A Quick Guide for Choosing the Best Video Streaming Software in 2020

The technological era has twisted the entire panorama of online videos. Live videos are ruling the internet space, and users are watching more content over the internet than ever before.

Live video streaming is a wonderful invention of technology for businesses who wish to portray their business through attention grabbing live videos or individuals for personal use and branding. Recently, it has been observed that various businesses are turning to live streaming content for making better connections with their potential customers.

What Is Video Streaming Software?

A camera generates a raw video signal which needs to be encoded, so that it can be broadcasted over the internet. The video streaming software performs the encoding of your live video stream. Once the video gets encoded by the video streaming software, it delivers the live video in any of the two formats—HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) or Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP).

HLS has adaptive bitrate streaming which can adjust the video quality to cope with any oscillations in the user’s internet connection. On the other hand, RTMP is okay to use if you need lower processing latency.

What Factors Should Be Considered While Choosing a Live Video Streaming Software?

Currently, among a huge heap of video streaming software available, it is a bit confusing to choose the right software that suits your needs and budget; specially because most of the popular streaming software have some or the other things in common. One needs to consider various details to find the ideal solution.

If you are firm about choosing the best video streaming software, you must be on the lookout for some of main factors, such as follows:

1. Check for the possible compatibility issues in the software.

2. Check what unique/advanced or additional features the software is offering.

3. And the most important of all—does it suits your requirements and budget.

Which is the Best Streaming Software in 2020?

A decent live streaming software is a software that fulfils most of your requirements and executes the major tasks in video streaming. The best live video streaming software offers you all the necessary tools to take your live streaming of videos to the next level—of course, if you are ready to put some efforts as well as required money into it. Here are the top three as well as popular players in the live video streaming software market in 2020. They provide combinations of functionalities, features, and price points.

1. Open Broadcaster Software Studio

The Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) Studio is ideal for people who are new to the video streaming concept because it is free and compatible with a variety of platforms—Windows, Mac, and Linux. The feature that attracts many toward this software is that one can effortlessly customize it to according to their wish or requirements. One of the disadvantage of this software is that it is open source, which means it provides no official support.

2. Streamlabs Open Broadcaster Software Studio

The Streamlabs version of Open Broadcaster Software Studio (OBS), also referred as SLOBS, looks like its target statement was to upgrade OBS Studio and make it easier to use. Apart from completing that target, SLOBS offers free service and support, and is equipped with features that attract the attention of gaming streamers.

However, there are a few drawbacks in the SLOBS software. For instance, one can only use the video streaming software on a Windows computer. Besides this, one can also expect some occasional bugs in the software.

3. XSplit

As you make headway toward the specialized, high-end live video streaming software options, XSplit is the ideal choice. It is stress-free to use, comes in basic (free) as well as premium options, and it provides good support and some occasional feature updates. It is compatible with third-party apps and plugins as well.

Although XSplit is easy to use, one will requires some understanding about encoding, as this software does not come with presets. You cannot use it on Mac or Linux systems, and you really have to opt for the paid version to evade things like watermarks or locked features.

How has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected the Video Streaming Arena?

The COVID-19 pandemic has made a positive impact on the global video streaming software market, claims a latest research report by Research Dive. According to the report, the global video streaming software industry  is expected to grow with a CAGR of 20.4% from 2020 to 2027. In the course of the pandemic, collaboration as well as video conference platforms such as Zoom, social media, educational portals, gaming, and streaming media have witnessed a gigantic increase in their usage. For instance, in March 2020, Zoom platform reached around 200 million daily participants worldwide. These factors are likely to propel the market growth and make online video streaming extremely popular in the coming years.

Take Away Message!

The journey toward effective live streaming generally takes people all through the process of choosing the ideal streaming software for their requirements. Although your software or requirements might change with time, it is necessary that you begin by making good decisions with your first one.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.