PATREONItems tagged with Streaming
If you're currently using the microphone built into your webcam, it might be time to up your audio game. Whether you're streaming for fun or working from home, the mics including with USB cameras aren't the best around. While many laptops have noise-canceling arrays, desktop users with discrete cameras don't always have the same luxury. For those who are conducting business with their webcams, or perhaps even aspiring streamers on Twitch; an upgraded microphone might be just the ticket. Simple Setups with USB Microphones First, here are some ground rules: we're sticking to USB microphones here. They're the easiest option to set up for most users. That means that if you already know you...
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Whether you are streaming games on Twitch or working from home and regularly hopping on Zoom video calls, you want to sound and look your best. Besides the fact that you are wearing sweatpants or no pants, some decent audio and video equipment can up your game overall. This weekend, we have collected some deals on Amazon which can help you look professionally produced, no matter what venue you take to the airways on. Audio Gear To Amp Your Acoustic Game Having audio that sounds noisy or tinny can make people not want to listen to you when you go live, or when you're making a point. If you sound good, though, people will notice and tune in. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to spend...
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Just in time for the holidays, we’re back with another HOT giveaway, courtesy of our friends at EVGA! Up for grabs this time around are six (6) of EVGA's new XR1 USB 3.0 Capture Devices, which are the first to be certified for OBS (Open Broadcaster). Whether you want to capture a feed from your PC, console, or camera, the EVGA XR1 has you covered, with and easy to use control dial, dedicated audio inputs, 1080p60fps capture, 4K60 pass-through, and an advanced 1440p@120Hz pass through mode. All you have to do to earn entry points and win one of these cool devices is like and subscribe to a handful of social media sites, and you’ll automatically be entered. There are no less than...
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Just in time for the holidays, we’re back with another HOT giveaway, courtesy of our friends at EVGA! Up for grabs this time around are six (6) of EVGA's new XR1 USB 3.0 Capture Devices, which are the first to be certified for OBS (Open Broadcaster). Whether you want to capture a feed from your PC, console, or camera, the EVGA XR1 has you covered, with an easy to use control dial, dedicated audio inputs, 1080p60fps capture, 4K60 pass-through, and an advanced 1440p@120Hz pass through mode. All you have to do to earn entry points and win one of these cool devices is like and subscribe to a handful of social media sites, and you’ll automatically be entered. We will be giving away...
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When I moved into a new apartment four years ago, one of the selling points was the fireplace. Who does not like a crackling fire, especially during the winter months when there is a chill in the air? Alas, the apartment complex recently came under new ownership, and they decided to close up all the fireplaces for the time being, because apparently the insurance is too costly. Bah, humbug! That is okay, though, because one thing I have been doing for my Christmas Eve dinners for several years now is to stream crackling fires on my big screen TV. You can too (on your TV, PC monitor, tablet, or phone). There are a plethora of options. Some play holiday music in the background, others focus solely...
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Just in time for the holidays, we’re back with another HOT giveaway, courtesy of our friends at EVGA! Up for grabs this time around are six (6) of EVGA's new XR1 USB 3.0 Capture Devices, which are the first to be certified for OBS (Open Broadcaster). Whether you want to capture a feed from your PC, console, or camera, the EVGA XR1 has you covered, with and easy to use control dial, dedicated audio inputs, 1080p60fps capture, 4K60 pass-through, and an advanced 1440p@120Hz pass through mode. All you have to do to earn entry points and win one of these cool devices is like and subscribe to a handful of social media sites, and you’ll automatically be entered. We will be giving away...
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Streamers and YouTubers have recently come under the microscope of both the U.S government and music copyright holders. The popular streaming platform Twitch wrote that thousands of DMCA notifications have been pouring in since May. This has sparked a mass movement on the platform to stop playing copyrighted music during livestreams for fear of being issued a takedown notice. Now, it is reported that streamers may have to face up to 10 years in prison if they illegally stream, but that may not entirely be the case. Earlier in December, Sen. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, released what he called “bipartisan legislation that would punish large-scale criminal streaming services that willfully...
