What is a VPS?
VPS stands for Video Providing Servers.
Generally the term VPS is used for Virtual Private Service.
Video Providing Servers are computer-based devices that deliver content on the internet which mainly is video. It could be any video, a long one like a movie or a short one like a music video.
The process of putting up videos on different platforms can be called streaming.
Live Streaming allows you to share the video directly from your camera to your viewers and customers.
This whole technology involves codecs and transcoding tool.
A website or a business needs to ensure high-quality video delivery to its viewers because videos are more attractive and easy to view.
Adding images and other graphics to videos can be interesting. It makes it easy for viewers to draw their attention.
There are various video-providing servers some of them are paid and some of them are free.
Paid ones are more secure and professional.
With free plans though the host has all the rights but has limited support. Youtube is an example of a free server.
Streaming Video Hosting offers services of putting video content whether already recorded or live.
Over The Top (OTT) is a means of providing television and film content over the internet using different servers.
For your business, you need branded, professional, and monetized content which means your content or videos should look professional and should be representing the logo and goals of your business. It should also help in providing revenue by attracting customers.
Why do we need Live Streaming?
Live Streaming means sharing the content right from your camera device to your viewers.
It attracts a large number of customers at the same time and provides great ROI.
Live streaming can be viewed on all devices and from anywhere across the globe.
This means recording content and streaming content at the same time.
Viewers don’t have to download anything. They can simply watch it online.
They can further promote or push the live stream on various social networking platforms like Twitter or Instagram as well.
Read: How to Create a Perfect YouTube Video?
These social media platforms also have the feature of live streaming, you can easily go live and talk to your followers and viewers.
These live videos can be saved and viewed later also.
Live Streaming is a major way to get the attention of customers. Viewers don’t need to pay anything to view these live streams. It helps in engaging with your audience on a deeper level.
It provides viewers with high-quality content in a more professional manner.
If you are expanding your business it is an easy way of letting the customers know more about your brand value and services offered.
You can Live Stream anything from music concerts to performances to anything without being concerned about the duration of the stream.
What to look for in a VPS for Live Streaming?
Every Video Providing Server should have security and privacy policies. The content you post should remain secure.
The content you post should be of high quality. You should represent your brand value and what you want your customers to think of you.
It should help you monetize which means make money. It can be through ads or pay per view or subscription-based.
The goal of any business is to make money and your provider should be so good that it can automatically lead to revenue generation. Of course, it depends on the content that you post but also on your provider.
Make sure your service provider has CDN (Contact Delivery Network) enabled as it helps in eliminating buffering.
A business or website should always check its budget before investing in a VPS. VPS providers offer different plans to suit your needs.
You can always upgrade your plans if you are expanding or there is more traffic on your website.
There is another thing you need to check before choosing the right VPS and that is API (Application Programming Interfaces) Access, which lets you create customized applications and video platforms.
Keeping in mind the above considerations let’s analyze some of the top VPS Providers for Live Streaming:
1. Dacast
Dacast is a live streaming online video platform that was found in 2010.
It is a business-to-business platform.
It offers the highest quality streaming solutions that range from 240p to 1080p.
It is a secure and highly monetized platform which means it helps in revenue generation.
They have an API-based online video platform that lets you build apps and video platforms.
Dacast helps you track your performance.
They provide a white-label platform that helps you in customizing the video player with your business’s name and logo and other things as well.
They have a high-quality resolution of up to 1080p.
It has HTML5 Video Player that allows you to stream on all devices from anywhere across the globe. It has transcoding services that can make your videos reach millions of users in no time.
Dacast Pricing and Plans
- Starter Plan is billed at $39 per month for a yearly plan.
- Event is billed $63 per month which is billed annually.
- Scale Plan is billed at $188 per month for a yearly plan.
- You should go with a custom plan if you a high-volume user.
2. Kaltura
Kaltura was founded in 2006 and is a video platform that provides both live and on-demand video.
It is suitable for everyone from businesses to educational institutes to media companies.
They are flexible and have easy-to-use integration which may be helpful for beginners as well.
Like Dacast, they also have API based video platform.
They have transcoding services and offer great monetization which helps in making money. They have different options like advertisements, subscriptions, and one-time transactions.
They have an open-source video platform project.
They can stream any event from anywhere of any size.
You can add your logo and personalize and customize the platform that means having a white-label platform.
It is available in various languages and provides automatic translation as well.
You can share the streaming on various platforms directly like Youtube, Facebook, etc.
They offer a 30-day free trial and provides the highest quality resolution up to 1080p.
Depending on your plans it can offer unlimited bandwidth and storage.
Kaltura Pricing and Plans
- You get a 30-day free trial before you can commit the product.
- You can get in touch with their executives for their Enterprise Annual Package.
3. Brighcove
Brightcove was founded in 2004.
