OBS Studio is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming, featuring real time video/audio capturing and mixing. Users can create scenes made up of multiple sources including window captures, images, text, browser windows, webcams, and capture cards.
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Vimeo Enterprise
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Vimeo Enterprise, based on technology acquired with Livestream in September 2017 is the company's HD livestreaming platform touting auto-archiving, simultaneous live streaming, secure sharing with password and domain-level security, and audience engagement (e.g. chat), with SLA available at the highest tier service level. Vimeo Enterprise streaming solution enables the user to provide secure corporate comms and "no-fail" virtual events. Or, Vimeo OTT enables the user to launch a subscription…
From simple streaming to bigger events, OBS has been able to handle all of it with full confidence from us. Have never questioned if it was going to be unreliable in a specific situation, even with minimal training. Software identified the external input source easily and had no issues setting that up (Blackmagic Mini Recorder), and great for pulling in separate audio from the computer input.
Vimeo is much better for Live-streaming than other software or hardware based solutions. The Livestream Studio app runs on Macs and PCs with almost any hardware configuration. It allows you to have unlimited hardware HD and 4k inputs. 3 GFX channels and 3 media playback channels along with configurable outputs while streaming. The most unique tool is the remote guest feature which has a type of zoom function built in so you can have remote speakers join a livestream and easily hear, see, and interact with the program. This software can transform an iMac into a video production truck run by one person.
Scene Composition and Switching + source control which allows for creators and our customers to move between different types of content they might have (different video feeds, slides etc)
Audio mixer and audio control - noise gating, a/v syncing, audio source control
Very usable because it is free and has had a lot of people helping to suggest improvements and sponsors have allowed the product to grow in sophistication and suitability across a variety of situations and use needs. It is very logical to use once you get started, although the dashboard can seem intimidating at first.
The layout is inconsistent for different parts of the platform, it takes a very long time to find specific settings. Labels aren't clear sometimes - not to the first-time/average user. They actually just changed the interface with zero warning or tooltips and had to contact support to get it back to the version our teachers are familiar with.
For a free product, a range of support is available. There are plenty of ways to find out answers to questions, because there are probably thousands of people using the product who are willing to share what they have learned. It usually works as designed, so needs for support are limited.
Generally Vimeo is fast to respond to support tickets with more or less the answer to the question/problem with documentation and clarity in the answer. Usually only takes on message to solve the issue.
I have also used TinyTake by Mango Apps and I prefer OBS studio because the video quality results are better and OBS allows you to record an unlimited length of the video. OBS also lets you record an entire screen instead of manually having to draw your parameters, which can create oddly sizes videos if you miss by a few pixels.
Vimeo is awesome because it is a seamless experience that blends software and a cloud platform and end user experience. No other competitor offers a holistic solution the way Vimeo does. With other platforms you have to piece together multiple pieces of hardware and software and even with those pieces you don't get the same ease of use and performance that Vimeo gives you with their software and cloud solution
Positive ROI - the pricing is better than other comparable services with a better end result. So, the return on investment is significant since it is an inexpensive way to deliver what I need to my program users.
Positive - their 30 day trial period is so helpful to be able to determine if this is truly a good investment for you/your business. I was able to do all that I needed to within the first 30 days for live video, then continue with keeping the embed links with the continuing monthly subscription.
Positive - good analytics within the account (not Google Analytics with my level of subscription) so I can see how many users are viewing my videos, what devices they're on, and where they are in the world. This is all important for my business.