record live video while it happened which I hope would aid in reporting the news during breaking news situations, or planned events.

I documented my experiments and thoughts in part one which you can read here.

In part two, I’ll explain the step by step process in recording a person’s Periscope/Meerkat live stream. Note: I’ve only figured out how to do this on my iPhone. If you have an Android and know a similar way, let me know!

Emu4iOS Store emulator and Shou app needed for iPhone

TL;DR VERSION: Head to this link to help you download Shou. Then…

1. Download Emu4iOS Store by heading to this link to download the app.
2. Download an app within the emulator called Shou.
3. Open Shou and click the little “i” button on the right side of “Start Recording” tab.
4. Change the orientation to portrait so it records in portrait for both Periscope and Meerkat
5. Start recording. The app will record in the background as you move around your phone. Click a link to a live stream and let the live stream play for however long necessary.
6. Once you’re done recording, go back to Shou and click stop recording.
7. Click on recordings (second tab on the bottom) and click on the Shou file. It will give you the option to play, open in…, save to camera roll or delete.
8. Save to camera roll and presto! you’re able to upload the recorded live stream to any platform you want. Note: Audio quality from live stream is heavily diminished. Outside noises near your phone will be picked up while you record your screen. You will also record any notifications that pop up on your phone when you’re recording.

End product on Twitter

LONGER VERSION:

The first thing I needed to do was find an app that would allow me to record my iPhone’s screen. It was pretty deflating to find there were little to no useful apps in the App Store (or free apps that I could use for this experiment).

I ended up looking online of potential apps that wouldn’t require jailbreaking or rigging up my iPhone. That’s where I found Shou, an app that needed an emulator but not a jailbreak for it to work on my iPhone.

I tried it out and it worked fine until I realized that it kept recording my screen sideways. It wouldn’t be until a day later that I realized that I could’ve just changed the recording format to “portrait” instead of “horizontal.” D’oh!! This realization saved me a TON of time. I didn’t have to reformat, adjust and then re-export my recorded video. All I needed to do was just record a live stream, save it to my phone and use it however I wanted to.

Once I figured out how to record and save I uploaded my experiments with some thoughts onto Twitter.

LIVE DEMOS: How to use Shou on your iPhone

FINAL THOUGHTS

The process, now that I’ve done it a couple of times, isn’t too hard to execute. However, there are still lingering questions, some which I’ve addressed in part 1. Here’s a few more:

1. Why aren’t there better apps that allow you to record your phone?

• At least on the iPhone, there’s no good option besides an emulator. What gives? Does Google Play have a (free) app that allows you to record your screen?

2. What are some desktop alternatives that can allow a person inside the newsroom to record from their work work computer?

• I myself haven’t found an easy (or free) option that allows you to record your desktop, but if there’s a program that allows you to record, save and export as a .mov or something, that could also come in handy (and maybe keep the audio quality of your recorded live stream).

3. Live streams will always be at the mercy of your cell signal.

• No matter where you are, if you have a crappy connection, live stream is pretty much useless. Not only does the video quality degrade, but the chances of cutting in and out and creating a garbled feed is increased the worst your connection is. Is there any technology that improves cell strength no matter where you are?

4. Live stream apps like Periscope and Meerkat will still drain the phone’s battery (and test data limits).

• I have a set data plan so I’m curious, and a bit worried, on how quickly watching (or broadcasting) a live stream eats up my data. Not to mention, it appears live streaming eats up your batter as well — at least during my experiments it did.

There’s plenty of things to address when it comes to perfecting this kind of recording, but while the technology is where it’s at, it may be the only thing we have at the moment that we can work with.

Like I mentioned before in my last post, if you’ve found a quicker, more efficient way, please let me know! Find me on Twitter and tell me your thoughts.