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Maybe you scored a Fire TV streaming device for Black Friday or purchased a discounted LG smart TV this deal season. Having the right hardware is only half of the equation. The other part is, of course, the content. To that end, there are deals to be had on various streaming services, so you can kick back with a tub of popcorn and binge watch to your heart's delight. Where should you start, though? That is up to you, but we have some suggestions. One of them is Amazon Prime. If you are already a Prime member, you can save up to 50% on movies and more. Amazon offers both outright purchases and rentals. For example, you can rent Bill & Ted Face the Music in HD for $3.99, which is a couple bucks...
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In the past several weeks, a game by the name of Fall Guys has taken the world by storm. Big names like PewDiePie, Dr. Disrespect, shroud, and PaymoneyWubby have been playing the jellybean parkour game on Twitch. With this kind of spotlight, a glaring cheating issue has been brought up in Fall Guys and it is now being addressed by the team behind the popular game. Following the Dr. Disrespect versus PewDiePie matchup in Fall Guys, the game seemed to skyrocket to previously unseen highs. More recently, a Fall Guys tournament was held on Twitch by Twitch Rivals with many of the large names we mentioned. While streaming, some of these content creators caught clips of cheaters among the tournament...
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The Dr. Disrespect saga, from his Twitch ban to his return to YouTube, has gripped the streaming community and taken the gaming world by storm. The good doctor seems to have done well in his return, though, averaging millions of views and attaining 2.6 million subscribers. To put a cap on his first week back, the egomaniacal persona of Herschel ‘Guy’ Beahm IV went toe-to-toe with the largest personality on YouTube, Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie. This competition ultimately led to Dr.Disrespect’s loss, but it was fun to watch nonetheless. Dr. Disrespect opened this stream with an over-the-top introduction with music, lights, and sweet animations. In this intro,...
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Both times when LeBron James was pondering whether to stay in Cleveland or take his talents elsewhere, there was intense interest on where he would land. He chose Miami the first time he left Ohio, and then L.A. Likewise, there are a lot of eyeballs on Dr. Disrespect to see where he will land after being banned from Twitch, and later today, he will participate in his first livestream since that happened. So, where is he going to end up? He might still be deciding on a permanent home, but right now he's on YouTube. Well, sort of. Dr. Disrespect announced in a Twitter post yesterday that, "Tomorrow, we arrive," with a link to his YouTube channel. His stream then went live yesterday as well, though...
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After a year away from Twitch, mega streamer Tyler "Ninja" Blevins returned to his old stomping ground today, where he teamed up with Dr. Lupo to play some Fortnite. It was a notable return because Ninja has not been on Twitch since he inked a lucrative deal to stream exclusively on Microsoft's now-defunct Mixer platform. But is he back for good? Maybe, maybe not. Ninja was careful not to divulge too much, though at the end of the stream he expressed how much he missed doing what he does, and promised he will be streaming with old friends again soon. What he did not say, however, is where he will be resuming his streaming career on a full-time basis. The only thing we know is that it will be...
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It's been around three weeks since Herschel Beahm IV, best known by his online streaming persona Dr. Disrespect, was suddenly and shockingly banned from Twitch without any apparent warning or notice. And guess what? He still supposedly has no clue why he was kicked from the platform just two months after inking a two-year exclusivity deal. And, it does not look like he plans to return to Twitch. Dr. Disrespect has not said much about the ban since it happened, even as rumors and speculation mounted. He was privy to it all though, noting that the whole situation has led to considerable "stress and anxiety." After all, streaming is he and his wife's livelihood, and they "worked really hard to get...
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Yesterday, we reported that Google was raising the price on YouTube TV from $50 per month to a staggering $65 per month. In return, customers would get an extra eight channels; many of which current subscribers have said that have absolutely no interest in. What once started off as a $35/month service has now priced many customers out of the market. Now, we're learning that FuboTV is making a similar move, although the percentage of its price increase isn't as large. The FuboTV family bundle is getting a price increase from $60 to $65 per month. In addition, current subscribers to the "standard" plan that was priced at $55/month will now be forced onto the family bundle. So, they are...
