What’s in your live streaming toolkit?

Claudia Barbiero
Jul 10, 2017 · 9 min read

So you know you need to stream to Facebook Live and all you know is that if you use your phone to do it, it’s going to look as bad as the last few streams you’ve tried. Bad because last time the sound was terrible. Bad because every time you moved, the lighting changed, and worse, your last stream completely failed because EVERYONE was using their cell phones too. Ugh.

Streaming to Facebook Live from CES 2017

Well, this is where I started out anyway. I was trying to get some better social media content for our company and embrace the live video revolution to really connect with our audience. But I didn’t have a budget for this, or a full time production crew. But I am lucky in that I work for a company that wrote the book on reliable content acquisition — well patented it anyway! I had no excuses for not getting my toolkit together quickly and start practicing what we preach. But, I’ve had some failures and missteps with equipment — usually not finding out until I was in the field about to go live.

So along the way, I’ve put together a relatively affordable, easy to use set of tools that allow me to go live from anywhere and have the streams look just as good as everything else we create to promote our brand. Armed with some insight from our team, our customers and of course, my own trial and error, I have honed my live streaming toolkit to these 5 essentials (plus a few odds and ends) to share with you here.

Everything (with room to spare for extra battery backups and last minute items) fits in a small shoulder bag that I can simply grab and go!

Camera: One of the benefits of upgrading from a smartphone for your live stream is that you can get really good quality video capture, be able to frame your shots, and adjust for many different shooting conditions versus a smartphone. And you don’t need to spend a fortune on a high-end broadcast production camera, you can opt for any number of fantastic and decently-priced HDMI video cameras or even a DSLR. After a few hits and misses, I now use the Canon XA30. But there are some things you need to check before making that purchase.

  • Make sure audio and video come through on the same channel via the HDMI cable. I made this mistake early on and couldn’t figure out why my video looked great, but no one heard a thing! I though it was an issue with the microphone, the OVP, you name it, before I realized that the issue was the output from the camera over HDMI.
  • Confirm that you can get a “clean” HDMI output from the camera through the HDMI. TThis means a clean video signal through the camera’s HDMI connection that includes no visible text or graphic overlays showing camera status, exposure variables, etc. I actually did a live stream from the Super Bowl this year and the auto facial recognition focus boxes were visible in the stream — needless to say, that was a video I promptly had to delete. You only want to be broadcasting an image of what the camera sees through its lens, not all that other stuff. This holds true even if you are using a smartphone to stream through HDMI to an encoder. For iPhone users, you download the free SoloCam app and get a clean live stream out via the Apple Lighting to HMDI adapter.
  • Some DSLRs only output 24 frames per second, so be sure to check. Broadcasts on the web are typically 30 or 60 frames per second, which matches what broadcast TV is in the US. If the video might be shown on something like a set top box, its even more important that they match broadcast-standard frame rates and not a film standard frame rate like 24p.

Audio: Good audio is just as important as good video. Most cameras have great built-in microphones, but having the ability to attach a high quality directional mic to the shoe mount can make all the difference in being able to hear your subject when in crowded/noisy environments. I love my shotgun mics — I have several including the Rode shockmount version, but I also now carry a simple lavaliere mic as well as a good old fashioned handheld mic. It’s good to have options for different environments and it adds next to nothing to my bag of equipment.

Live streaming from Streaming Media East 2017 — happy to be sitting down!

Most cameras and mics now all come with 3.5mm connections, but I have to use an adapter for my handheld — not a big deal, because it does look cool with our LiveU mic flag!

Lighting: What good is great video content if it’s so poorly lit you can’t see anything? Again, this is relatively easy to fix when using a real video camera — and get better quality live videos. There are a ton of affordable, portable options available that all connect to the shoe mount of your camera. Make sure you get a dimmable LED that also allows you to adjust the color temperature and brightness.

This one from Luxli is a little pricey, but from my experience, lighting is SUPER important and this one has an optional diffuser kit that offers more flexibility too.

Another really inexpensive one that I keep handy is this pistol grip which you can use in either direction and it even allows you to angle it. Really useful for “run and gun” streams when I am filming myself.

Tripods: Tripods are key for set locations, but you can also use a handled, flexible tripod like the JOBY GorillaPod, which gives you the ability to also perch your camera in any number of places or positions and simply use as a grip to stabilize shots when you are moving around. But you can up your game and invest in a gimbal if you are going to do a lot of shooting while moving around.

