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https://dudodiprj2sv7.cloudfront.net/product-logos/u4/90/R6XJ1ZS6310P.PNGIBMNo-Nonsense Live Streaming Solution2018-08-27T15:13:47.758ZI've been using IBM Cloud Video (UStream) for a number of years now in support of a music blog that I run, and also for events that I livestream for my clients. Although many other free solutions have come online in recent years (YouTube Live, Facebook Live, etc.) they simply are not as reliable as having a private streaming service. IBM Cloud Video allows us to stream from a multitude of professional devices, including Teradek gear that we use a lot, both reliably and easily. Also, the cloud recording is fantastic and allows me to have peace of mind that beyond our local recordings (from a camera or recorder) we will have a cloud-recorded video that we can download to give to the client and/or edit later.,Cloud-based video recording.
Reliable transmission of video, resulting in ease of starting a broadcast (more important than you think) and a clear and smooth picture.
Ability to save recordings, organize them, share them, and send them to other online video services.,The user interface is pretty good, but it definitely needs some improvements to help organize videos better, and request online restoration of videos that have been taken offline.
As far as I can tell, new features haven't been added since UStream was acquired by IBM. It seems like development has been paused, or focused on back-end improvements that we as users simply don't see. Would like to see some new improvements being made, especially at this price point.
The mobile viewing window lacks options and cannot detect device orientation. So I embed a video on a page that I can publish through an app, but then the viewing window does not orient correctly, without some complicated JavaScript that I personally have to write. This is an example of a feature that IBM should make and have part of the viewer window platform. Mobile friendly is essential in this day and age.,9,9,9,Mainly we're able to provide a quality viewing experience without the noise of Facebook or YouTube to our audience, providing a better branding experience for our users. This shows that we're not just building on the back of another company that doesn't have our users in mind. So for us, using a solution like IBM Video allows us to portray a higher level of "trustworthiness" to our users/customers.Derek HoiemGreat product that’s worth the price!2018-08-23T16:32:38.805ZWe stream multiple times per week our events that occur. This is the life blood of our organization and we stream at least four times a week. Multiple users and sometimes in multiple locations.,Incredible customer service.
Reliable streaming platform.
Lots of customizable features.
Ability to host multiple shows or channels under a single account.,Bring back an in house software package.
Easier access to credentials to integrate streaming within other apps.
Cross platform sharing to YouTube or other organizations supported.,10,8,9,We have used it specifically to gain new followers. Often people watch us streaming and then physically attend a service. It also has helped us increase online revenue significantly over the last 5 years.Alex LisicUstream and Church.2018-08-17T19:07:51.911ZUstream (IBM Cloud Video) is being used as our main streaming channel for our church. It is the virtual window into our services. It helps people tune in remotely or check out our services remotely if they've never participated in person. It is embedded on our website, and we use it for mobile viewing.,IBM Cloud Video's metrics are phenomenal. They allow us to gauge participation in our online presence, as well as chart virtual attendance trends throughout the year.
Ustream transcodes well; it looks great across most any device that can access it.
Ustream has been extraordinarily stable, and when we did have technical issues, they have been very responsive.,I wish the metrics allowed to see unique viewers on an hour by hour basis.
I wish Ustream allowed the user to rewind during a live broadcast.
I would like the call to action controls to be more accessible for those of us without much coding experience.,10,10,10,We are somewhat exempt from this question as our purpose is church member participation. But, because of what Ustream allows us to do, making the virtual experience as good as we can afford, has become a value to our organization.Jon FosterSolid, Flexible, and Reliable.2018-08-17T18:43:37.326ZOur entire organization takes advantage of the streaming and scalability of Ustream to broadcast on the internet videos of events. We do a variety of streams from just a few individuals up to sessions reaching several thousand people at once. It becomes a tool for us, to allow information to be shared, without the need for travel. It is reliable and we have found it to be simple for the end user viewers to become engaged.,Scalability - I don't ever have to worry if a session we are broadcasting takes off and attracts unexpected large audience. The system keeps everyone watching and is seamless.
Streamlined - with the available Producer app, pushing video and monitoring the outgoing content is simple. The ability to have channels that are for different types of content helps us get people to the right place.
Metrics - our evaluations of live events benefits from the viewer information we are able to glean. This helps us focus marketing for future public events.,Publishing - the lack of ongoing support for the Producer app is one issue, while there are good alternatives, we have different users and sometimes as many as 3 channels in use the same day, having the Producer app, allows our different teams easier access without hardware or software concerns.
Channel Image Updating - it can be a little frustrating to update the off air or channel icons. This part of the backend system seems to just require a couple attempts many times before the update become visible.,9,10,10,IBM Cloud Video has been used to share the ministry, work and up to date information about our ministry. It allows us to invite people to watch and learn from our live events. Inviting people into the live events, as opened new support and opportunities for us as a ministry.David WoodIBM Cloud Video Feedback2018-08-14T21:44:29.271ZUse for internal and external webcast broadcast.Financial year end resultsTraining / Speech / TalksTech forum,Easy video streaming setup.
Various streaming connection (to Facebook, Youtube etc) available.
