Ustream Serves Video to BFFs on Facebook with Apple iPhone App
Watch out Viddy and Socialcam: the race to become the Instagram of video is still on and Ustream is now joining in. The live streaming specialist expects that its new video sharing app -- Broadcast for Friends (BFF) -- will debut in the Apple App Store in early September. BFF has some crucial differences that separate it from other video apps: it streams live video and it only delivers it to Facebook pages.
This free app works with the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad (although there won't be an iPad-specific version at launch), and lets users stream an unlimited amount of 640 by 480 video that shows up in their Facebook timeline page or in a friend's news feed. Friends can make comments on the live video which are then displayed in real-time to the person doing the streaming.
Ustream has decided to jazz up the offering by letting people apply effects to their videos. They can choose from Maltese (saturated black and white), Vendetta (prominent reds), Valentino (a silent film look), or seven other filters.
To use BFF, people will sign in to their Facebook accounts through the app and then click the Broadcast button. Video will then appear in that person's timeline. Users won't need a Ustream account to use BFF.
Privacy controls let the person streaming the video decide who sees it. Settings include friends-only, self-only, and public. When the live streaming is finished, the user has the choice of saving a recorded version to his or her timeline for viewing later.
Those interested can sign up on the Broadcast for Friends site to get an email notification when it's available.
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