It’s a cliché to say that smartphones have become ubiquitous across the world – they cover our every move in business and our personal lives. Whether it’s Android or iOS, we feel naked when we forget them or panic when we lose them.
For video and live streaming, Smartphones are opening up opportunities for broadcasters, freelancers and emergency service workers that was previously cost prohibitive. The quality of the camera phone is so advanced that it is now capable of 4K video formats at a minimum of 25 frames per second which for a device that could also provide GPS information and other metadata, it is a lot of technology at a very compelling price. It is not only vloggers and social media specialists creating stunning video content on their phone, we are now also seeing tier 1 broadcasters using their phones for live news broadcasts.
Traditional live streaming apps such as Facebook live will not give the media workflows that broadcasters or public workers will require for their live streaming needs. This is where the Zao Android App can function.
The Zao Android app is developed by Soliton Systems who specialize in video contribution systems for outdoor broadcast and mobile surveillance. Their Zao range of H.265 encoders are used by global broadcasters, law enforcement and other emergency response teams to live stream from mobile cameras over multiple 3G/4G networks, even in the most challenging of situations, back to HQ. The Zao Android App can be used instead of an encoder by using the camera-phone and can be used to send an encrypted live stream over 4G or WiFi.
Users of live streaming often need the ability to remotely control the broadcast. For news and sports broadcasters at the receiving end they typically require an HD-SDI stream. The Zao Android App in conjunction with the Zao Web management and the HD View decoding software, can provide all the necessary functionality and media workflows expected of a tier 1 broadcaster using Smartphones. HD View can also provide an RTSP stream that can be pushed to social media such as YouTube.
For Public safety and emergency workers, they have their own set of needs – encryption is important, but the ability to create an ONVIF compliant live stream at the receiving end is normally critical. With Soliton Zao VMS Plus it is possible to create ONVIF compliant streams from the Zao smartphone app.
The Zao Android App recently won the Airbus Critical Communications App in 2018 in Belgium.