Wirecast software is easy to use and takes minimum setting up.,For Ustream registration, it would be easier if we can customized on the default login requirements (name, company, job title etc etc) to whatever inputs the organizer requires for registration.
Ability to change the fonts in the webpage. Currently, we are unable to do that.
Too much space on the Ustream webpage not fully utilized.,7,7,9,Saves time on travelling. For internal events, users need not go to the actual place to view the speech or training. That save time and added more productivity on the users to do their work and watch/listen the webcast at the same time. For external events, users can view from their home or work place if we have a full capacity registered turnout.Faizal BahariUnspecified
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IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming
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IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming
82 Ratings
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Reviews (1-25 of 61)
August 27, 2018
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "No-Nonsense Live Streaming Solution"
CEO
Rain On Me ProductionsMedia Production, 1-10 employees
I've been using IBM Cloud Video (UStream) for a number of years now in support of a music blog that I run, and also for events that I livestream for my clients. Although many other free solutions have come online in recent years (YouTube Live, Facebook Live, etc.) they simply are not as reliable as having a private streaming service. IBM Cloud Video allows us to stream from a multitude of professional devices, including Teradek gear that we use a lot, both reliably and easily. Also, the cloud recording is fantastic and allows me to have peace of mind that beyond our local recordings (from a camera or recorder) we will have a cloud-recorded video that we can download to give to the client and/or edit later.
- Cloud-based video recording.
- Reliable transmission of video, resulting in ease of starting a broadcast (more important than you think) and a clear and smooth picture.
- Ability to save recordings, organize them, share them, and send them to other online video services.
- The user interface is pretty good, but it definitely needs some improvements to help organize videos better, and request online restoration of videos that have been taken offline.
- As far as I can tell, new features haven't been added since UStream was acquired by IBM. It seems like development has been paused, or focused on back-end improvements that we as users simply don't see. Would like to see some new improvements being made, especially at this price point.
- The mobile viewing window lacks options and cannot detect device orientation. So I embed a video on a page that I can publish through an app, but then the viewing window does not orient correctly, without some complicated JavaScript that I personally have to write. This is an example of a feature that IBM should make and have part of the viewer window platform. Mobile friendly is essential in this day and age.
For scenarios where you want a reliable broadcast window, without all of the noise from YouTube or Facebook. You can have a clean viewing experience embedded on a web page or mobile app. And also you can cloud-record your broadcasts so you can download and edit them later.
Mainly we're able to provide a quality viewing experience without the noise of Facebook or YouTube to our audience, providing a better branding experience for our users. This shows that we're not just building on the back of another company that doesn't have our users in mind. So for us, using a solution like IBM Video allows us to portray a higher level of "trustworthiness" to our users/customers.
August 23, 2018
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Great product that’s worth the price!"
Creative Arts Director
Life ChurchReligious Institutions, 11-50 employees
We stream multiple times per week our events that occur. This is the life blood of our organization and we stream at least four times a week. Multiple users and sometimes in multiple locations.
- Incredible customer service.
- Reliable streaming platform.
- Lots of customizable features.
- Ability to host multiple shows or channels under a single account.
- Bring back an in house software package.
- Easier access to credentials to integrate streaming within other apps.
- Cross platform sharing to YouTube or other organizations supported.
Well suited for someone who needs to stream and stream a lot. You may pay a little more for the service than others but it will never fail on you and customer service is great. Less appropriate for smaller shops who do occasional work or don’t have pro-grade equipment. You can get by with a smaller platform service if you need but be aware that what you make up for in $ you may sacrifice in service and reliability.
We have used it specifically to gain new followers. Often people watch us streaming and then physically attend a service. It also has helped us increase online revenue significantly over the last 5 years.
August 17, 2018
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Ustream and Church."
AV Director
St. Mark's ChurchReligious Institutions, 11-50 employees
Ustream (IBM Cloud Video) is being used as our main streaming channel for our church. It is the virtual window into our services. It helps people tune in remotely or check out our services remotely if they've never participated in person. It is embedded on our website, and we use it for mobile viewing.
- IBM Cloud Video's metrics are phenomenal. They allow us to gauge participation in our online presence, as well as chart virtual attendance trends throughout the year.
- Ustream transcodes well; it looks great across most any device that can access it.
- Ustream has been extraordinarily stable, and when we did have technical issues, they have been very responsive.
- I wish the metrics allowed to see unique viewers on an hour by hour basis.
- I wish Ustream allowed the user to rewind during a live broadcast.
- I would like the call to action controls to be more accessible for those of us without much coding experience.
It's priced right, and is extremely easy to set up.
We are somewhat exempt from this question as our purpose is church member participation. But, because of what Ustream allows us to do, making the virtual experience as good as we can afford, has become a value to our organization.
August 17, 2018
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Solid, Flexible, and Reliable."
Executive Director
Macon Urban Ministries, IncReligious Institutions, 11-50 employees
Our entire organization takes advantage of the streaming and scalability of Ustream to broadcast on the internet videos of events. We do a variety of streams from just a few individuals up to sessions reaching several thousand people at once. It becomes a tool for us, to allow information to be shared, without the need for travel. It is reliable and we have found it to be simple for the end user viewers to become engaged.