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Popular game streamer Dr. Disrespect has been hit with a permanent ban from streaming service Twitch. He was notified of the permanent ban on Friday, apparently during one of his streams. Just a few months ago, Dr. Disrespect, whose real name is Guy Beahm, had signed an exclusive two-year contract with Twitch for what was described as a "life-changing" amount of money. As for why Beahm was banned from the Twitch platform he tweeted, (seen below) under his Dr. Disrespect Twitter account, that he had not been notified of the specific reason behind the decision. Twitch apparently has offered no concrete reason why Disrespect was banned from the platform, other than to note that the service, "takes...
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All eyes in the streaming space are on Tyler "Ninja" Blevins following Microsoft's surprise announcement that Mixer is transitioning to Facebook Gaming. The decision to effectively shutter Mixer comes less than a year after Microsoft lured Ninja away from Twitch, reportedly paying him around $30 million to stream exclusively on the now-defunct platform. "Ultimately, the success of Partners and streamers on Mixer is dependent on our ability to scale the platform for them as quickly and broadly as possible. It became clear that the time needed to grow our own livestreaming community to scale was out of measure with the vision and experiences that Microsoft and Xbox want to deliver for gamers now,...
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Facebook is launching a new live gaming app called Facebook Gaming: Watch, Play, and Connect. The app marks Facebook's most significant move into the video game segment coming at a time when people are stuck indoors due to the coronavirus and looking for ways to relax. The app is offered at no cost and is designed for creating and watching live gameplay allowing Facebook to battle directly against Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer. The Facebook Gaming app was supposed to launch in June, but Facebook launched early to take advantage of the hordes of people around the country, and the world, who are stuck at home. The person in charge of the Facebook app is Fidji Simo, who reports directly to Mark Zuckerberg....
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One way to pass the time while you are hunkered down in your abode is to kick back and fire up a playlist of your favorite jams. Or get up and shake your rump—dancing is good exercise, after all. Either way, Amazon is making it cheap and easy to do by offering its Amazon Music Unlimited streaming service free for three months. This is quite different that what comes bundled with your Amazon Prime membership (assuming you have one). One of many perks of Prime is the standard Amazon Music subscription. It's a nice add-on, but also limited—it 'only' serves up around two million songs. That sounds like a lot, but it is not nearly as fleshed out as services like Apple Music and Spotify....
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Depending on where you live in the world, you may find yourself in the midst of a stay-at-home order. Even if one does not exist in your area, health professionals are strongly urging the public at large to practice social distancing in order to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. If you find yourself going stir crazy during these wild times we live in, one thing you can do is tune into SiriusXM and listen to premium content at no charge. Howard Stern, one of the streaming service's biggest draws, announced the freebie offer during one of his recent broadcasts. SiriusXM then issued a press release, confirming that users in North America can access its more than 300 channels at no charge starting...
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There are a bunch of movie streaming services out there for people to choose from to watch movies and TV shows on the go and at home. Google is gearing up to get into the streaming movie segment in a much bigger way with ad-supported free movies. The tip on the free movies comes from an APK teardown. As it stands now, Google Play Movies & TV allows customers to purchase or rent individual movies and TV episodes. The APK teardown found code that reads, "Hundreds of movies, just a few a few ads." Other parts of the code says "Introducing" and "Watch free with ads." The code was found in version 4.18.37 of the Android application. It's unclear how much of the Google library might be available...
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Roku has released its earnings report for the last quarter of 2019, and the company did very well, exceeding expectations. The earnings report says that the company brought in $1.1 billion in revenue for the full year of 2019. The company also says that it reinforced its position as America's number one TV streaming platform (measured by hours streamed). Roku notes that 2019 was a big year for TV streaming with a "massive" shift of the TV ecosystem that gained momentum. In the earnings report, the company said that it believes that investing incremental gross profit in 2020 to extend its strategic advantage positions it for the decade ahead is key. Highlights from the earnings report include...
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Although being a geek was not always chic, geek culture has been celebrated in cinema and on television for decades in one form or another. In some ways, it is a genre unto itself. The appreciation of science, fantasy, and intellectual concepts have given birth to a wide range of both celebrated and cringe worthy flicks and TV episodes, from Weird Science and Revenge of the Nerds, to Star Trek and Star Wars. The list is long, and expands exponentially when you relax the criteria of what fits the mold of geek entertainment. Do Ghostbusters and Breaking Bad qualify? I would argue they do, in their own way, though I am less interested in coming up with a concrete definition of geek entertainment...
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