The next step in the video sharing and user generated content revolution is live video broadcasting. We’ve previously looked at four live video broadcasting solutions currently available to the man on the street (or man sat at his computer).  

These four are uStream, Mogulus, Operator11 and YourCams. However, the problem with these solutions is that the production effects are very limited leaving with you with just yourself and a webcam to keep your audience entertained.

If you are a Mac owner then CamTwist can help liven up your broadcast with some production effects (similar software for windows is WebcamMax).

CamTwist for Mac in a Sentence

CamTwist brings you a variety of live production tools including picture-in-picture, watermarking, desktop sharing, RSS feeds, slideshows, videos and a host of visual effects to your web broadcasts.

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Sling Media, Inc., our favorite placeshifting company, has announced today the addition of the SlingLink™ TURBO 1 Port and SlingLink TURBO 4 Port, two new HomePlug® powerline solutions designed to simplify connecting your Slingbox and other home entertainment devices to your network.

We are always excited about new products from Sling Media, especially ones which help us avoid having to rip holes in our walls. SlingLink also keeps you from having to buy a wireless network adapter for each of your devices. Just plug them all into the SlingLink.

Each new SlingLink is packaged as a pair. Plug in one SlingLink TURBO into the wall near your router, and plug in the other SlingLink TURBO wherever you have your Slingbox installed.

The difference between the two products is the SlingLink TURBO 1 Port connects to one device, like a Slingbox, while the SlingLink TURBO 4 Port connects up to four devices such as a DVR, gaming console or any Ethernet-based consumer electronic product.

These new products are available today from Sling Media’s web site, www.slingmedia.com, for an MSRP of $99.99 and $149.99 respectively.

The Democracy Player, essentially an RSS video feed aggregator with a slick interface, is busy adding available channels, including a lot of high definition content. The player facilitates subscribing to channels, or feeds, and automatically downloads videos to your computer.

A new feature added to this release is the ability to sort by high definition channels only. The player also indicates which channels, or feeds, are available in high definition.

Most LCD monitors are equivalent to high definition TVs in terms of resolution. I watch online videos on my Dell 24″ widescreen monitor. Watching low resolution video fullscreen is painful.

Having a feed aggregator like the Democracy Player indicate which channels are high definition is a nice feature that should appeal to lots of people. As web video matures, it will be interesting to see if software like Joost transition totally to high definition.

The Democracy Player is one of the few online video players that is open source (hence the name “Democracy”).

YouTube has announced Remixer, a free online video editing tool based on Adobe’s Premiere Express. Remixer lets you assemble videos in an easy drag-and-drop timeline, and then publish it right back to YouTube.

Remix supports the insertion of graphics, boorders, captions, text, overlays and in-video transitions. Basically, you upload your files to YouTube and then Remixer lets you manipulate them using a drag and drop interface without actually modifying the original file.

After trying Remix, I think it does little things well enough for the average user, provided you want to keep your files on YouTube only. Adobe Premiere Express does not allow you to save your creation to your desktop or computer. However, the new version of RealNetworks’ RealPlayer, currently in Beta, will let you save YouTube files though.

Although Remix is free, YouTube is generating revenue from it by having Adobe Premiere Elements advertisements in the bottom right corner of the program. Hopefully, YouTube will stick to these types of unobtrusive revenue streams.

Aggregating video clips from sites like YouTube and MetaCafe to create “TV Channels” seems to be all the rage this year. Following in the footsteps of WorldTV, Feedbeat, CozmoTV and SplashCast enters Chime TV, the latest video-clip-to-TV-Station aggregator.

While WorldTV appears to be rocking ahead from a usability standpoint for channel creators, Chime TV has excelled with its fluid viewing experience and central aggregation of its channels.

It has the Electronic Program Guide aesthetics that you get from Joost and BabelGum while remaining in your browser. It even has the folks over at VideoSift getting envious.

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Next month, CNN is hosting a Democratic Party debate in which questions for the Presidential candidates will be asked via YouTube clips.

I think this falls along the lines of being a gimmick more than anything new or innovative, though it does reinforce how internet video has become mainstream.

Hosted by Anderson Cooper, CNN will pick 30 or so clips of no more than 30 seconds each to be aired during the 2 hour debate. Since CNN has full editorial control, do not expect anything too shocking or even insightful. I am guessing everything will be generic.

The one good thing is maybe the debate audience will skew younger than normal though I wonder if the average YouTube user watches CNN. The reason why YouTube is so popular is because the users make the content. CNN, through editing, will make the questions seem scripted and lose that user-generated feel.

When YouTube started blazing onto everyone’s PCs bringing a new world of amateur content and entertaining clips we began to see the potential for watching video online.

When Joost released its first beta we caught a peek at the potential of an internet television platform that could create a TV-like experience.

These two companies have become synonymous with the internet TV revolution. But while everyone has been focusing on the likes of Joost and begging for invites, another internet video start-up has creeped onto the scene to contend with Joost.

The name of this promising start-up?

BabelGum

With its full-screen display, TV-like interface and streaming content Babelgum was bound to be compared directly to its nearest rival Joost, which has already gained a significant following and position within the market.

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