- Scalability - I don't ever have to worry if a session we are broadcasting takes off and attracts unexpected large audience. The system keeps everyone watching and is seamless.
- Streamlined - with the available Producer app, pushing video and monitoring the outgoing content is simple. The ability to have channels that are for different types of content helps us get people to the right place.
- Metrics - our evaluations of live events benefits from the viewer information we are able to glean. This helps us focus marketing for future public events.
- Publishing - the lack of ongoing support for the Producer app is one issue, while there are good alternatives, we have different users and sometimes as many as 3 channels in use the same day, having the Producer app, allows our different teams easier access without hardware or software concerns.
- Channel Image Updating - it can be a little frustrating to update the off air or channel icons. This part of the backend system seems to just require a couple attempts many times before the update become visible.
We have seen great success when we are sharing what is going on at meetings and streaming live events. There are always team members who can't be present, this allows for sharing of small events and engagement that is necessary in today's fast-paced world. For larger broadcasts, it is amazing to open this up to the public through marketing and see what attention can be attracted. If you need a solution that will support you no matter how large your audience grows, this is perfect.
IBM Cloud Video has been used to share the ministry, work and up to date information about our ministry. It allows us to invite people to watch and learn from our live events. Inviting people into the live events, as opened new support and opportunities for us as a ministry.
August 14, 2018
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "IBM Cloud Video Feedback"
Financial Services, 201-500 employees
- Use for internal and external webcast broadcast.
- Financial year end results
- Training / Speech / Talks
- Tech forum
- Easy video streaming setup.
- Various streaming connection (to Facebook, Youtube etc) available.
- Wirecast software is easy to use and takes minimum setting up.
- For Ustream registration, it would be easier if we can customized on the default login requirements (name, company, job title etc etc) to whatever inputs the organizer requires for registration.
- Ability to change the fonts in the webpage. Currently, we are unable to do that.
- Too much space on the Ustream webpage not fully utilized.
We do webcast on a weekly basis. We do have issues once in a while where users had registered in but comes to the webcast page itself, if they want to use the 'pop out' (theater mode), it requires them to register again. Q&A function is ok but moderator cant determined the users asking the questions are from which company (even in the registration part, it is already written down).
Saves time on travelling. For internal events, users need not go to the actual place to view the speech or training. That save time and added more productivity on the users to do their work and watch/listen the webcast at the same time. For external events, users can view from their home or work place if we have a full capacity registered turnout.
August 17, 2018
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Overall Ustream is a solid easy-to-use streaming service"
Verified User
Project Manager in Marketing
Photography Company, 51-200 employeesIBM Cloud Video (Ustream) is used by the marketing department in our organization for 2 purposes. The first was to broadcast educational webinars in support of marketing efforts for our brands. We used UStream as our streaming platform and linked viewers (customers) to it from landing pages and emails. The second way we use UStream is for training purposes within our marketing and sales organization. We have sales representatives across the country. Sharing video training via Ustream allows us to bring the entire team (marketing and sales) up to speed on new products at the same time without the expense and delay of a formal sales meeting where we have to fly people in and host them overnight.
- Easy to implement
- Easy to use
- Fairly reliable
- At the time I was using Ustream, there was no way to have an integrated chatroom. We had to use a separate app for that. Obviously integrated would be better.
- We were limited to 1,000 viewers at a time.
- Registrants had to return to the email or landing page and click the link on the day of the webinar to view it. No way to capture registrations beforehand and email the link on the day of within UStream.
It was well suited for both our webinar purposes outlined above. I guess it would not be well suited to streaming situations where you would need to reach a larger audience.
Provide educational content for major brand launches and social media marketing. Increased communication on and understanding of new products by our sales staff leading to higher stocking rates at dealers.
November 20, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Ustream is a blessing to the House of Worship market"
Director of Audio Visual
Grace Community ChurchReligious Institutions, 201-500 employees
Our house of worship uses IBM Cloud Video (including Ustream) every week, multiple times a week, to stream our services and events around the world. We have a viewership of several thousand every week across 20+ countries. Ustream gives us the ability to directly track our viewership and respond to issues that may arise in the broadcast and distribution of our content. We also host a conference once a year that increases our viewership into the tens of thousands across 70+ countries. During this time, previous streaming methods have completely failed due to the pressure on our servers. Ustream has always remained rock solid due to it's multiple CDN locations. The immediate feedback of the distribution numbers and locations allow us to inform the conference attendees of the size and breadth of the conference, adding value to their conference experience.
- The Ustream view ship tracking gives us detailed information of how many people are watching and from where. This helps my organization recognize trends in our international viewership and respond accordingly.
- Ustream allows us to monitor and maintain multiple channels and streams at the same time. This important to my organization as we often translate our main broadcasts into multiple languages.
- Ustream has maintained a 99% percent uptime during the length of our contract. This is comforting considering we stream at odd hours and over the weekend.
- Our viewership often requests an audio only option of the livestream. This helps them remain connected while traveling but not eat up their data plans.
