48 THE LIVE LIFE IRL Streaming
video producer at Buzzfeed, took on the challenge of IRL. With help from LiveU and Unlimited IRL, he lived streamed his life via YouTube, 24 hours a day, for an entire week. From his home in Los Angeles he talked to FEED about the ins and outs of IRL, why he did it – and what an unexpected challenge it really was. So, why would would any sane person want to stream every detail of their private life for an audience of complete strangers? “I wanted to deep dive into the world of IRL to explore its sub-cultures and communities,” Inthavong explains. “It was unchartered territory, but I wanted to challenge myself. I had no idea how it would go, and it went in a way I never thought it would.” The great value of IRL, Inthavong discovered, is that it “connects you with people all around the world. Its ability to connect strangers, to showcase the power of human connection, is fascinating to me.” The live chats/comments features are a central part of this connection, allowing viewers to interact directly with the streamer. “I became so connected with the stream and chat I didn’t want to disconnect,” said Inthavong. “The cross- section between community, culture and technology is incredible. It was hard for me to turn off the stream at the end because of the bond I’d built with the viewers.” But Inthavong wasn’t prepared for the continuous pressure of knowing that there were always eyes on him. “I had a struggle not interacting in the chat, despite friends (I was with) asking me to stop,” he says. “These people are tuning in and taking time out of their lives to watch me, so if I’m not engaging them I feel like I’m wasting their time. You always feel like you have to be ‘on’.” 24 HOUR KIT IRL streaming raises a lot of uncomfortable personal – and potentially ethical – issues, but the technology is becoming increasingly accessible and robust. Inthavong needed to live stream for endless hours, anywhere he went. IRL streamers have started demanding a simple solution that will allow them to stream for 12 hours straight as simply as streaming from a phone, but light enough
IN MY WORLD Inthavong’s experiment explored both
the technical and emotional issues connected to IRL live streaming
to let them travel and move around freely. Inthavong got help from live transmission tech company LiveU, who already had a wealth of experience in its cellular bonded technologies for broadcasters. LiveU loaned Inthavong an entire kit through IRL data provider Unlimited IRL, which included the LiveU Solo and modem, as well as a bag, camera, rig and cables – and unlimited data. The LiveU Solo is designed for individuals to stream directly to popular CNDs, OVPs and YouTube Live. Inthavong’s set-up was essentially the same as the Gunrun IRL Backpack, which has been offered as a basic kit for creatives to execute high-quality, real-time ongoing streaming from anywhere in the world. “It made the experience a lot easier, not having to worry about the technology – it
was easy to use and reliable.” The battery- powered LiveU Solo encoder took HDMI audio/video from a Sony AS300 action- cam and the LiveU’s modems streamed out to YouTube. “Apart from the talking head sections with celebrities, all the audio was captured straight from the Sony action-cam,” Inthavong explains. “Unlimited IRL sent me a full kit, which meant I had no data cost for the week, either. I’m very grateful to both for lending me the kit – otherwise I would have been using an iPhone attached to a selfie stick!” The only major technical issues he encountered were in areas of low signal, “which was only about 5% of the time.” AUDIENCE ARRANGEMENTS But even if you have the best gear, growing your IRL stream to reach large audiences can be a challenge. “It plagues a lot of IRL streamers, and it’s actually really tough. Unless you’re producing ground-breaking, never-before- seen streams, it’s hard to build an audience on your own.”
I BECAME SO CONNECTED WITH THE STREAM AND CHAT I DIDN’TWANTTODISCONNECT
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