Twitter's Periscope streams challenge to Meerkat
NEW YORK — Meerkat had better watch its back.
The live-streaming video app that was all the rage at SXSW now faces big-time competition. It comes from the Periscope app launching today, which Twitter bought in January for a reported $100 million.
The promise of live mobile video has hung out there for years. Only now with faster and more robust networks, powerful smartphones in the hands of many, and, of course, the presence of social networks, the experience is finally gaining meaningful traction. And Meerkat and Periscope are the rival headliners.
Assuming you have a decent connection, you can turn into an instant broadcaster by tapping a button inside the Meerkat or Periscope app on your iPhone; Android versions are on the roadmap. Video is streamed in real time over Twitter to what you hope are an adoring fan base of friends and followers.
In fact, you'll know pretty quickly whether your followers adore what you're doing because they can share comments within the app and ask questions during your broadcasting session. (Twitter comments won't appear.) On Periscope they can also tap the screen to playfully offer positive feedback in the form of hearts — there's a "most loved" list inside the Periscope app.
They keep score on Meerkat, too. Viewers there can tap an icon to indicate they appreciate what they're seeing.
I liked Meerkat when I tried it at SxSW. And I like Periscope even more because it addresses what is the biggest shortcoming in the Meerkat app: that is, you can post and view replays of what you or others shot. There are no such reruns inside Meerkat, though both apps do give you the option of saving the videos you've shot onto the phone's camera roll. Periscope also has a friendlier interface.
I've been testing Periscope for several days as part of a closed invitation-only beta. As much as you may share life's everyday moments with your followers, a good part of Periscope's appeal comes through the insider-y look others are granting you, and the beta group has some well-known names in it, just as celebrities have taken to using Meerkat.
I got to remotely join a ride on the Milan Metro, and watch classical concert pianist AyseDeniz Gokcin perform an improvisational piece in D-minor.
French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied offered a glimpse of Swan Lake from the wings of the Paris Opera Ballet. Al Roker let viewers peek in on Today. Famed chef Mario Batali gave a quick tour of The Chew kitchen. And physician Sanjay Gupta brought us into an operating room.
My own Periscope broadcasts were more ordinary but more personally meaningful. I streamed my family's snow tubing outing, broadcast a glorious bus ride view of Manhattan from the helix approaching the Lincoln Tunnel, and shot video of morning walks with my dog, Sadie.
HOW IT WORKS
You have various options while shooting. You can toggle back and forth between the front and rear cameras on your phone. You can share your location, and you can broadcast a private stream that only goes to designated followers.
During the live stream, or for that matter during a replay, you can view the names of the people watching and see any comments they make.
The person broadcasting can block people who make nasty or inappropriate comments. Any viewer can report bad behavior to Periscope.
You'll receive Periscope notifications on your phone when people you follow are broadcasting live. Twitter recently cut off Meerkat's access to the Twitter "social graph." The move means that new users on Meerkat won't get the push notifications that would have made it easier for them to find a live stream.
When you open the Periscope app you'll see if anyone is broadcasting at that moment live — you can tap to follow the stream. Below is a watch list of recently made available replays. You can watch any of those too.
Alas, while you can search for people within the app to follow, you cannot search for a stream by topic. Nor can you search for old streams, including your own, so unless you saved it on the phone, it may be toast.
The folks at Periscope have a small editorial team devoted to surfacing the most compelling people and content.
Because of some bugs during the beta, not all my streams were saved as replays. Another nit: Periscope launches in portrait mode only, so unlike Meerkat, the orientation of the screen doesn't change when you turn the phone sideways to view in landscape.
You'll be able to send out a tweet with a link to your broadcast while streaming, but the feature was disabled during Periscope's beta test.
Your followers can watch the broadcast live or in replay within a web view on a desktop or on Android devices. People who click the link on iOS devices will either be sent the video directly in the app or prompted to download Periscope.
On Meerkat you can retweet a streaming session while it is happening.
Out of the gate there is no connection between Periscope and the Vine short-form video sharing service that Twitter acquired in 2012.
There's room for improvement in both new apps, but I'm already fond of Periscope and Meerkat. Thanks to replays, though, Periscope leaps past its rival. I invite you to keep an eye out for my live streams.
Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow @edbaig on Twitter
The bottom line
Periscope by Twitter
https://itunes.apple.
Pros. Livestreaming at push of button. Ability to post replays.
Cons. Some limitations on search. iOS only for now.