- Recent bugs in the tracking tools have caused a disparity in the concurrent viewership graph versus the current viewer live counter. I'm not sure which is accurate, but I need to know the correct number.
- Recent increase in their customer base has caused increased wait time in receiving downloads of our broadcasts. This can range from a few minutes to a few hours. This is more of minor annoyance that a deal breaker.
Any organization that needs to distribute and interact with live internet broadcasts will find that Ustream meets a majority of their needs. Their level of customer support and quality has been second to none for our needs. Also, their interface can be very simple to use, resulting in volunteers being able to use the system. The only setback, specifically for house of worship markets, is that this power and ease of use comes at a price. Ustream, at the enterprise level, can be very expensive. This price made sense for our organizations, but I can understand if it is far outside of the reach for many in the house of worship market.
Ustream has stretched the influence of our organization out across the globe. While we already had an international influence, we re now able to maintain and even grow that influence via international broadcasts every week. We are also able to offer this features to outside clients that come to our campus and utilize our facilities. This flexibility is, honestly, expected in this day and age. Ustream helps achieve this quickly, efficiently, and as affordably as possible at our scale.
November 13, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "24/7 IBM YMMD"
Digital Media Production Manager
Colorado State University - College of BusinessHigher Education, 1001-5000 employees
I use IBM Video Ustream to provide 24/7 live streams of CTV Channel 11 video broadcasts and KCSU audio broadcasts. CTV also relies on Ustream on demand video features and storage to deliver show content and other videos to online audiences.
- Ustream is easy to deploy and manage in 24/7 video streaming scenarios. The analytics module has been helpful to provide feedback to sales and marketing teams about the success of event campaigns. The live content works everywhere with no interruptions and we have received a lot of positive feedback from viewers about there hight quality of the video playback.
- Offline playlists are a powerful and unique feature of the Ustream platform. When our headend is down, we love the fact that Ustream continues playback of programmed content to keep viewers engaged until while we work on returning service. This workflow also works well to support one-time live events such as pre-game shows.
- Channel management is easy and offers a lot of powerful options. After the success of the 24/7 CTV live video broadcast, the station manager for KCSU wanted to set up a live video broadcast DJ channel. I was able to set up a new channel and configure a camera encoder in the booth in less than a day.
- Live chat and social stream interactions are also a helpful feature. I have worked with our academic program managers to provide live feedback from online students during lesson events. Providing support for both broadcast and classroom needs speaks to the flexibility of the platform.
- Ustream is simple to manage, but I would like to see improved user data management. It would be great to allow users to sign up for premium features (such as chat or other services) so we can get a better idea of who's watching. It would also be handy to manage analytics as "event data sets." For example, a live event would include a data set. Then when the event is used for on demand purposes, a separate data set would be created. This way, I can isolate data sets without concerns over deleting anything or including erroneous outliers.
- Another feature I'd like to see is an option for adding "content resources" that can be included with the video player embed. This would help in situations where I want to deliver an audio version of the content, expand a description of the content (in the form of a simple paragraph or mini-blog entry), or just add additional files that users can download and print to use along with the video.
- I would also like see poll and quizzing options. This would probably work best with a registration system to keep track of specific interaction. Interacting with the audience is key to building better viewing habits and understanding who's watching and why.
IBM Cloud Video (including Ustream) is a highly versatile and easy to manage cloud video platform. It's well designed to support live event programs and 24/7 video broadcasting in a channel format. The platform is also a robust video-on-demand tool, especially in post-live situations. It's also well suited for multi-user environments in which some clients only require a handful of features and others need all the bells and whistles.
In broadcasting, a reliable and high quality 24/7 video stream is essential. We have experienced zero downtime as a result of platform errors or complications. We also get a lot of great feedback from viewer about the high quality of live streams. In the next few years we are working on audience profile and engagement initiatives to improve how we plan and prioritize live event and series project resources. The flexibility and analytics capabilities of Ustream will be a critical backbone of these initiatives.
November 20, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "You-stream, I-stream, we all love USTREAM!"
Art Director/Project Manager/IT Manager
Westerfield Management, IncEntertainment, 11-50 employees
We produce competitive dance events all over America, and we have used Ustream since 2012 to broadcast our events to family and friends of the students performing on stage. We have had up to 6 concurrent events at the same time, and are known in the industry for our free andhigh-qualityy event broadcasts (usually 2-3 days over the weekend, but as many as 5 for very large events - many from 7AM to 11PM per day).
- Excellent reliability - as long as you have a good upstream bandwidth, Ustream is exceptionally stable and glitch-free.
- The service works with a wide array of software and encoding methods. We use Telestream Wirecast with excellent results.
- We worked with Ustream engineers to develop a custom fall-back solution when the events were over, so live content was playing even when we were off air from the shows.
- Price - we are not a huge organization and only broadcast for 6-7 months out of the year. The annual plan with quarterly payments is helpful, but a plan that offered a more granular fee structure would be beneficial for us.
- Better embed options for social media.
Ustream works exceptionally well for our use case - live, long-form events. I could even see it as a base for a small "network" for niche audiences. I think it would also work well for conferences, seminars, etc.