Bonding Encoder: You MUST have decent bandwidth for any stream. This means whether you are standing still or moving around. The problem is an internet drop is expensive and you are tied to a cable. But, if you are just using one cellular connection because you are mobile, chances are that the signal will not be strong enough for a good quality live stream. Working for LiveU, this was the only thing I didn’t have to worry about. So of course I use the LiveU Solo portable encoding solution. Solo is the easiest to use solution with the most connections and longest battery life available. And don’t just take my word for it, check out what The Humane Society says about using Solo. But, even though it is highly reliable, there are some tips to getting the most out of cellular bonding — both in and outside of the studio.

  • Pouch it up or mount it! That handy pouch that comes with Solo is actually intended to make it super easy and secure to simply “grab and go” to catch the live action. While the pouch clips to your belt loop, bag, tripod, etc, it also is designed to securely contain the external cellular modems using the angled USB cables that come in the box. You can also get an optional shoe mount to attach Solo right to the camera. It’s all about being able to focus on content and having your hands free to do other things!
  • Cellular transmission: Believe it or not, but when you are in a packed event like a festival or show, it’s not just the cellular congestion you have to worry about, but actually the bodies and other obstructions. That’s why bonding at least two cellular connections, combining two different carriers and even adding a personal MiFi hotspot, gets you a reliable and consistent stream for a fraction of a hard line connection. I always bring a couple of different carriers for whatever country I’m in with me too. What works great in Vegas is completely different than midtown Manhattan and it’s really nice being able to swap it out to get the best signals to bond together. Quick tip: you can check local carrier strength anywhere, any time by going to OpenSignal.com (or download the app).
  • Connecting to your destination: The good news? You don’t need to lug around a computer with you to set up your stream and destination. All you need is your web-enabled device like a smartphone or tablet. Solo uses a web-based portal so you can link your Solo to your destination in just a few clicks. For Facebook Live, this means you can set up all your tags, branded content, description and more, all from the same place. But a behind the scenes tip here: I try to write all my titles and descriptions in advance so that I can simply copy and paste into the portal — making only minor edits. Saves a lot of time when on the go, reduces typos, and allows me to focus on the shot instead of missing the action trying to spell my own name correctly!
Planning in advance helps me set up my live streams with all the right tags and content even faster.

When I’m lucky, I have someone back at the office do all this for me (thanks @joyceessig!) so all I have to do is text them when I’m ready to go live. They can control the Solo from the portal to set the destination of my Solo unit, create the content for my stream like title and description, and make any setting adjustments such as resolution. Then I can see that the Solo is ready to go from the LCD panel on the unit and then all I have to do is press start to go live from wherever I am.

Other important odds and ends:

  • Buy good cables: There is a reason why some cables are more expensive than others. But it is especially important if you are using an HDMI cable to connect your camera to your portable encoder. They are typically not as secure as SDI connections and you do not want it getting pulled out when you are running around — that will cause the end of your stream!
  • Batteries and Charging: When going mobile with your production, it’s easy to overlook the necessity of power. You aren’t always going to be near a power source to charge back up.
Here I was lucky enough to get a quick power-up at a bar during SXSW in downtown Austin!

So, it’s a really good idea to remember external power charges, purchase extra batteries for your camera (some even have multiple battery packs that attach and power the camera), power cables for everything, and of course, charge everything up before you walk out the door ;-) LiveU Solo is great that you can continuously live stream up to 3 hours on a full charge, so you need to make sure your camera and other gear will be able to keep going as long as Solo can!

  • Camera Mount Accessories: I went ahead and purchased an inexpensive dual mount bracket to attach both my mic and light on the shoe mount of the camera during some streams. There are a bunch out there, like this one from CowboyStudio, but I do suggest checking them out so you can test the balance and ease of use with your accessories if you are using it while you are moving around.

I know this list is by no means comprehensive for everything you could possibly need, but these basic 5 elements: camera, lights, mic, tripod and Solo — have served me well when I’ve been at events from CES to SXSW to ComicCon and beyond. And everything fits into one small bag that let’s me run around, set up quickly, and get that live shot I want to share!

For a more comprehensive toolkit, including recommendations for production equipment and software to take your stream up a notch, check out this list from @BenMakesTV.

To hear from some real expert live streamers, check out my panel from the Streaming Media East Live Streaming Summit on Live Streaming to Social Media.

Claudia Barbiero is an expert at developing strategic marketing, branding and PR campaigns for leading global technology leaders. Currently she writes and presents on topics related to live broadcasting and online streaming for LiveU. She can be found at industry events, entertainment and sports experiences, political happenings and breaking news stories around the globe helping producers of all sizes to share dynamic live content to engage deeply with their audiences, and keep them! Follow Claudia on LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also see what other LiveU customers are up to by following LiveU on Twitter and Facebook — including live video behind-the-scenes coverage from industry events.

Claudia Barbiero

Written by

VP Marketing and Strategic Live Event Production for LiveU. Working with online content creators of all sizes share dynamic live content!

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