<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Free apps and webcam-based streaming services make putting live video on the Internet accessible to just about anyone with a connected device. Streaming broadcast-quality live video, however, still requires expensive equipment that most people don't have on hand. Livestream, a site for streaming live events, is aiming to lower this barrier of entry with its first hardware product.\nOn Thursday, the startup announced Broadcaster: a tiny red box that plugs in to any camera, encodes the video in real-time HD and uses either a wireless connection or a 3G/4G USB modem to upload it to the Livestream site \u2014 all without any need for a computer. \nThe device can also be used as a battery-powered desktop encoder, and it will be sold on the Livestream site for $495. \nThat may seam expensive, but its a big improvement over the price of what Broadcaster replaces. Other HD encoding equipment that Livestream recommends costs between $1,000 and $5,000.\nLivestream's new product wasn't developed out of a desire to become a hardware company (in fact, it would someday like to give away the equipment for free). Rather, Broadcaster is about making Livestream's online service \u2014 unlimited HD streaming for $45 per month \u2014 accessible to more people. \n\"The missing link to accelerate adoption was seamlessly integrating live video from any prosumer camera to our service without the need for a computer,\u201D Livestream CEO Max Haot said in a statement.\nEvery purchase of Broadcaster includes three months of Livestream service.\nFree apps from startups such as Ustream and Bambuser suit most individuals' live broadcasting needs just fine. But Livestream's hardware may entice another level of professional events to its platform, which has hosted videos for ABC News, CBS News, AT&amp;T, PepsiCo and The Academy Awards.\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/04/12/livestream-broadcaster/>