I do not see it as a good alternative to Skype, Zoom, GoTo Meeting, etc.
I do not see it as a good alternative to Skype, Zoom, GoTo Meeting, etc.
We have attracted new clients over the 5 years we have broadcasted with Ustream - no commercials and being able to brand our stream has helped us look more attractive in the market compared to our competitors. People are thrilled to see their family/friends perform live, especially with the adaptive bit-rates and mobile video implementation - people have a great experience viewing our events.
November 17, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Appreciate the present but looking forward to the future."
Studio Engineer
TechniartsBroadcast Media, 11-50 employees
We use IBM Cloud Video (UStream) as a reliable CDN to reach audiences globally. Our team streams content to the CDN and then embeds their custom player into webpages for delivery of our webcast programs.
- The platform delivers high quality video and quickly transitions the resolution in cases where ABR may be needed.
- We are pleased with the custom support available to us. We ask for functionality and the engineering team provides.
- The ease of use of the interface on the IBM Cloud Video (UStream) website is great. I enjoy the simple approach they have taken.
- Selectable multiple audio tracks.
- More in depth metrics for analytics.
- Selectable multi-language caption support.
- Polling, and chat overlay ability. The current setup takes up space on a webpage and does not give you the option to overlay the chat and polling on the video.
IBM Cloud Video (UStream) is very well suited to our needs as a CDN and player provider. We enjoy the quality of service, video and speed that is provided. Our unique case of needing to reach audiences world wide and scale the video seamlessly is what Ustream excels in. We are able to control what content goes where and who accesses it.
We were among the very first and few to offer Live streaming Closed Captions. It is difficult to achieve with any degree of high accuracy. With Ustream's customized player we were able to achieve this.
November 13, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "A very good option in streaming service."
Jefe de Proyectos de Cómputo
Universidad IberoamericanaEducation Management, 1001-5000 employees
In Universidad Iberoamericana A.C. we use IBM Cloud Video for our conferences, some classes and some important events that must be streamed. Our experience using this system has been very good. The service is commonly used in our auditoriums and classrooms but we're looking to bring this service to mobile schemes. The easy use and excellent quality of video are the stronger points of the service.
- Easy use.
- Video quality.
- Customization.
- The ability to secure a specific published video with a password. Not all channels.
I think that the scenarios where IBM Cloud Video is well suited are for example:
- Medium / large or massive conferences.
- Medium / large classes.
- Important events that need performance and quality.
- Customized security for published videos that must be private.
- Very small events, classes or conferences that don't have a lot of public [audiences].
Our university has achieved the purpose of giving easy and technological solutions to our community. We offer other channels of communication for our academic programs or conferences live. With the support of having this content for future access.
November 09, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Looking for a high quality broadcast? Ustream works great!"
President
MB4 ProductionsMedia Production, 11-50 employees
I am using Ustream to provide high quality live streaming to world wide audiences from multiple locations across the globe. I have had trouble in the past (with other stream companies) with attendees viewing webcasts at different bandwidth rates. Obviously, if we're broadcasting in HD, but a viewer is capable of viewing in only 240p, problems will occur! Ustream's built-in multiple bit rates make my life easier, and our final product is much more effective.
- Tech support.
- Ease of use.
- Multiple methods of streaming. you don't have to use just a single method. There are plenty of options for getting your content up and online.
- Metrics. Ustream has good general metrics. But to get deep, very precise metrics is unavailable.
- More control of Q&A and chat functions. Currently you can turn them on and off. But, there are no ways of configuring these to make them look exactly as you'd like. There are a couple templates, but it would be nice to have full control of the view in order that it fits perfectly into your theme.
I think Ustream is great. I have had wonderful success with our products and the quality. As I stated earlier, we were required to build some custom code for in-depth metrics, and Q&A functionality. But, for high level video streaming, Ustream is perfect straight out of the box.
We broadcast live interviews for multiple clients. This question really doesn't really apply to us, as we don't utilize Ustream for any of the examples. However, maybe I should look into it a bit more.
November 09, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "IBM Cloud Video as Convention Viewing/Library experience"
Senior Director - Head of Digital Product Management
Rodan + FieldsConsumer Goods, 201-500 employees
It is being used as a video library and a live stream/chat platform to supplement our convention efforts. It is currently being used by our Field/Events department and Technology. This platform is for our field and customers. It is not for employee training. This platform solves how we share the viral R+F culture without having to be in person and makes that experience evergreen.
- Uptime, load and performance robustness.
- Fast development team and detailed understanding of business requirements/user needs.
- Great user experience and digital product. Our customers loved it.
- Not many. Some features had to be custom built. Some should have been native to the platform.
Video streaming and video libraries. Great applications of the platform.
We achieved the ability to deliver a high quality, highly usable, very robust convention experience for those that could not appear in person. They were able to chat with each other and feel like they were in person. We also sold the platform to our consultants and achieved our sales targets.
November 08, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "IBM Cloud Video is great with a few exceptions for those looking for internal streaming."
Systems Administrator
TechStyle Fashion GroupApparel & Fashion, 1001-5000 employees
We use IBM Cloud Video for corporate town hall presentations and internal video streaming.
