When you see Joost, a company with millions of dollars behind it, create an internet TV platform that, while looks pretty, is non-intuitive and requires you to install software, you wonder if anyone can make an easy to use and simple web television platform.
Well someone can and his name is Mirco Pasqualini, a talented Italian who has created the StreamCast Player which, in my eyes, is the best internet TV platform I have yet to come across from the point of view of the end-user.
I first heard of StreamCast Player earlier this year and I really don’t know why it has taken me so long to get around to writing about this well designed flash video player for web TV stations.
StreamCast Player Features
StreamCast Player is designed for use with a web TV channel that has multiple videos. The player has grasped usability in a way that similar TV channel platforms have failed:
- It works in a browser and does not need additional software.
- It works on Linux, Windows and Mac as it uses flash.
- It seamlessly switches to full screen without disturbing play.
- It has an intuitive layout which is easy to understand and see what different buttons do.
- It has different viewing layouts which keep the channel playing while you look at the playlist or channel information without disturbing viewing.
- It is very responsive so when you click to do something it does it straight away, adding to the fluid experience.
- A clear information bar quickly pops up where it should be when you move the mouse towards the bottom of the screen and quickly disappears when you move it away.
- It utilizes the full browser window.
- It has excellent options for advert integration with optional adverts between videos and optional in-context adverts that appear as unobtrusive links during videos.
When all this comes together it creates a very fluid, intuitive and aesthetic viewing experience.
Screenshots
Screenshot Credits: IPTV Evangelist and MasterNewMedia
Creating your own channel
Just like SplashCast, CozmoTV and WorldTV, the StreamCast Player allows you to create your own TV channels from existing videos posted around the net, such as from YouTube and MySpace.
This is all done on StreamCast Player’s sister site Feedbeat.net. You can read more about it on WebTVHub.com.
In addition to creating channels from existing videos you can use your own private video collection (whatever that may be) to create a channel on your own website using the StreamCast Player.
StreamCast Player Pro
Streamcast player is completely free to use for both viewers and channel creators. However, a premium version called Streamcast Player Pro is currently under development with the following planned features:
- RSS Data Driven
- eCommerce ready (each video can be linkable to remote URL page where access to B2C section)
- Manage Live, Recorded source FLV
- Additional information to each video reader (description, Author, Title, Genre, Channel, etc..)
- Advertising Engine Manager
- “Next Show” Preview Tool
- Child and Parent Rating Guide
- Send a Video Features
- Full Customizable interface
- Language Customizable
- Skype Integration
- RSS Feed News Reader
- Multi Channel Management
- Chapter Management
- Sync Event Video Management (Ex: for presentation video + images or Text)
- Subtitle Management
- Integration with any CMS language by XML
- Integration with general Statistic Tools system
Related Links
- IPTV Evangelist StreamCast Player Review
- WebTVHub FeedBeat Review
- Master New Media Review of StreamCast Player
- FeedBeat
- StreamCast Player