It provides video services in 70+ countries.
They have a nurturing broad video-centric ecosystem. The content on this platform can be viewed from multiple devices.
It offers glitch and buffering free content.
It is a simple and flexible server.
You can share the streaming on various social media platforms.
It has a special feature in which the audience can rewind or pause and then play a live stream as well.
They have a developer-friendly API that lets you customize applications and video platforms.
In this platform Lice streaming support is available only for Video Cloud Enterprise publishers.
They provide high security and protect your privacy.
You can increase the bandwidth and storage with different plans.
Brightcove Pricing and Plans
They provide a free trial as well.
The plans for Brightcove start at $199 per month and you can upgrade your plan according to your growth.
4. Vimeo
Vimeo is a video hosting and sharing platform launched in 2004.
They provide high-quality live streaming having a resolution up to 1080p.
You can upload from any device.
It is a simple and easy to use platform that lets you share the live stream on various platforms.
It lets you stream in 4K Ultra HD.
It is a flexible and secure platform.
You can upload content from anywhere and backup from any device.
It has the feature of speed control, you can change the speed for your viewers i.e you can lower it or increase it.
They let your customers watch ad-free content.
With Vimeo, you can live stream anything from events to webinars to classes.
It has another feature that helps you preview your screen that is testing out the details of the event and how it will be viewed by the viewers.
It helps you share the live stream on different social media platforms.
If you have a private stream you can protect it with a password.
You can personalize the event and the platform with your logo and for keeping it more fun they have an option of having QnAs and polls.
Vimeo Pricing and Plans
Vimeo offers a 30-day trial.
They have various plans. The Plus plan starts at $7 per month for annual billing. The Premium plans start at $75 per month billed annually, which provides unlimited screening.
5. JW Player
JW Player is an online video platform that was launched in 2005.
It is a simple, flexible, and easy to use platform which has API access, it lets you customize apps and video platforms.
It can be viewed and accessed from anywhere and with any device which lets you build relationships with customers.
It helps you track the analytics i.e number of viewers and from where they are etc.
One specific event can go up to a maximum of 12 hours and it will live stream smoothly.
It has various plans starting from $10 per month, it provides limited bandwidth and storage.
You can always customize your plans according to your growth and needs.
It is suitable for all businesses and institutions.
It has a high-quality resolution of up to 1080p. It offers an auto converting option that means it can change according to the device.
JW Player Pricing and Plans
JW Player offers a 30-day free trial.
The starter plan is for $10 per month.
JW Player offers custom pricing for Enterprise Plan.
6. Vidyard
Vidyard was launched in 2010 and is an online video platform.
It has both live streaming options and on-demand videos, after the live stream ends it is automatically saved as an on-demand video.
Live streams by Vidyard can be viewed and accessed from anywhere and on any device.
It lets you track the viewers and get detailed information about them.
It has a feature called Live Stream DVR which lets you pause and rewind the live stream.
Vidyard is suitable for all businesses and lets you develop relationships with your viewers on another level.
All this communication and engaging with the customers makes them loyal thus leading to revenue generation.
The maximum time a live event is allowed to stream in Vinyard is 1 hour.
It has a high-quality resolution and lets you view in 4K.
It offers limited bandwidth and storage.
You can also password protect your streaming.
It is a flexible platform and makes your streams look more professional. It provides ad-free video hosting.
Vidyard Pricing and Plans
It offers a free plan as well as a paid plan which starts at $15 per month billed annually for individuals.
For teams the it has $300 monthly plan which is billed annually.
For Business users the plan is priced at $1250 per month billed annually.
Conclusion
A Video providing server is a server that provides video content to the viewers by posting it on the internet.
Paid streams are better than free streaming providers as it is more secure and fast. It gives you a more professional look amongst your viewers.
Free providers have many advertisements while streaming but most of the paid ones provide ad-free content without any interruptions.
Live Streaming as stated above is recording and streaming at the same time, it attracts more customers and does not require additional software or downloads.
You can view it from any device and from anywhere across the globe.
Once you set your goals and budget you can easily choose the right VPS for Live Streaming.
Most of the providers do not require any major skills and knowledge and are easy to use so you can think of expanding your business.
One of the popular free service providers is Youtube and almost all the creators use it as their only video platform.
There are various options stated above you can look at their features and services and make your decision.
Analyze the security, monetization and CDN and API access and pricing, and of course your capabilities as a business and the future of your business or institute.
The customer doesn’t need to pay anything for viewing your live stream.
For further revenue generation, you can promote the live streaming on different social media accounts, it makes your customers aware of your new products or services or what are you as a business up to.
Most of the servers provide multiple streams at once.
The paid ones offer more control and resources at affordable prices.
You can always avail of the free trials and try the servers first and then make the decision for your website.
Let us know if you are using a better VPS provider than we have included in this article.
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