- Multiple channel pages
- Password protection
- 1080p streaming on mobile and desktop
- eCDN is too expensive.
- Allow file upload larger than 4GB. This is particularly applicable when I need to re-upload videos longer than 1 hour.
uStream is great for live streams that need password protection. It's not so great for internal streams where lots of people are watching; eCDN would apply here but it's way too expensive. It's cheaper for us to burst bandwidth with our ISP once every 2 months than it is to set up eCDN.
Greatly enhanced our townhall presentations. Executive management have been thrilled at the way our hip/trendy office gets presented to investors and remote offices. When you call yourself a "unicorn", it goes a long way to deliver crisp HD livestreams to everyone in the organization. Our global and remote US offices now get a multi-angle presentation in 1080p that is easily streamed with a simple password. The enterprise option is sexy as hell with the SSO and eCDN features, but ultimately is cost prohibitive.
November 08, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Ustream - Reliability with normal price"
IT manager
Radio Opole S.A.Broadcast Media, 51-200 employees
As a modern radio broadcaster with visions of the inevitable future, we had a need to have a video streaming tool to stream our videos to listeners on the internet. We have bought cameras, production devices like ATEM Switchers, converters etc., and started using Ustream with Adobe Flash Encoder and/or OBS Player. It works very well, and for now - it can be widely used across the whole organization (not only in production and media departments).
We also stream video with this configuration as an outside broadcast from any localization which has an internet connection (ethernet or mobile).
I think I can say that we are forerunners here in Poland in using this type of service...other companies call me to get a review.
We also stream video with this configuration as an outside broadcast from any localization which has an internet connection (ethernet or mobile).
I think I can say that we are forerunners here in Poland in using this type of service...other companies call me to get a review.
- Reliability - it is very high. We didn't observe any problems with this field.
- Parametrization capabilities - we can configure basically anything that we need.
- Price - actually the price is lower than Wowza or Nadaje.com here in Poland.
- Storage space - it is a very good functionality because when our video hardware crashes with a recording, we have an online copy from the provided storage space in our Ustream account.
- Storage space could have a quota limit exceed notification send via e-mail or SMS even.
There isn't any scenario that IBM Cloud Video Manager cannot be used as a less appropriate [solution] in my opinion.
We had increased employee productivity and trained them using new tools. We had increased the range to reach our listeners giving them new type of media (which is a normal use in modern broadcast company like radio).
November 09, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Streaming events live"
System Administrator
NYU University Relations and Public AffairsEducation Management, 10,001+ employees
[It's] used as the platform to deliver our HawCam content; used to live-stream/record NYU DC events.
- Easy to access recordings
- Easy to publish recorded content
- Ease of use in connecting outside platforms to receive streams
- Ease of use of admin interface
- Higher bandwidth recordings
- Easier downloads--say over FTP
- Increased viewing metrics
[It] fits our situations nicely-- live streaming.
November 09, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "IBM Cloud Video for Enterprise is Awesome!"
Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Computer Software Company, 5001-10,000 employeesWe use IBM Cloud video to bring the entire company together for all hands meetings, trainings and quarterly business updates. It is used by all business units within our company. On average we have 5-6 live stream a week with anywhere from 50 to 5000 active viewers. With the eCDN we are able to safely stream to all of our employees with sacrificing our ISP bandwidth.
IBM Cloud video is perfect for companies large or small. It allows an easy outlet for leaders to share their vision with employees. It's easy to get setup and even easier for the end user to use.
We've used IBM cloud video to bring the entire company together to learn about our customers and how to better think like them. That in return has increased employee productivity and morale.
November 08, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Love this product"
Verified User
Team Lead in Information Technology
Internet Company, 1001-5000 employeesWe have been using IBM Cloud Video to broadcast company meetings to all our locations across the globe. It has always worked flawlessly regardless of the location of the viewers, or the platform the view it on. The available metrics and tracking are super useful too. I can't recommend this product highly enough, to be honest.
- SSO integration
- Audio and Video Quality
- Cross Platform compatibility
- Sometimes the delay becomes an issue, but this is not unique to Ustream.
- Service is somewhat expensive.
- Is it Ustream or is it IBM Cloud Video? This can be a little confusing for some people.
IBM Cloud Video really fit the bill for us on a secure channel where we could hold meetings with confidence that no unauthorized viewers were able to see the broadcast. The ability to upload videos and have data on who watched the video and the percentage of the video they watched is also awesome.
We have been able to ensure that each employee is able to view company-wide meetings and broadcasts with certainty. We have also been able to point out to people who are remote that tend to complain about not being able to see the broadcast that we know exactly how much of the broadcast they actually watched, which has been hilarious because the never view the whole thing.
November 09, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "IBM is awesome for internal broadcasts even a novice can get to an amazing standard with their platform"
Verified User
Technician in Information Technology
Broadcast Media Company, 10,001+ employeesWe use it for internal communication broadcasts, e.g. town halls etc.
- Ease of use ; continually improving user platform
- One easy upload when streaming rather than sending a multi-version up like some people have to, IBM has taken the hard work out of the streaming element leaving me to concentrate on the quality of the audio and video, the experience for the viewers and satisfaction.
- Scott Grizzle is a legend. Also Jose Velenquez without both of whom, when we were first looking at IBM Cloud made it possible for us to trial before we bought this was instrumental in getting it signed off.
- Get the UK support team set up ASAP, I know you are getting one set up but this should be done. What's already a big selling point for your competitors is tech support in GMT hours or local to the country of the account holders' territory.
- You should be offering suggestions for redundancy of network. So offer an encoder that has let our 4g bundled to negate fears of upload issues for users.
- Recommend suppliers for a kit not just recommended hardware. If I could I'd set up a training facility and travel around to your new customers and teach them how to stream.
[It's] great for my internal broadcasts.
I've tried to use it to increase the engagement factor of live events.
April 10, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "IBM Cloud Video aka Ustream"
Consultant
Sandy Audio Visual LLCMedia Production, 1-10 employees
IBM Cloud Video (Ustream) has been a solid content delivery network and platform. Within our organization, we use IBM Cloud Video services to support our corporate and governmental clients to allow them an extremely reliable streaming platform. Because IBM Cloud Video is so stable and has the capacity to quickly scale to any size job, it is the ideal platform to be used by both large and small clients.
- IBM Cloud Video has an extremely reliable platform.
- The service scales well for larger clients.
- The customer service support is outstanding.
- Better closed captioning support
- Detailed noticed on change of player functions and/or features
IBM Cloud Video (including Ustream) is well suited for special events, product launches, speeches, conferences, seminars, concerts. It works well for most any live event. The IBM Cloud Video service is less appropriate in situations normal suited to real time teleconferencing and any services requiring to the millisecond bi or multidirectional communication.
IBM Cloud Video helped us to land contracts and increase revenue.
March 28, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "5 Years and Still Satisfied with this Product!"
Director of Operations
Maximum Performance InternationalNon-Profit Organization Management, 11-50 employees
Our organization hosts life enriching conferences and training classes. We broadcast all of them so our worldwide partners can participate with the live event or enjoy the archive. We have used this platform for five years and enjoyed every part of it. The consistency and quality is amazing. Our team enjoys the ease of use with its features and automated saving until published or deleted.
- It always works.
- As our event starts trending, it helps share that we are live - and helps us gain new followers.
- I love that we can post the video to our YouTube channel with a click of a button!
- As this is an online product with virtually no need for customer service (at least for us) the pro-broadcasting could be less expensive.
- When you trim a video on Ustream then post it to YouTube, it uploads the entire session, not just the desired trimmed portion (frustrating).
- Bonuses or coupon codes for faithful clients - we spend nearly $1k a month for live streaming that we use for 3-5 days/month. There are less expensive options and my tech team would prefer to use a different platform just so our budget would have $12K to put to a new sound board, computers, cameras... etc.
It is great if you don't have a big team. You need one person to hit start and end the broadcast. The same person can monitor the sound. The dashboard is very easy to learn. The metrics are great to see. A smaller company can use it and use a package geared to their budget. Larger companies would also benefit from its use. Overall, there is not a place where I would consider it "less appropriate". The cost and the ability to afford the cost is going to be the greatest factor in someone using Ustream versus YouTube, Facebook, WebinarJam, or gotomeeting for their services. It all depends on the individual needs of the company looking to live broadcast or stream events, seminars, or create their own online TV show.
We use this product to broadcast to our partners around the world. I love that we can see what countries are watching, how many viewers, etc. It increases our connection and participation with those who could not come to Houston, TX for the event we are broadcasting. It makes it possible to do what we do on a small scale and take it around the world.
March 28, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "UStream in the Enterprise"
Sr. Technical Specialist
Infor GlobalComputer Software, 10,001+ employees
[It's] primarily used for streaming large corporate events to customers, the public and for internal event broadcasts. It's also used by a few departments for delivery of pre-recorded VoD content.
- Easy integration with existing encoders like Wowza
- Simple, adaptive player
- Simple to publish to a large audience
- Hard to secure videos.
- Channel-based architecture and cost structure make it difficult to implement corporate-wide; limited ability to create customized channels for each department without incurring significant cost.
- Lacking webinar-type features like integrated desktop sharing and input from SIP and H.323 endpoints.
Very good for large, public (or semi-private) broadcasts. Easily implemented from off-site locations like conference centers with limited bandwidth demand (~2Mbps for 1080p). Not so good for webinars or anything that demands some interactivity from the audience.
Extend event reach to customers, partners and prospects who wouldn't have been able to attend.
April 12, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Ustream is a great live video plattform"
Jefe Innovación Tecnológica y Seguridad de la Información
Universidad de los AndesHigher Education, 1001-5000 employees
For us Ustream saves hundreds of thousands of dollars in an implementation of a complex on premise infrastructure. We also save a lot of money in support. Now the streaming service runs very smoothly. We are able to stream conferences around the world with just a couple of clicks.
- When in a mooc course we need to stream, Ustream is our solution.
- To keep and publish the events.
- Until now the only way to pay is using credit card.
[Ustream is well suited for] Conferences, live video on mooc courses.
Thousands of hours of video.
April 10, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Using Ustream for live streaming of local sports"
President of Bay Area Online Sports Network
San Mateo Community CollegeSports, 1-10 employees
The Bay Area Online Sports Network (BAOSN) streams all events through Ustream. Ustream also hosts VOD. It is BAOSN primary CDN
- Reliable
- Responsive
- Easy of use
- Cost. The current options of CDN and hosting are ever increasing. For UStream to be a viable choice pricing structures will need to be reduced
- Link producers to clients. Because we are a sports broadcasting network much of our work occurs in the evenings and weekends, During the weekdays we have unused production and streaming capacity that could be used to help corporation get involved with streaming and Ustream
Eas of use, support, dependability
Doesn't apply
March 29, 2017
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Review: "Ustream Is a Reliable Live Video Streaming Service"
Filmmaker
Shields Films, Inc.Media Production, 1-10 employees
We use Ustream to deliver monthly livecasts to thousands of live viewers and Ustream has worked flawlessly every time. The video image quality is the best we've seen and just works!
- Crisp HD clarity
- Reliable
- Easy to use
Ustream is easy to set up and embed on your website.
We chose Ustream because of its reliability and great customer service. We know we can count on Ustream for all of our livecasts.
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Scorecard Summary
Feature Scorecard Summary
Lead generation (10)
6.8
Video personalization (19)
7.5
eCommerce (9)
6.2
Support for advertisements (4)
6.5
Video SEO (10)
7.4
Integration to Marketing Automation (7)
6.1
Integration to Salesforce.com (2)
6.4
Integration to LMS (2)
8.2
Video access controls (29)
7.2
User management (26)
7.7
Video link sharing (31)
8.4
Internal video (27)
7.5
External video (28)
8.3
Player customization (29)
6.8
Embedded videos (28)
8.0
Video quality / Bandwidth controls (31)
8.2
Mobile compatibility (30)
8.2
A/B testing (12)
6.0
Streaming quality reports (21)
6.2
Per viewer tracking (25)
6.5
Per video tracking (24)
6.7
Video analytics dashboard (26)
7.0
On-Demand video (25)
8.0
Live streaming (31)
8.7
Impact of streaming on network (25)
7.8
Video upload & format support (25)
7.3
Video library / File management (27)
7.0
Video portal (21)
6.3
Audience polling (10)
7.3
Audience Q&A / Live chat (16)
7.2
Video comments (14)
7.0
About IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming
Ustream, now part of IBM Cloud Video, provides an enterprise video platform for
creating, storing, managing, broadcasting and measuring the impact of live and
recorded streaming video.
There are two enterprise editions:
- IBM Cloud Video Streaming Manager (Ustream Pro Broadcast)
- IBM Cloud Video Streaming Manager for Enterprise (Ustream Align)
Both enterprise editions include storage, event support,
custom branding, content management, multi-user accounts, and real-time
analytics.
Streaming Manager, an external video solution, powers video content for large
audiences. It offers scalability for massive viewership using the SD-CDN, a software
defined content delivery network built with QoS (Quality of Service) in mind to
reliably deliver video. Lead generation and individual prospect tracking help
build lead funnels, while chat and social platform integrations greatly expand
the reach of your content. The optional LiveAd offering enables you to reach
your prospective audience by placing live video ad units on the websites they
frequent, driving increased visibility and views.
Streaming Manager for Enterprise, an internal video solution, secures video
assets for employee use. It can restrict content access through Single Sign-On
(SSO) and using existing corporate directories. Individual viewer tracking measures
engagement on a per video or viewer basis to determine asset ROI and records viewing
time and completions for compliance training.
Categories: Video
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Features
Has featureScalability
Has featureEnterprise Security
Has featureQuality of Service
Has featureIntegrated Content Management
Has featureMulti-CDN Delivery via SD-CDN
Has featureCloud-based Transcoding
Has featureSocial Sharing with Facebook and Twitter Integration
Has featureIntegrated Chat
Has featureLive Analytics Dashboard
Has featureAuto-Recording
Has featureCustom Branding
Has featureLead Capture
Has featureLive Playlists
Has featureSupport for Professional Encoding/Production Gear
Has featureEnterprise Support Plans
Has featureManaged Event and Production Services
Has featureEnterprise Content Delivery Network (eCDN)
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Integrations
SDKs and APIs are available.
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Competitors
Kaltura, Ooyala, Vidyard, Akamai, Brightcove, Livestream, Qumu, Ramp, vBrick, Kontiki, Onstream, DaCast, Wowza
Pricing
Has featureFree Trial Available?Yes
Has featureFree or Freemium Version Available?Yes
Has featurePremium Consulting/Integration Services Available?Yes
Entry-level set up fee?No
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Support Options
| Free Version | Paid Version | |
|---|---|---|
| FAQ/Knowledgebase | ||
| Video Tutorials / Webinar | ||
| Phone | ||
| Managed Event Support | ||
| Production Services |
IBM Watson Media - Video Streaming Technical Details
| Deployment Types: | SaaS |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems: | Unspecified |
| Mobile Application: | Apple iOS, Android, Mobile Web |